“You said that camping would only be fun if there were s’mores and stargazing so ...” Hudson says, leading me down the path. Peeking inside the tent, I can see it’s outfitted with a blowup mattress, a plethora of pillows, and a crochet blanket.
“When did you have time to do all this?” I ask.
“I may have had some help,” he replies, grabbing the bottle of champagne from the plastic bucket filled with ice.
“Make sure to thank Vanessa for me,” I say, as he pops the cork on the bottle. Foam gushes over his hands and I take the bottle, saving him from himself. “You really can’t pour a drink for shit.” I shake excess champagne off my fingers before taking a sip.
“Thankfully I have other skills,” he counters, moving his hand to my face and bringing my mouth to his. He tastes like champagne and vanilla frosting as I soften against him. In my life I’ve truly never had much security. I always thought that I needed to be better, to be someone different, to change, but the way Hudson stares at me, the green of his eyes darker beneath the night sky, I know that he’d never ask me to be anyone other than myself.
It was easy to allow myself to believe that love is a myth—that it, like many social constructs, is just a product of the wedding industry, that it’s a fairy tale awarded to few. But as warmth spreads through my chest, down my body, I understand that I just never felt it before, real love, true love, the kind that keeps people together for forty years. Because love isn’t just passion or lust, it isn’tan all-consuming, can’t-eat, can’t-think proposition; it’s problem-solving, listening, and understanding. It’s everything that Hudson’s done for me and more. Not only this week but ever since the first time I saw him in that bar. He’s been taking care of me, in subtle ways that I hadn’t realized I needed until now.
“What are you thinking about?” Hudson asks, moving a stray curl behind my ear.
I nod, allowing his steady arms to hold me in place, and I can feel the words I need to say slide to the tip of my tongue.
“That I love you too.”
Epilogue-Mira
Two Years Later
“And this is where Gandalf asks Bilbo if he wants to go on an adventure,” Hudson says, doing his best Ian McKellen impression. He’s dressed in an Aragorn costume, complete with a sword that we had to check through security at the airport, as he bounces from one Hobbit-hole to another.
If Hudson is a ray of sunshine on a normal day, being in the land of his favorite franchise is like dosing pure dopamine as he buzzes up the grassy knolls. I’m all too familiar with the quote, since Hudson made me watch all six parts of the film franchise as well as the extended versions and commentaries to get the full picture. But even though I’ll never love the movies as much as he does, I can admit that the village of Hobbiton is quite breathtaking. Colorful flowers of pink and yellow line the cobbled paths, while vines and lush green grasses grow up the sides of the circular windows and doors.
“And Frodo stood right here,” he says, glancing inside one of the Hobbit-holes from the movie sets. I love seeing him like this, carefree and unburdened. It’s our first official vacation since Hudson took over as CEO, and he deserves the break. Thanksto his new conservation and educational initiatives Hudson has been awarded a coveted 30 Under 30 award fromForbesmagazine and has already broken ground on two new scholarship-based summer camps.
“Ah. This is so cool,” he says, geeking out. “Can you take my picture?”
“Only if I can put it in this month’s newsletter,” I say, reaching for the camera around my neck.
“Newsletter,” he scoffs. “This is going to be my new profile pic on LinkedIn.”
After we got back from Wyoming, I applied for the job at Elite Elevation, and Hudson offered it to me about fifteen minutes after I hit send on the application.
Working for a corporation is so different to the wedding world. I don’t have to answer emails at two in the morning or edit until my eyesight goes blurry. I never have to worry if I’ll walk into a job and get screamed at or ordered around. And, as Hudson promised, I’m never required to go into the office if I don’t want to. But I like stopping in, bringing him lunch, or commandeering one of the communal desks to edit, and I got to know the team before we spent a week in the field together.
My first job out was at Acadia National Park and although I wasn’t a seasoned hiker by any means, the team made sure to make me feel like part of the family. They let me take my time, showing me tips and tricks on how to survive life in the wilderness, offering me snacks of dehydrated fruits and jerky, and never making me feel less than when I needed help scaling mountainsides or getting an ATV out of reverse. And of course, having Hudson by my side every step of the way was an added bonus.
Because Hudson always made sure to put time in our schedule for me to relax or work on my own creative pursuits, I rekindled my love of documentary photography, spending our off days capturingstreet vendors in Mexico, sheep farmers in Texas, and fishermen in Maine. Hudson always assured me that I could take breaks, that he didn’t want me to burn out again, but capturing content for a brand that was making a positive impact in the world, elevating unsung heroes in the environmental community, and highlighting pioneers in hiking and adventure sports didn’t feel like work. It felt like an honor.
I click my shutter again before Hudson waves me over. “You think we can take a photo together? I want to prove that I got you to dress up.”
I stare down at the costume I rented for the occasion. The floor-length Galadriel gown is crushed white velvet with balloon sleeves and braided rope embellishments. I’ve even donned a replica crown I found from a custom designer on Etsy, a purchase I hid in our guest bedroom for weeks hoping he wouldn’t stumble upon it. When we got back from Wyoming, Hudson spent most nights at my apartment, while Katherine boxed up her stuff. But even after she moved to Charlotte, the place never really felt like home. Two months after I started working for Elite, Hudson put the condo on the market, I broke my lease, and we ended up getting a place together. A cute little cottage, with garden boxes and a porch swing, and a shed that Hudson converted into a darkroom just for me.
My images are not only anchor images for Elite Elevation but have gone on to win several prestigious awards in nature magazines and have been published inNational Geographic. And in my spare time I’ve been able to curate a portfolio for a gallery with exhibitions in New York, San Francisco, Denver, and Asheville—a city we visit once a quarter to catch up with Grant and Meredith. The two of them are thriving, as Meredith’s massage therapy business just expanded, hiring two other holistic healers, and Grant was made CFO for the brewery after he helped them expand to fouradditional locations. Meredith even convinced Vivianne to leave Arizona and open a medicinal tea shop in the River Arts District.
“I’d only do this for you,” I reply, placing my camera on the moss-covered rock and setting the timer. Standing in front of the door, Hudson moves beside me as the camera’s timer counts down. And even though I know what’s coming, I’m still stunned when he drops to his knee, sword held at the hilt.
“Mira,” he says, taking my hand, his fiery red hair popping among the lavish greens, making his eyes gleam. “I want to say that these last two years have been everything to me. You guided me along this journey when I was completely directionless. You inspired me to stand up for the things I want and be thankful for the things I’m given.”
He takes a breath. “I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it to whoever wants to listen, but I’m hopelessly in love with you. There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not grateful that you’re here, with me, and I want to spend the rest of my life making you laugh, cooking you pancakes, and never mixing you a cocktail ever again,” he laughs, pulling out a ring box from his breast pocket. He flicks it open to reveal a gold ring with an opal that shimmers in the sunlight. “Will you marry me?”
Bending down, I take his face into my hands, bringing his lips to mine. Even after all this time he still kisses me as if it’s the last one we’ll ever share and I let myself sink into him. His hands wrap around my waist, and he stands up.
“Is that a yes?” he asks, removing the ring from the box and waiting for my hand. Thankfully Vanessa clued me in on Hudson’s proposal, since they’d gone ring shopping together. That girl really can’t keep a secret, but at least she helped me orchestrate this surprise for him.
“On one condition.”
