Page 33 of Seduced By the Mountain Man

"Neither am I," I realized, and it was true. For the first time in years—maybe ever—I felt completely, perfectly at peace. "I love you, Jace Redmond."

"I love you too, Delaney Shaw," he replied, sealing the words with a kiss that tasted like promises and forever. "Happy Independence Day."

As sleep finally claimed us, wrapped in each other's arms with the sounds of the Montana night drifting through the windows, I thought about independence—not just the kind celebrated with fireworks and flags, but the personal kind that came from choosing love over fear, courage over comfort, the unknown future over the familiar past.

Today hadn't just been about celebrating America's freedom. It had been about claiming my own.

And tomorrow?

Tomorrow we'd begin the rest of our lives.

Epilogue

Delaney

One week back in Denver, and I couldn't concentrate on anything longer than five minutes.

I stared at my computer screen, where a half-finished marketing analysis for our fall campaign glowed accusingly at me. The quarterly reports that used to capture my complete attention now felt as substantial as tissue paper. Through my office window, the city stretched out in concrete and glass, and all I could think about was mountain lakes and pine trees and a certain blue-eyed adventure guide who'd turned my carefully ordered world upside down.

My phone buzzed with a text from Jace:Miss you. How's the corporate world treating you?

I typed back:Like a square peg in a round hole. Miss you too.

The response came immediately:Free to talk? I have an idea.

Instead of texting back, I called him. His voice, warm and familiar, made my chest tighten with longing.

"Hey, beautiful," he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. "How's your first week back in civilization?"

"Terrible," I admitted, leaning back in my desk chair. "I keep looking at spreadsheets and thinking about kaleidoscopes. My assistant thinks I've had some kind of breakdown."

"Have you?"

"Maybe the good kind." I glanced at my office door, then lowered my voice. "I can't stop thinking about you. About us. About what we said we'd do."

"About calling Tyler?"

My stomach flipped. We'd talked about it every night this week, but somehow there was always a reason to postpone. Time differences, his work schedule, my fear of ruining everything.

"I think," Jace continued, "we need to stop overthinking this and just do it. Rip off the band-aid."

"Now?" My voice squeaked slightly.

"Why not? He's probably home from work by now. And if we don't do it soon, I'm going to lose my nerve."

I took a deep breath, thinking about the release ceremony at Hope Peak, about claiming courage over fear. "Okay. Let's do it."

"Really?"

"Before I change my mind. But we do it together, on video call. I need to see his face."

"Deal. Give me five minutes to set up my laptop, then call me back."

***

Ten minutes later, I was staring at my laptop screen, looking at Jace's face in one window while Tyler's contact informationloomed in another. Jace had changed into a clean flannel shirt, and I'd quickly touched up my makeup and brushed my hair.

"Ready?" Jace asked.

---