"I won't miss the career I had," she said firmly. "But I'm not giving up law completely. I'm just doing it differently. I already have three consulting clients lined up. I can work remotely, set my own hours, choose projects that actually matter instead of just billing hours."
"You've thought this through."
"Of course I have. I'm a lawyer. I don't make life-changing decisions without a strategic plan." She propped herself up on her elbow to look at me. "But the plan is flexible, Sam. I'm building a life here, but I want to build it with you. If you want me."
"Want you?" I pulled her back down for a kiss. "Baby, I need you. Like I need air. Like I need the mountains. You're essential now."
"Good." Her smile was brilliant. "Because I'm planning on being very essential. I'm going to help you grow your business. Use my corporate law background to protect you from liability and build better client relationships. Maybe we could expand, and offer specialized retreats for burned-out professionals who need what I needed."
I stared at her, seeing the vision take shape. "That's brilliant."
"I know." She grinned. "I'm good at strategy when I'm not drowning. And I think we could build something amazingtogether. Adventure travel for people who need to remember how to be alive."
"Partners," I said, the word feeling right. "In business and life."
"Partners," she agreed. "Equal partners. You teach survival skills, I handle the business side. You lead the adventures, I make sure we don't get sued. You—"
"Make you come every night until you can't remember why you ever lived anywhere else?"
She laughed, the sound filling my chest with warmth. "That too."
We lay there in comfortable silence for a while, just holding each other, both of us still hardly believing this was real.
"I need to tell you something," she said eventually.
"What?"
"I talked to Kevin before I came here. He told me you were struggling. That you'd been taking stupid risks."
I tensed. "He shouldn't have told you that."
"He was worried about you. They all were." Her hand found mine, lacing our fingers together. "Were you trying to hurt yourself?"
I wanted to lie. Wanted to tell her I was fine. But she'd been brave enough to drive across the country and tell me she loved me. The least I could do was be honest.
"Not consciously," I said carefully. "But I was taking risks I shouldn't have been taking. Solo climbing in bad weather. Refusing safety protocols. And there was one moment, on a cliff face, where I slipped and for a second I didn't try to catch myself."
She gasped.
"I'm okay now. My brothers helped me see that I was drowning too. Just in a different way than you." I pulled her closer. "I was using danger to feel alive because without you, Ididn't feel anything at all. But I'm done with that. Done running toward danger because I'm running from feelings."
"We're quite a pair," she said softly. "Both of us drowning in different ways. Both of us too scared to reach for what we actually needed."
"But we're not drowning anymore." I tilted her face up to mine. "We're choosing to live. Together."
"Together," she echoed. "I like the sound of that."
"Me too." I kissed her slowly, deeply. "So here's what's going to happen. Tomorrow, we're going to town and finding you a proper place to set up your office. Then we're going to start planning this business expansion you just pitched me. Then we're going ring shopping."
"Ring shopping?" Her eyes went wide.
"I told you I was going to marry you. I meant it." My voice was firm. "I know it's fast, but I'm not wasting any more time, Jess. You're it for me. The only one. And I want to make it official."
"Sam—"
"If you need time, I'll give you time. But I'm telling you right now—I'm going to marry you. Hopefully soon. Preferably before winter sets in and the roads get bad."
She laughed, tears streaming down her face. "You're insane."
