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She ducked her head, looking slightly bashful. “And how do you feel about all of it?”

“Free as a fucking bird.”

She laughed softly. “You know your mom would be proud of you, too.”

I pictured my mom on the last night she was alive, the love on her face as she turned off my bedroom light.

“She would be,” I murmured. “And to be clear, you were right, Eve. My editor wanted me to force Monty to do a story, and they had no interest whatsoever in treating her like she was anything more than a strategy to attract subscribers. So I didn’t tell them a thing.

I’ll have to find another way to share Priscilla and Adeline’s story, but at least now it can truly honor them. ”

Eve shut her eyes, looking relieved. “Thank you. That means more than I can say, knowing that you protected Monty and Ruby. But I knew you’d do right by them, Harper.

I really did. I should have trusted you from the start.

Should have been honest with you from the start, about everything.

I’d just gotten so caught up in this idea that you were just like my parents, walking out on me because I was unlovable and easily tossed aside. ”

“Never, Eve,” I said firmly. “You could never, ever be easily tossed aside.”

Her lips quirked up into a half smile. “I had this secret fantasy that if Monty and I found the Blackburn Diamonds, it could prove to my parents that I was deserving of their…” She hesitated.

“Approval? Admiration? I spent so much time dreaming about something that would never be, let it drain away so much of me. And then, the minute we opened that box and saw those letters, all those stories, all that love …I realized the only thing that mattered in that moment was my community.”

Her smile widened. “The only thing that mattered in that moment was doing it with you.”

My heart froze in my chest.

“I want us to take our lives back, Harper,” she said. “I know it’s a long process. I know it’ll take time. But I don’t want to give my power away anymore to people who don’t deserve it.”

There was a lump in my throat, more tears threatening to spill, but I pushed through, wanting to get this right.

“I want us to take our lives back, too. I want that…want that so badly. After my mom died, it was easier for me to give in to control and rules and perfectionism. It makes sense, my life turned to chaos at fifteen and I needed something sturdy to cling to. But then I met you, Eve. Your courage, your bravery. You showed me what I used to want, the life I once dreamed about. The world just a big, juicy peach to bite into, savoring every last drop. You reminded me of who I’d always been, and I’ll never be able to thank you enough for that. ”

Her dark eyes searched mine, her hands forming into fists at her sides as if she was just as eager to touch me as I was to touch her. “God, you bring me to my knees every fucking time, Harper. Being with you is an absolute privilege.”

A hot blush crept up my throat at the roughness in her voice. At the intensity of her staring at me like this.

“Do you want to know what you taught me?” she asked.

“That I should have fought for you from the beginning. And definitely on that last day. If I could do it again, I would have spilled all my feelings for you. Would have said fuck it , let’s be together, even if it’s hard.

Especially if it’s hard, because you are so incredibly worth it. ”

She tugged on her short curls, sending them into disarray.

“I meant what I said earlier. If you’d asked me weeks ago what this moment here would be about—the moment when Monty and I finally found the diamonds—I would have said calling my parents, bragging about what we’d done.

Needing them to accept how wrong they’d been about us.

Needing an approval that I’m working on letting go of. ”

“Are you still going to do that? Call them?” I asked, my heart hurting for Eve and Monty, how abandoned they felt.

She shook her head. “No. I couldn’t care less now. I want to be here with you instead. And fully plan on being with you for as long as you’ll have me, cowgirl. I’m in this for real.”

Now it was my turn to duck my head and flush.

“I fled from that situation, but I was still letting my parents have power over me,” she continued.

“I was still so consumed with pride, with needing to prove they were wrong more than I needed to live the life that I wanted. A life where I’m open to all of it—to pain, to heartbreak, to taking risks.

” She paused, her gaze searing into mine. “To being with you.”

I had to swallow three times to keep my voice from shaking. “But is that…is that really what you want? To be with me?”

The smile that flew across her face was the prettiest damn thing I’d ever seen.

“I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything.

” But then she blinked, her eyebrows pinching together.

“I still can’t believe you quit your job and flew here.

Left your sister, your apartment, a career you’d worked hard for.

You didn’t have to do any of that. I’d want to be with you regardless of where you lived.

We’d figure it out. I have faith in us.”

The sweetest warmth was spreading through my chest. “Leaving Daphne isn’t easy, but she wanted this for me just as much as I did. Told me as much, even, told me that I couldn’t take care of her forever and that our bond’s unbreakable regardless. And she’s right.”

I rolled my lips together, trying to collect myself. “I’m ready to chase my own dreams. And I’m ready to do it with someone who makes me feel like I’m flying.”

Eve laughed softly, eyes briefly on the ground before rising to meet mine again.

They were shining with tears, and when she blinked, she had to swipe at her cheeks.

“I talked to Cleo about taking a leave of absence, bringing in some extra support so she doesn’t have to do it alone.

I’ve got a little bit of money saved up, and I want to do something for you. To show you that I’m dedicated.”

I reared back, my head spinning. “But you love your job.”

“I really do, and I’m not planning on quitting.” She was reaching into her back pocket and unfolding a long piece of white paper. “It’s also okay to stop and watch a few sunrises now and then, you know?”

Then she handed me the paper, which at first glance was an illustrated map of the west. Little X ’s and illustrations dotted the images, and next to each stop were paragraphs that read like…clues.

“Eve Bardot…did you make me a treasure map ?” I asked. Squealed, really.

She cracked a giant smile. “You told me you always wanted to go on a treasure hunt. So I made you one.” She traced a meandering path on the page with her thumb. “If we do this right, it should take us about a month. An adventure, just for you and me.”

There was a chance I was going to faint from sheer happiness alone.

“Why did you do this?” I whispered, tears tracking down my cheeks.

She leaned in close and hovered her mouth over mine, taking my breath away. “I did it because I was serious about you from the start. And I’m extremely serious about us now.”

I couldn’t help the smile that burst across my face. “I’m pretty fucking serious about you, too.”

She matched my smile, tracing my bottom lip with her finger. “So whaddya say? Wanna go on another treasure hunt with me?”

My response was to loop an arm around her waist and kiss her. A real kiss, a hot kiss, a kiss overflowing with yearning. I cupped her face in my hands as her fingers dove into my hair, holding me like she planned on never letting go.

It was every dream I’d had over the past week coming true. Kissing the woman who’d changed my life. Kissing the woman I thought I’d never see again. Our movements turned hard and greedy almost instantly. With a little shove, Eve had me against the wall, her lips moving down my throat.

“Yes, I want to go on another treasure hunt with you. I want that so badly,” I breathed out. “And I missed you so much, even after only a week. Is that okay to say?”

She captured my mouth again with a soft groan. “I was miserable without you. It’s never been like this for me before. Is that okay to say?”

I laughed into her neck. Traced the shell of her ear with my tongue until she shivered. “I’m so glad. I thought it was only me.”

Eve pulled back and caught my chin, keeping me still. “Not just you, sweetheart. I’m an absolute goner, if it’s not obvious.”

I hooked a finger into the top of her pants and began walking us backward, toward the heart-shaped honeymoon bed. “It’s maybe just…a little bit obvious.”

“You love it, Hendrix,” she teased, her lips on mine an urgent plea.

I gave in immediately, falling back with her onto satin sheets and rose petals.

We didn’t stop kissing each other for a long, long time.

And when we parted on a shaky breath, Eve gazed down at me with such grateful adoration that I knew, instantly—there was no going back for us.

Which was just how I wanted it.