Page 98 of Fight Or Flight

“I’m going on training for my new tour on Monday. Niagara Falls to Quebec City, then back. I’ll be away eight days.”

“Eight . . . You’re . . . Does that mean you’re staying? In Canada?”

She nodded. “And I love you, too. I should have started with that.”

“Are you sure? I can’t watch you leave again.”

She closed the distance between them, reached for him. That was when he realized she was wearing a jacket. And boots. And a scarf.

“You have thick clothes?” he asked.

She laughed. “Yup. I also own bedding, slippers, towels, and that piece of land,” she said, pointing in the distance.

He glanced at where she was pointing. “Your waterfall?”

“Yes. It’s mine.”

Ethan pulled her close, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. Her warm lips slid over his and took the air from his lungs. Nothing had ever felt more right. When they broke apart, she snuggled into his chest, wrapped her arms around his torso and sighed. Knowing she was staying suddenly wasn’t enough. He steeled himself and went for what he really wanted.

“Let’s move in together,” he said.

“Okay,” she said with zero hesitation.

His face split into a ridiculously gleeful grin. He was on a roll. Now that he’d said what he wanted, he couldn’t stop.

“I’m going to sell my house. Let’s shop for one together.”

She pulled back and looked up at his eyes, and for a second, he thought he’d taken it too far. But she smiled.

“You’re going to sell your house?”

“Yes. I sold my truck, bought a Jeep, and booked a trip to Costa Rica. Do you want to buy a house with me?”

He held his breath, searching her eyes, hoping.

She narrowed her eyes in thought, then nodded as if to herself. “Why don’t we build one near the woods by the waterfall, with a deck and a fireplace and a bathroom?”

With a sigh, he pulled her to him as close as he could and gently kissed the top of her head. “Even better.”

Epilogue

Natalie’s boots crunched over the forest floor as she walked hand in hand with Ethan toward her waterfall. It was late summer and humid, but the sun had yet to rise, so the temperature was still a little cool.

Ethan had woken her up early that morning with coffee already in to-go cups, saying he had a surprise and wanted to visit her waterfall. They’d planned to go to the site of their new home to check where the crew had staked out the area for the foundation. Adam had called the night before and said his crew were set to dig that afternoon. They’d jumped and hugged each other when they heard the news, both beyond excited for the day when their new home would be complete and they could move out of Ethan’s house and into their new home together.

“Are you cold?” Ethan asked, giving her hand a little squeeze.

“No,” Natalie said with a smile. In fact, her smile hadn’t left her since the night before when she’d got in from her tour and gone straight to Ethan’s bed. “I’m perfect.”

She stopped in front of a huge oak whose branches stretched into the sky endlessly and took a deep inhale of fresh air, then pulled out her phone, and snapped a picture. “Every time I come here, I see something I missed the last time. It’s so beautiful.”

“I know,” he said, tugging her along. “Come on. I have a surprise.” He hefted a bag he was carrying up his shoulder and pressed on.

Natalie laughed. He’d said four times that morning that he had a surprise. Did he really think she’d forget? “Why can’t you just tell me what’s in the bag so we can walk slower?”

“I’m sure you’re familiar with the concept of a surprise.”

She rolled her eyes and followed him the rest of the way to the river where they made their way along the edge toward the big willow at the base of the falls. The path was narrow, so Natalie followed directly behind Ethan. When they finally made it to a clearing, he stepped aside, and she gasped.

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