Page 46 of Final Temptation (Alpine Peak #2)

If you were to ask me six months ago if I’d be standing here today—healthy—I wouldn’t have believed it.

After my eyes opened for the first time and I saw Sophie, my biggest fear was that if I shut them again, I’d go back to sleep, not being able to see her for another five weeks.

I feared an entirely new kind of nightmare for the first few times I had to go to sleep.

The doctors said I was a rare case—my recovery was much quicker than others—my determination played a huge role. For weeks, I laid in the hospital bed, in and out of sleep, trying to fully regain consciousness.

Once I finally woke up for good, the rehabilitation process began. It started with the nurses stretching out my body, moving muscles that hadn’t been touched in ages, and testing my sight, speech, and other sensory abilities.

Sophie sat by my bedside daily, playing memory games with me and jogging my memory on the off-occasion the nurses weren’t.

Lisa was especially shocked by how much I was able to recall.

My memory seemed to be fully intact by some miracle.

I was able to remember each person who came to visit, and I remembered the events that took place before I got here—give or take a few fuzzy moments that Sophie has filled me in on.

My days were centered around physical therapy, practicing day-to-day tasks—like cooking, cleaning, dressing myself, showering, and everything you could think of possibly missing out on for five weeks.

I lived my life the last six months with a goal to truly get better—an entirely new routine.

This last month has been the best one yet. After I was released from the hospital a couple months ago, Lisa came to our place to check in on me weekly, but most of my post-recovery wouldn’t have been possible without Sophie.

I haven’t been able to go back to work yet. Construction was quite strenuous on the body, and it would be a while before I was able to get back to moving my body in that way.

In the meantime, Sophie had hit the ground running.

When she wasn’t helping me out or picking up a few shifts here and there at the bar, she was still chipping away at her business degree that she’d made insane progress on while I was in the hospital and had since created a website and social media accounts to promote her party planning services.

Wildflower Weddings , she called it. “Your go-to girl for all your wedding wants and desires. Wildflower Weddings is your one-stop shop to make your dreams come true!” I had to admit, the slogan was catchy, and anything this girl set her mind to, she was able to achieve.

It was only right that all the pieces were falling into place for each and every one of us.

Sophie and I made it through all the bad shit, one terribly long, dreadful day at a time.

Me, newly sober once again, with more determination than ever to have it stick this time, and her, a newfound businesswoman with dreams and aspirations.

Us, together —I knew we could get through anything.

She proved that to me—to us —the moment she refused to go home.

Sophie preferred nights spent in the cold hospital, bumming it on a small two-seater couch, every day the same as the next, as she worked on achieving her goals, all while watching over me.

My brother and Paige finally made it to their wedding day.

It was this time last year when I remember helping Declan set up their proposal spot.

Tomorrow, they’d be getting married where he popped the question—the same place they held so many other important memories—down by Cherry Creek on their property, with all the special touches added by Sophie herself.

We were all smitten, we’d made it, and it could only go up from here.

“Can you believe we made it? Tomorrow is your big day!” Sophie squealed, jumping up and down before wrapping Paige in a tight hug.

“Honestly, no. But I’m sure as shit happy we did!” Declan answered in place of Paige. “Mind if I cut in and hold my girl?” He walked up behind her, looping his arms around her stomach and wrapping her in a tight hug.

My brother and his future wife were as lovesick as could be, and I couldn’t be happier that I was here to witness it.

Once upon a time, there were chunks of time that I didn’t care to be here.

I was so helpless that it was hard for me to see the importance in life.

I was only capable of seeing my downfalls.

There was absolutely no light at the end of the tunnel for me.

Then everything happened, I was gifted the opportunity to learn my lesson—and what a fucking lesson it was.

I used to say the accident was my wake-up call, but the real wake-up call was the possibility of missing out on all these moments.

Being ripped apart from my family, never being able to tell Sophie how much I love her and how badly I wanted what Paige and Declan have one day—that would have been one hell of an afterlife lived with regrets.

“How is it being here today, Myles?” Paige asked.

At first, based on the deep thoughts running around in my mind, I thought she was referring to being here —being alive. My eyes shifted around Peaks , taking in the bar’s altered appearance.

This old whiskey bar used to be my stomping grounds.

The place I spent every day after work having a few drinks, my go-to location to get wasted on the weekends when I wasn’t at a house party with friends.

It was where I used to pick up women while secretly drooling over the bar owner’s daughter who slung drinks all weekend.

The girl who was now standing by my side, and I refused to let go of.

“I’m doing great,” I answered Paige, pulling Sophie closer to my side, “this girl right here couldn’t have done a better job transforming it for your rehearsal dinner.”

Sophie’s hand snaked up my neck, pulling me down toward her lips, thanking me with a soft kiss. Our eyes connected, my brother and her best friend slowly disappearing in the background as we spent a moment in our own world.

“You really think I did a good job?”

“Yeah, Princess, I do.”

