Page 33 of Marked

“It’s remarkable.” Noah squeezed my hand as we continued our descent.

Grass gave way to a more rocky terrain as we reached the bottom. I steered us to the left, climbing onto the large flat boulders, which surrounded a teardrop-shaped freestanding pool of water.

“What is that smell?” Noah scrunched his nose while I breathed in the mild sulfur scent, reveling in its familiarity.

“Hot springs.”

After spreading out the blanket I’d packed, we sat side by side for a while, not talking, just basking in the scenery. I was almost positive Noah had never seen anything quite this stunning. It was in the way his eyes roamed over every inch of the valley, taking in the magnificence and tranquility I was drawn to. There was understanding in his sapphire eyes when they finally landed on me.

“This was your place, wasn’t it? Yours and Beth’s?”

I nodded, busying myself so I didn't have to see the pity on his face when I explained. Pulling out the sandwiches, fruit, and drinks from the cooler, I assembled our feast off to the side. “We found it by accident when we were ten years old. After that, we came here when we wanted to celebrate, to commiserate, or get away from life. My brother and his friends knew about it, and so did our parents, but no one ever disturbed our sanctuary.”

“When was the last time you were here?”

There was a slight tremble in my fingers as I handed him a bottle of water. “The night of her funeral. I came to say goodbye.”

Taking the bottle, he set it down, then used two fingers to tilt my chin up to meet his gaze. Contrary to what I thought, the only thing I saw was compassion.

“Thank you for sharing it with me.”

Emotion clogged my throat. He got it; how much it meant for me to give him a part of myself no one else had. Three little words sat on the tip of my tongue, ready to be shouted across the mountaintops, but I held back, giving him a different two instead.

“I’m ready.”

Noah

The earth stopped spinning, or maybe my heart stopped beating. It was hard to tell over the ringing in my ears. Had she meant what I thought?

“You’re ready?” I had to clarify, to make sure we were both on the same page. “Ready for what?”

“For us. For everything.”

“You need to be positive, Lanie. Once we go there, that’s it. You’re mine.”

“I thought I was already yours.” My little brat smirked.

“You are, but once I’ve been inside you, you’re mine for good.”

Her breathing hitched and her cheeks flushed. “Noah,” she whispered my name like a prayer.

“I’m done running from the truth, from holding back when all I’ve wanted to do for years is pull you close. It took me a long time to realize I deserve to have the future I’ve dreamt of.”

“Of course you do. Why would you think otherwise?”

“There was so much guilt bubbling inside of me over what happened to my sister. Too many voices saying how I should’ve done something, anything, to keep that monster away from her. My parents didn’t help, in fact, they still blame me for every bit of her suffering.”

Lanie exploded, unleashing a slew of curses that would make even the raunchiest sailor blush. I would’ve laughed at her creative combination of my favorites––motherfucker, asshole, and son of a bitch––had I not feared for my safety.

“That’s bullshit, Noah. You were away at college. How would you have stopped anything?”

I shrugged.

“It doesn’t matter. They needed to point the finger at someone and they picked their own son. Whatever saved them from having to look in the mirror. That’s all in the pastnow. I’m ready to move forward.” Picking up her hand, I kissed the back of it, leaving my lips against her smooth skin as I bared my soul. “You’re the only thing that’s ever made sense in my life. Love isn’t a strong enough word for how I feel, but it’s the only one I have.”

Tears bloomed, dripping onto her cheek, then rolling in silent rivers down her face. Leaning in, I touched one corner of her mouth with mine, then the other, tasting the lingering saltiness.

“We’ve wasted enough time, so let me be clear. I was in love with you before I even understood the emotion. You’re my today, my tomorrow, my everything, Alaina Biggs.”

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