Page 93 of Rookie's Redemption
I take a quick step back, remembering the small blue box tucked in my coat pocket. I casually slide my hand over the telltale bulg and take another step back.
"Let me just..." I shrug out of my coat, carefully palming the ring box and slipping it into my jeans pocket in one smooth motion. "Take this off. Long flight."
Mia watches me with a crooked brow and a suspicious look in her eye.
"You okay?" she asks, tilting her head.
"Never better," I answer truthfully. "Now show me what else you've done to our house."
"Yes, well, lucky for you… I'm not finished yet," she says, that mischievous smile I've missed for six days spreading across her face. "Close your eyes."
"Mia—"
"Justshoosh.Trust me. And shut up."
With a chuckle, I let her lead me downstairs and through the house, my eyes obediently closed as she guides me with steering hands on my shoulders.
The ring box presses against my leg with every step, and I have to resist the urge to touch it, to make sure it's still there. The weight of it feels heavier now, more significant, like it's absorbing the magnitude of what she's done for us.
"Careful here," she murmurs, her breath warm against my ear as she steers me around what I assume is furniture. "Just a few more steps."
Cool air hits my face as she opens what I track to be the back door, and my suspicion is confirmed by the strong waft of dewy pine and snow that means we're outside.
"Okay," she says. I can hear the smile in her voice. "You can look now."
I open my eyes and my breath catches in my throat.
There, hanging from the strongest branch of our oak tree, is the most beautiful wooden swing I've ever seen. The wood is smooth and golden, clearly handcrafted with care, and when I look closer, I can see our initials carved into the side—not the crude teenage carving we did eight years ago, but elegant script that looks like it was done by someone who knows what they're doing.
R.S. + M.H. Forever
"This is our spot," Mia says softly, moving to stand beside me. "I wanted us to be able to share it together... really share it. Not just look at it through the window all the time."
"Mia. I-I… can't speak."
The swing is positioned perfectly to see both the house and the tree, creating this intimate little corner of the world that's entirely ours. Golden afternoon light filters through the branches, catching in Mia's hair like she's been crowned by the sun itself.
I swear even the universe conspires to make her look more beautiful in moments like this, when she's given me something I didn't even know to ask for but somehow desperately needed.
"Forever sounds perfect," I finally manage.
She settles onto the swing, patting the space beside her with a smile that's pure sunshine. I sit down carefully, testing the strength of what Mia tells me is Bear's handy work, and when it seems to hold both our weight easily, I pull her onto my lap.
We swing gently, her body warm against mine, watching the sun start its descent behind the mountains. The peaceful rhythm reminds me of everything I missed while I was away.
"I missed you," I whisper, pressing my lips to her temple.
"I missed you too." She tilts her head back to look at me, and I catch a whiff of that vanilla lip gloss she used to wear in high school. The smell hits me like a memory—Saturday afternoonstudy sessions, stolen kisses in her parents' driveway, the taste of forever on seventeen-year-old lips.
"You're wearing that lip gloss," I observe, tracing her bottom lip with my thumb.
"Ah.Finally… You noticed."
I laugh and nudge her with my elbow. "Give me enough time and I'll eventually notice everything about you."
I lean down to capture her mouth with mine, tasting vanilla and the promise of everything I've ever wanted.
The kiss deepens, and suddenly six days apart feels like six years. My hands tangle in her hair as she turns in my lap to face me fully, her legs wrapping around my waist on the swing.