Where all the tables used to stand alone as high tops, she put together, making one long farmhouse table for all our friends and family to sit.

The bar top was no longer where I used to sit, shooting back shots of tequila and pints of Coors Light; it was a classy and elegant serving station for all the appetizers.

The spread included every type of appetizer you could possibly find during a Thanksgiving dinner.

You might find that odd in April, but Paige and Declan were obsessed with the holiday, so who was I to judge?

Plus, if my mom was behind the making of each handheld snack, I knew they’d be a hit.

The stage that normally held a rowdy country band was replaced with a solo violinist, playing soft, mellow tunes as background noise, only making me want to hold the girl in my arms closer.

Naturally, our bodies swayed to the music, side to side, her hands looped around my neck, and my hands gripping her hips. Leaning down, my lips pressed against her exposed shoulder, peppering kisses along the skin leading up to her neck.

Without a care in the world that we may have an audience, I continued to dance with my girlfriend. To be honest, the way she looked in her floor-length, midnight blue, satin dress, I’d be surprised if we made it all night without escaping the crowd to get our hands on each other.

Best man and maid of honor be damned; they’d manage without us.

“Mm, this dress is driving me mad, Soph.” I lightly nudged her body away from mine, twirling her like a ballerina with her hand above her head, soaking in the all-around view I had of her curves.

The dress was equal parts sexy and classy, with the cut of the neckline dipping down deep enough to show off her perky tits, and the back of it completely nonexistent.

The dark, silky fabric curved just above her ass, leaving her toned back completely bare.

“I was hoping this dress would do its job. I’ve always fantasized about going to a wedding and fucking the best man.” She ran her hands along my pressed white button-up, her fingers inching dangerously close to my waistline.

“If you’re lucky, maybe you can have the best man tonight and tomorrow for the wedding.” She hooked her fingers through my belt loops and tugged me closer before moving her hands back to my neck.

Sophie leaned close, whispering, “Something tells me I’ll get lucky. You know I always get what I want.” Her tongue ran up my neck, leading to my earlobe, where she nibbled, instantly making me hard as a rock.

“Fuck, Soph. You’re really going to do this to me in front of all our friends and family, aren’t you?” I grinded my cock against her so she could see firsthand how hard she was capable of making me.

“You know, it may be kind of dangerous around here. After all, my dad is right over there.” She nodded toward where he stood by the stage.

“Something tells me he wouldn’t have the slightest clue if we went missing or not.” He hadn’t left his post by the stage ever since the young woman in her mid-thirties started playing the soft melodies that apparently had a way of hypnotizing all of us.

“If he doesn’t ask that woman for her phone number, you already know I’m going to give him shit about it at the next family dinner,” I added.

“Alright then, Rebel. Where do you have in mind to sweep me away to?” She fluttered her eyes up at me.

“You’re the one who grew up in this place, I think you’re better off deciding that for the both of us.” My hands slipped lower, moving from her back to her ass.

“You know, I hear the utility closet is a quiet place to get away from here, and it has a lock.” She winked and grabbed my hand from her ass, leading the way.

“Baby, I need you close.” I pulled her back against my chest before whispering in her ear, “I’m so fucking hard right now. I can’t walk in front of all these people with a hard on. There’s no way of hiding it in a pair of gray dress pants that hug my dick.”

Her laugh filled the room, catching the attention of Chase, who stood a few feet away.

“Dammit, Soph, see what you did?” Chase walked over to us, and I could only assume he wanted to be around people closer to his age than the older people in the room, mostly consisting of my family and coworkers.

“Your dick is not my problem; it’s solely for my enjoyment. So, get your boner under control!” she said through gritted teeth before Chase stood right in front of us.

“What’s up with you two?” Chase perked his eyebrow up, looking between Sophie and me.

“You know, this actually works out perfectly.” I hugged Sophie from behind, my dick poking into her slender back. “Mind guarding the cleaning closet for us?” I blurted out to my best friend.

Sophie spun on her heel so fast it gave me whiplash. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?” Her jaw clenched with each word, those big eyes of hers only opening wider.

Chase busted out in a laugh, matching Sophie’s from earlier. “I mean, at least you two have each other. I certainly don’t have the same opportunity with this wedding crowd.”

“See, Soph? You have nothing to worry about. Paige would do the same for you if you asked her… Maybe just not today, seeing as this is her wedding rehearsal.” Her hand reached out, slapping me against my chest before turning around to face Chase and clearing her throat.

“Don’t follow us, that would just be weird.” Sophie took a few steps away before addressing Chase. “Two minutes from now, stand guard outside the cleaning closet, if you don’t mind.” She curtsied before walking away.

Fucking curtsied.

He wore a smug grin on his face. “Well, this wedding party just got a lot more interesting.”

“Thanks, man.” I slapped his back before Sophie tugged me away, eagerly awaiting what I was going to do to her in that sexy silk dress in a cleaning closet just steps away from where our friends and family lingered.