Page 15

15

Jack

Leaving felt heavier than I expected.

Not because I didn’t want to go—I loved Frasier Mountain. The clean air, the sense of purpose, the guys. It was home.

But this time, I was leaving something more behind, the woman I was crazy about.

Eloise stood on the porch in her hoodie and boots, coffee mug in hand, hair messy and eyes tired from what I knew was a night of very little sleep. She tried to smile, but I saw through it. I knew her smile. This one had a crack in it.

“I won’t be gone long,” I said, stepping close.

“I know.”

“If you miss me—”

“I’ll call you.”

I brushed a kiss across her forehead, then leaned in and kissed her lips slowly, trying to memorize the taste of cinnamon and coffee and everything that grounded me.

“Don’t fall in love with any bulls while I’m gone,” I murmured.

She smirked. “Only if they bring me flowers.”

I pulled away, gave her one last look, and got in the truck.

The mountain air hit differently when your heart wasn’t fully with you.

I threw my duffel bag into the cabin, gave Wolf his usual ear scratch, and set to cleaning out the gear shed with the guys. Routine. Task after task. But every time my phone buzzed, I hoped it was Eloise—even though she’d texted just that morning.

That evening, I was stacking firewood when headlights cut across the trees. I stood, ready for trouble.

Instead, the truck door opened… and out came Bonnie, Liam, Nile, and my dad.

“Thought we’d visit a day early,” he said with a sheepish grin.

I stared for a second, surprised, before a slow smile pulled at my mouth. “You brought the whole crew.”

Bonnie ran up to hug me, nearly knocking me over. “You said to tell you when we had a game. Liam has one next week. So we came to remind you.”

“You came all the way up the mountain to tell me in person ?”

“We also wanted to meet the wolf,” Nile added, like that made it totally normal.

Dad hung back, watching me with quiet eyes. “We wanted to see where you lived. Where you built your life.”

It hit me harder than I expected.

I showed them around. Let the boys ride the four-wheelers with Frasier’s supervision. Introduced Bonnie to Wolf, who immediately became her furry soulmate. By nightfall, they were bundled up on the porch with hot chocolate while Dad and I grilled steaks under the stars.

“You doing okay?” he asked as we stood by the grill.

“I’m doing better than I deserve,” I said honestly. “I’ve got people I care about. A business. Friends. A woman I love who somehow puts up with me.”

He looked over. “Then go get her.”

“What?”

“Son, if you miss her, and she misses you… why waste time? I lost a whole lifetime because I forgot who I was. Don’t throw away yours just because of a few miles.”

I thought about it all night.

The Next Morning, I was walking down toward the shop when I heard a car engine—a familiar, low hum. I turned just as Eloise’s SUV crested the gravel drive, dust trailing behind her like a ribbon of good luck.

She parked, got out, and slammed the door like she had something to prove.

“You could’ve called,” I said, heart thumping harder than it had any right to.

“You could’ve asked me to come with you,” she shot back.

I walked toward her slowly. “I didn’t want you to feel obligated.”

She looked up at me, eyes softening. “Jack, I don’t feel anything I don’t choose . I missed you.”

I took her face in my hands, brushing my thumbs across her cheeks. “I missed you, too. Like I’d left something behind that I couldn’t breathe without.”

“You’re ridiculous,” she whispered. “I felt the same way.”

“I know.”

And then I kissed her.

It wasn’t the slow, sweet kind from the porch. This was the kiss of someone who’d waited hours to touch her again. Who’d gone to sleep with her name on his lips and woken up with the ache of missing her.

When we finally pulled apart, she was breathless.

“Next time,” she said, “you don’t leave without me.”

“Deal,” I said, forehead resting against hers, besides, Wolf already loves you.

Eloise laughed. “Guess I better stick around, then.”

I never thought I’d be the guy planning a proposal.

Hell, I never thought I’d be a guy worthy of proposing to someone like Eloise—someone who could handle a scalpel in one hand and a shovel in the other, who made hot chocolate taste like love and only laughed when I had bull poop on me.

But here I was. Standing on the mountain. Ring in my pocket. Sweating like I’d just run drills in the desert.

It was sunset—Eloise’s favorite time of day. The sky was painted in fire and gold. Wolf was curled up near the porch, tail thumping gently as he watched me pace.

“You nervous?” Nate called from inside, sipping from a beer like he had zero shame in eavesdropping.

“I’ve defused bombs with less stress,” I said.

“She’s gonna say yes.”

“I know,” I muttered. “I just want it to be… right.”

“You’re here. She’s here. That’s right enough.”

I glanced up as I heard her footsteps crunch over gravel.

Eloise walked toward me in one of my old flannel shirts and boots, her hair pulled back in a braid. She looked like home.

“You’ve been weird all day,” she said, smiling.

“I’m always weird.”

“True, but this is a new level. What’s going on?”

I reached into my pocket and held out a small, velvet box. She froze, eyes locked on mine, wide and glassy.

“You make my world make sense,” I said quietly. “You made this place feel so much like home. You made me feel like someone worth loving. And if you’ll let me, I want to spend the rest of my life making sure you never forget just how loved you are.”

I opened the box.

She gasped.

Inside was a simple, gold ring with a diamond that caught every flicker of light from the sunset.

“Eloise Hayes…” I dropped to one knee. “Will you marry me?”

Her hand covered her mouth. Her other hand gripped mine.

“You know I said I’d only marry someone who’d wrestle a bull for me,” she said, voice shaking.

“I watched you give a bull an enema, just for you,” I reminded her. “At least I was involved in that. I think I qualify.”

She laughed through her tears. “Yes. Of course, yes.”

I stood and wrapped my arms around her, lifting her off the ground in a spin that made Wolf bark and the screen door slam open behind us.

“I told you she’d say yes!” Nate shouted, holding up a phone he recorded the whole thing.

Eloise groaned into my chest. “Please tell me he didn’t stream that live.”

“He tagged your mom, your dad, and the rest of your family, plus Mable,” I whispered.

“I love you,” she said, still laughing. “Even when our proposal is sponsored by Nate.”

“I love you too,” I said, kissing her like she was my whole future.

Because she was.