Page 166 of First Chance

I left the painting of the wild strawberry clearing inside. No need to carry reminders with me.

I wait and wait, letting the pit of despair crash over me in waves. I’m going to miss Emory, Becky, and Tessa. I’ll miss seeing Jordy go off to greater things, Seiver and his old man charm. I won’t hear how Curtis is doing. No more bears, no more feeling of home.

A car pulls through the gates, and I stand, breathing back more tears when the man I’ll miss most of all comes running up from the bunkhouse.

I can’t even look at him.

I drag my suitcase over to the car, but just as the driver pops the trunk, Lochlan slams it shut. “Who the fuck is this?” He growls.

“It’s my rental car.”

“Go, get lost.” He slams the top of the hood. “Get the fuck out of here!” He yells at the terrified man in the driver’s seat.

“I just waited 20 minutes for that. And, it’s not his fault, you don’t have to yell at him.” I kick my suitcase and let it topple over as I storm back over to the porch.

“I don’t have swim trunks.”

“What?” I throw my hands up because what the fuck is happening today.

“You said you were going to the beach. I don’t own swim trunks.”

“What?” I squeak out this time.

“I told you I couldn’t come with you.”

“I know, the sanctuary needs you.”

He waves me off. “I thought I could watch you walk away. After everything I’ve sacrificed in my life, I thought I’d be used to it. I was determined to let you go.”

I blink at him, trying to process what’s happening.

“But this place doesn’t need me the way I need you.”

A breath of relief escapes my chest.

“You believed in me before you ever knew me, and you gave me my life back. You saved me when no one else would, and if you’re asking for a life with me in it, I’m going to take it and never let it go. I’ll never get a chance like this from you again, and if I lose you, I won’t survive, darlin’.” He closes the distance between us, clutching my head in his hands.

“You want to come with me?” I’m still not sure I’m hearing him correctly. His life, his grandfather’s legacy, is here.

“I offered Seiver a pay raise. Hayes will handle what he can’t. I called Becky, and she threatened to smack me on the back of the head for not telling you all of this sooner. She’ll handle the admin stuff.”

“You’re coming with me,” I confirm, watching a smile tilt his lips.

“I’ll have to come back from time to time to check in and make sure there’s still something left for Emory to take over, but wherever you go, I’ll follow. If you want me to.”

“Lochlan.” I squeeze my eyes shut this time to ward off happy tears. “I do want to travel, I want adventure, and I’ll buy you swim trunks… But I like it here. I want this to be myhome. I want to have pizza with Emory every weekend, and I want to get to know my brother better. I want to have a life with you. Let’s go anywhere, everywhere, but bring me home. Here.”

He kisses me with his entire being, wrapping me in his arms this time with no expiration, and I finally let the tears escape, feeling whole for the first time in my life.

“Promise me something, darlin’. Don’t take that ring off until I can get you a bigger one,” he whispers against my lips.

I shrug in his arms. “I like this one just fine.”

* * *

“JoAnna Dane,” the dean of the engineering department, reads my new name, and I step onto the stage in front of a sea of other graduates.

The gown swishes around my calves as I walk confidently across the stage in my favorite sky-high heels to retrieve my diploma.

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