Page 77 of Wrecked on the Mountain

I lean down to kiss her, slow and deep.

"I want you to stay, Brooke. Not just for three months. Forever."

Her answer is a kiss that tastes like promises and hope and everything I've been afraid to want since Rebecca destroyed my faith in forever.

But this isn't Rebecca.

This is Brooke, who fits into my world like she was always meant to be here.

And tomorrow, we'll spend the morning in the best place on earth.

My sunrise surprise is finally here.

"What time do we need to leave for sunrise?" she murmurs against my skin, already drifting to sleep in my arms.

I glance at the clock on the mantle. It's 2:47 AM.

"Few more hours," I say, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "You sure you want to go? It'll be cold, and I know we haven't slept much."

"I've been waiting to see your sunrise spot since you drew me that map." She tilts her head to look at me. "I'm not missing it now."

The fact that she wants to share that with me, wants to see the place that means more to me than anywhere else on earth, makes me fall even harder for her.

"Alright then," I say, already planning every detail in my head. "But if we're doing this, we're doing it right."

"What does that mean?"

I grin, already thinking about the supplies I've been gathering for this moment.

"You'll see, sweetheart. But I promise you, this won't be your average sunrise hike. Now go to bed, I'll be in once I've got some things ready."

Chapter Seventeen

Jamie

It's 5 AM again, and my kitchen is a symphony of careful preparation all over again.

I move quickly, packing gourmet breakfast foods into insulated containers while the coffee brews in my high-end machine.

And fuck me, we're gonna need coffee. Lots of coffee.

Brooke has finally awoken and now perches on my kitchen counter wearing nothing but my flannel shirt, her bare legs swinging as she steals bites of the artisanal pastries I picked up from Chloe's bakery yesterday.

"You know," she says, popping a piece of almond croissant into her mouth, "most people just bring granola bars on hikes."

"And did you know thatmostpeople have terrible taste," I reply, carefully packing imported cheese and farm-fresh fruit into the cooler. "And did you also know that you're awfully chipper for someone who barely slept?"

She giggles and I pause my packing to step between her legs, my hands sliding up her bare thighs under my shirt.

I grip her ass with a hungry squeeze, fighting the temptation to fall to my knees and devour the real breakfast treat between her legs.

"I'm just saying, Jamie… This is all very fancy for watching the sun come up," she observes, her breath catching when my thumbs brush against the sensitive skin at her inner thigh.

"This isn't just any sunrise, sweetheart," I say seriously, looking into those eyes that have completely changed my world. "This isoursunrise."

"Our sunrise?"

Instead of answering with words, I kiss her forehead and keep packing.