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He hoists his backpack with ease and locks the car, then leads me to the trailhead. “I’ll go first to clear the cobwebs, but if I’m going too fast, you let me know. It’s about a three-and-a-half-hour hike up to the camping ground, then another half hour to the waterfalls. If you need a break, tell me. If anything feels wrong, tell me.”

I grin at his insistent tone. “I will, I promise. Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

“Yeah, you do. But I don’t want to traumatize my future wife to the point that she never wants to go camping with me again.”

Dropping that on me, he turns and marches onto the trail, leaving me gaping. Then I pull myself together and scurry after him. He’s kidding. Probably.

But I don’t think I want that to be a joke. And it hurts that he thinks it’s⁠—

“That wasn’t a joke.” He faces me again. “I’m sorry for springing it on you. But I won’t apologize for feeling as I do.”

His gaze is fierce, but he doesn’t reach for me, doesn’t move into my space in any way. He just lays the truth between us. It’s brave, unexpectedly so.

“Okay.” I move toward him and squeeze his hand, then let go. “And I’m not running away.”

Chapter

Four

Bowen

“The camping ground’s just ahead,” I tell Lainey, who’s hiked without complaint so far.

She’s fucking amazing, and I don’t know how to tell her that without coming across as completely obsessed with her.

She must be tired, but she hasn’t flagged once. I counted four bug bites on her, and she hasn’t mentioned those either, only accepted the ointment when I offered it to her, cursing myself for not protecting her better.

I hate to see the red bites on her golden skin. I want to find those mosquitoes and squash them for daring to sting her—and I’m fully aware that this might be a disproportionate response.

But ever since Lainey took my hand and told me she wasn’t running away from me, from my wild declaration that I want her as my wife, I’ve been ravenous for her.

Every inappropriate fantasy I had just from hearing her voice over the phone every day has turned into something more real because she’s right here, hiking behind me—and staring at my ass.

I caught her looking twice, and she just blushed and shrugged, as if to say, ‘What did you expect?’

I fucking love it. I want her watching me, studying me, because then I won’t feel as dirty for tracking her every move, every gesture. I want her more than I’ve ever wanted anybody, and if the old stories are to be believed, this might mean she’s my⁠—

“Oh, wow.”

She huffs as she stops beside me and stares down at the shallow dip in the terrain where the small mountain lake rests. It’s a beautiful spot for a camping ground, with a permanent fire pit, a bathroom that stands three hundred feet from the water’s edge, and a bear locker with a combination lock that hasn’t been broken into yet.

“It’s beautiful,” Lainey says softly. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

I’ve been up here dozens of times—I’ve camped here with tourists four times this summer alone—but seeing the nature through her eyes has me experiencing it in a new way.

“Wanna help me set up the tent?” I unclip my backpack and set it on the simple wooden table that Grady helped me build a few summers ago. “Or you could find us some firewood.”

Her eyes go wide. “Um, I think I’d like to stick with you if that’s okay. Less chance of getting lost or meeting the wildlife, right?”

I might be an asshole for not telling her that the animals probably heard us coming and scurried away. If Lainey wants to stay close to me, I won’t complain.

She clearly has no clue how to set up the tent, but she takes directions well and has the poles assembled in minutes, then helps me lift the canvas and secure the tent with pegs.

I step away from the front opening to let her enter first. “Our home for the night.”

The words, said more as a joke, land hard. Our home.

As much as I’ve fantasized about Lainey, especially since meeting her yesterday, I haven’t thought through what our future might look like.