His face was completely earnest as he met my eye. “I love you. You and Vincent, you’re it for me.”
“It’s not that simple,” I said, nerves skittering through me.
With a shrug, he popped a blueberry into his mouth. “It is, actually. The fire, the mess, it’s all in the past. Let’s build something out of the ashes. Let’s take this chance we’ve been given and do something amazing.”
I wanted to laugh it off. Protest. But I couldn’t. Because he was right.
Even so, it was too soon.
“We can’t get married.”
“We don’t have to get married yet if you’re not ready. Or ever. Just be mine.”
“I am yours,” I said.
With a slow smile, he pulled me into his lap. “Good. Because I’m all yours, Evie. Be gentle with me,” he said, his voice full of tenderness and vulnerability. “I may seem like a big, tough, manly man, but I have a squishy heart.”
He took my hand and placed it against his chest.
My stomach flipped at the sweet gesture. For so long, I’d written this man off as unpredictable, wild, and reckless. But that was so far from the truth. He was steady. He was dependable. And he was, above all else, mine.
Arms draped over his shoulders, I kissed him, reveling in the sensation of his warm lips on mine.
“We just have to choose each other. Every day.” He scooped Vincent up and brought him close, his little baby cheeks damp with drool.
He made it sound so simple. So easy. Like we weren’t just neuroses stuffed into skin and walking around trying not to mess everything up.
“Don’t overthink.”
I sighed. “But?—”
“Shh.” He put a finger to my lips. “Just say yes.”
“What am I agreeing to?”
“Everything and anything.” He tightened his hold on us.
I shifted, searching for an appropriate response. Or maybe an argument. But before I could formulate the words, my attention was snagged by the falls.
The spray hitting the rocks caught the sunlight, creating two rainbows over the surface of the water.
I gasped, tears once again threatening. It was maybe the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
The falls never stopped. No matter the season or the storm. They changed and adapted, but the water kept moving.
Maybe love was the same. Wild, uncertain, constantly evolving. Beautiful in every way.
The three of us clung to one another, in awe of the sight. And for the first time in forever, I didn’t think about what was coming next. I just took a breath of fresh air and enjoyed the miracle unfolding in front of me.
Jasper and I didn’t need to leap. We’d already fallen. Together.
Epilogue
Jasper
Two weeks later
Evie smiled at me as we walked with Josh through the stand of juvenile trees. Vincent was happily asleep on my chest in his carrier, his little body sweaty against mine. I loved it. This time with my son was one of life’s greatest gifts.
