Page 27 of Practically Perfect Together

The door closes behind her, leaving us alone in a silence heavy with unspoken words.

"I thought you'd be in Denver by now," I finally say. "Corner office. Regional Director. Everything you've worked for."

"I was in Denver," she says quietly.

"And yet here you are. In Elk Ridge." I cross my arms, trying to protect myself from hoping too much. "Why?"

She sets her tablet down, her fingers lingering on the edge as if needing something to ground her. "I took the job, signed the contracts, and toured the office. Everything was perfect, exactly as planned."

"So what happened?"

"They asked me about my vision for the future," she says, meeting my eyes directly. "And I couldn't answer. Because all I could think about was..."

She hesitates, and I hold my breath.

"You," she finishes. "Your family. This place."

My heart stutters, but I stay rooted in place. I've been here before. Thinking she might feel something real, only to watch her retreat behind her plans and spreadsheets.

"I realized I was planning my life around what looked good on paper," she continues, taking a step toward me. "A prestigious title, an impressive office, a salary that would make my parents finally proud. But none of it made me happy."

"And what does?" I ask, holding onto caution even as hope begins to unfurl.

She takes another step closer. "Teaching Mia origami. Listening to Evie's stories about the lodge's history. Even Bear shedding all over my clothes." A smile tugs at her lips. "Mostly, though... you. The way you make me laugh. The way you challenge me. The way you believed in me even when I was just a business arrangement."

My throat tightens. "You weren't just a business arrangement, Savannah. Not to me."

"I know that now," she says softly. "It took standing in that perfect Denver office, surrounded by everything I thought I wanted, to realize what I actually needed."

She's close enough now that I can catch the subtle scent of her perfume, can see the uncertainty mingled with determination in her eyes.

"So I quit," she says. "I gave back the signing bonus, walked away from the corner office, and spent the last week putting together a proposal."

"A proposal?" My voice sounds strained even to my own ears.

"To establish a boutique corporate retreat planning service, based right here in Elk Ridge." Her eyes never leave mine. "Using Mountain Laurel Lodge as my premier venue."

I try to process what she's saying, what it means. "You're staying?"

"I'm staying." She takes a deep breath. "If... if that's something you want."

The walls I've built over the last two weeks start to crumble. "What about the arrangement? The pretending?"

"I don't want to pretend anymore," she says, her voice steady despite the vulnerability in her eyes. "Not about the engagement, not about my career, not about what I really want."

"And what do you want, Savannah?" I need to hear her say it, need to know this is real.

"You." The simplicity of her answer steals my breath. "Us. A chance to see if what started as pretend could be something real."

My restraint shatters. In two strides, I close the distance between us, my hands coming up to frame her face as I kiss her. Not gently, not tentatively, but with all the emotion I've been holding back for weeks. Her arms wind around my neck, pulling me closer as she responds with equal fervor.

When we finally break apart, we're both breathless. I rest my forehead against hers, unwilling to put any more distance between us.

Wordlessly, I reach into my pocket and pull out the leather bracelet with the wooden mountain charm. The same one I offered her that night in the kitchen, the one she couldn't accept then. I've carried it every day since, a tangible reminder of what might have been.

"Still have this," I say, holding it between us.

She touches it gently, fingers tracing the outline of the carved mountain. "I wanted to take it that night," she admits softly. "I just wasn't brave enough then."

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