He opened his mouth to say everything he needed to, but she lifted her fingers and touched his lips, halting his words and his thoughts.
Shoot. She didn’t want him there, didn’t want to hear him out.
He braced his shoulders. He’d come all this way, and he had to at least say something. “Kinsey, I—”
She didn’t let him finish and instead cupped her hand entirely over his mouth. “I’m sorry. I love you. And if you’ll give me a second chance, I’ll take it.” The words were low and rushed, almost as if she’d rehearsed them and needed to say them just as rapidly as possible before she lost her nerve.
She stood watching him, obviously waiting for his reaction. With her hand over his mouth. Giving him no way to speak.
Her eyes were wide and filled with fear. Why? Because she was afraid he’d reject her? Surely she had to realize that his showing up here on the top of Mount Elbert was a pretty grand gesture, that he wouldn’t have made the climb if he didn’t love her.
Even so, she was waiting, her forehead furrowing.
Maybe he didn’t have to speak. Maybe it was just time to show her that they would always have second chances, and third, and fourth, and as many as it took, because he was all in forever.
He lifted his hand to hers and flattened her cupped hand so that he could kiss her palm. He let his lips linger there for long seconds, not once breaking eye contact with her.
Her shoulders seemed to relax a little, but uncertainty still flitted through her eyes. “I was a coward, but I don’t want to let my fears hold me back any longer.”
Her words were far more than he’d expected, and they filled him with a happiness he hadn’t thought he’d feel so quickly. But he should have guessed that with Kinsey, he’d fall again for her just as fast and furiously as he had from the start. Was this what he’d feel for the rest of his life with her? Was this what all his ancestors had felt too?
With fresh fire sparking along his nerves, he kissed her palm again.
Her wide eyes blazed to life with the heat he loved seeing there. Even so, she seemed to be banking the sparks, not quite ready to let them spread.
This time, he reached for her hip and drew her body against his, firmly and decisively. Then in the next move, he bent in and let her hand fall away so that he was kissing her mouth with just as much firmness and decisiveness.
He let his kiss tell her everything—that she was the one for him, the only woman he’d ever want, the love of his life.
As he took the kiss from zero to a hundred miles per hour in one second, she met him as she usually did, with the same fervor. He almost groaned with how much he loved her passion and her ability to meet him kiss for kiss without any hesitation and without any holding back.
Her hands wrapped around his neck, and she melded against him, as if she couldn’t get close enough. He didn’t hesitate to draw her in and fold her tighter.
He could keep on kissing her all day and all night and never grow tired of it, but at the sound of clapping, whistles, and catcalls, he pulled back. He was tempted to glare at the other hikers, but Kinsey took a step away from him, a smile lighting up her face.
She beamed at the others, then at Mitch, before turning her full smile upon him.
As she tilted her head and peered up at him, he was tempted to bend down and kiss her full on the lips again just as desperately, because he was so desperately in love with her that he wanted her to know it over and over for the rest of her life.
“So,” she said, “does that kiss mean you accept my apology?”
“It means”—he couldn’t stop from kissing her forehead—“that no apology is necessary.”
“But I am sorry—”
He cut her off by kissing the tip of her nose. “I came up here because I couldn’t go another day without letting you know that I’ll always love you, that I’m fighting for us, and that I’ll be waiting for you whenever you’re ready.”
She cocked her head, her smile still bright. “Ready for what?”
“Ready to be in a relationship with me.”
“I’m ready, Tyler.”
“But I don’t want to rush you and end up pushing you away. I already did that, and I want to be careful. After today, of course.I know this is pushy coming up here like this and interrupting your hike and interfering with your vacation.”
“I’m done. I was talking with Mitch about leaving. After the hike, I wanted to call Kade and have him come pick me up so that I could talk to you.”
“You did?” Tyler could feel a smile of his own working free.
