He chuckled, flipped her onto her back in one smooth motion, his brown eyes going dark. “Let’s forn… fornicate … while we still can.”
Megs’ blood went hot. “I love the way you think.”
Epilogue
May 28
Rain and Sashapinned the wreath of pink roses, pine, and baby’s breath in Megs’ hair, Megs standing with her back to the mirror.
Rain took the last bobby pin from her mouth. “Are you nervous?”
“Not really.” Okay, maybe she was a little nervous. She didn’t want to screw up her vows in front of everyone. “Mitch and I have been together for forty-nine years today, so it’s not like I have to worry about what our life will look like.”
Rain laughed, adjusted the wreath. “I guess not.”
“It’s your anniversary?” Sasha leaned around from behind Megs, bobby pins between her fingers, a bright smile on her face. “That’s so cool!”
“I arrived in Yosemite Valley on this day forty-nine years ago.” Thanks to the journal, Megs’ memories were as fresh as if it had happened yesterday. “Gridwall tried to hit on me, and though I handled it myself, Mitch came down on him.”
Sasha put the extra bobby pins back in their case. “I wish I’d been there in those days. It must have been the best time ever.”
Megs couldn’t help seeing herself in Sasha. They’d both been sports climbing world champions, after all. “You would have owned the Valley.”
Rain stepped back. “Okay. You’re all done.”
A knock.
Rose poked her head inside. “I just wanted to see the bride. Oh. That’s what you’re wearing to your wedding? I saw that on the rack at Target.”
Megs couldn’t help but laugh at Rose’s disappointment. “You don’t approve?”
Megs had refused to spend money on some ridiculous wedding dress that she would never wear again, opting instead for a pretty white sundress with spaghetti straps and white sandals. Given that she rarely wore anything but jeans, this was going all out.
“Well…” For a moment, Rose was unusually bereft of words. “Itisyou.”
“It is.” Megs was pretty sure that was an insult, but to be truthful, she really didn’t care how she looked or what people thought of her. She wasn’t a shopper, and she’d never understood the fuss some women made over the superficial stuff—clothes, makeup, handbags, shoes, jewelry. It meant nothing to her.
Climbing gear, on the other hand…
Yeah, okay. Maybe shewasa shopper.
Sasha kissed her cheek. “I think you look hot.”
Rain handed her the bouquet. “You look beautiful, and the dress is perfect.”
“Yes, of course, she’s beautiful,” Rose agreed. “All brides are beautiful.”
“Thanks.” Megs turned to face the mirror.
In a blink, her life seemed to rush across her reflection. She saw the sixteen-year-old who’d fallen in love with Mitch, the young woman who’d finally taken him as her lover, the climber who’d touched the top of the world.
She saw Mitch, too—young and strong, fighting his attraction to her, making love to her, seizing all of the adventure he could with her, carrying her through life.
The vision, if that’s what it was, lasted only a moment, memories seeming to slide across the glass, making her throat go tight. Now she was about to marry Mitch, all of their shared experiences coming together in a special celebration.
The vision faded, leaving her shaken in the best possible way. She cleared her throat. “Well, let’s get on with it.”
Rain and Sasha laughed.
