Six months later

I stood at the top of the ski slope. It was winter, and the sun was high in the sky, bright against the blue backdrop. Lifting my eyes, I took in the view as I turned slowly in a circle. Mountain peaks rose behind me and to the sides. Kachemak Bay was visible in the distance, the sun striking sparks on the surface of the water.

Ella and I had come to Last Frontier Lodge for a mini-honeymoon. We’d gotten married two days before and intended to spend a few more days here. The ski lodge was roughly four hours south of Willow Brook in Diamond Creek, yet another stunning town in Alaska. Owen and Ivy Manning, who’d designed my house, had invited us down after the wedding.

Ella was waiting at the lodge, and I needed to ski down this mountain to get to her. With a push of my ski poles, I curled forward and flew down the slope, the snow spinning in an arc around me when I reached the bottom. With a wave to Cam Nash, Owen’s brother-in-law and retired world-class skier who happened to make his home here, I headed into the lodge.

After a quick trip to our room to change out of my gear, I made my way to the restaurant. I found Ella typing away on her laptop. Since she’d moved in with me officially, I’d learned she did not know how to take a break from her work. Not that I was complaining. At all. I couldn’t really, given that my job took me away for weeks at a time.

I walked up beside her in the booth and dipped my head, dropping a kiss on the side of her neck. Angling her head up, she smiled. “I was just finishing up,” she murmured.

In the last six months, we had settled into a comfortable routine. She mostly worked from home, while I stayed busy dealing with whatever came up for my crew. Creamsicle kept her company anytime I needed to be gone. Though we’d yet to face the busiest time of year for me, spring through fall, I wasn’t worried. I’d miss her like hell, but she’d be there when I came back.

I slipped into the booth across from her, taking in her tousled dark hair, her mossy green eyes and the way her teeth dented her bottom lip as she finished typing before she closed her laptop. My eyes flicked down to her hand where she wore a simple platinum wedding band. She hadn’t wanted anything else. She wasn’t much of a diamond girl, and that was just fine with me.

Lance was in jail. The charges related to Ella had held up, along with a few more connected to two other women. He had a pattern, and it was a damn miracle he’d managed to stay in respectable positions. He’d faced charges in California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. In the end, the charges from here and Oregon were enough to put him away. I was damn relieved we hadn’t had to even think about him recently.

As I sat there, looking across the table at Ella, I couldn’t quite believe she was here, and we were married. I’d never have guessed that her car rolling into a ditch seven months or so ago would’ve brought her skidding back into my life.

Delia Hamilton, the lodge restaurant’s chef, paused by our table, her honey blonde hair catching the lights from the restaurant. “So how is everything?” she asked with a warm smile.

“Perfect,” Ella replied, glancing up at her.

“Do you need something to drink?”

“I’ll take some of your hot cider. You?” I asked, catching Ella’s eyes.

A slow smile teased her lips, and she nodded. With a nod, Delia turned away. She ran the kitchen at the lodge and had been nothing but welcoming. Her hot cider had quite a kick, and it was sublime on cold winter days. We’d been here for the weekend, and I’d quickly become addicted to the stuff.

While we waited, I reached across the table to catch Ella’s hands in mine. “Are you ready to go to Hawaii?”

She cocked her head to the side and nodded. “Absolutely. Although it’s nice here. I’d heard they did a ton of renovations while I was in grad school. But… Wow. It’s pretty crazy that this place used to be empty.”

“I think it’s been about five years since Gage came back and renovated it. Anytime you want to come down here again, let’s do it. I love it here, plus it’s good to see Owen and Ivy.”

Delia delivered our cider, checked to see if we needed anything else and then spun away, leaving us alone. I glanced out the window at the snowcapped mountains and then back to Ella, realizing it didn’t matter where we were. Not to me. Don’t get me wrong, Hawaii would’ve been nice about now. It had been a long, cold winter. While the days were getting longer now, sometimes the darkness could wear on you when you only had five or six hours of sunlight during the dark months of winter.

Later that night, I walked to the windows, watching the sunset over the mountains. Our room offered a view of the slopes and angled out toward Kachemak Bay. The sun slipped behind the mountains, its rays casting pinks and lavenders across the water as it ruffled under the breeze.

Ella’s hands were resting on the windowsill. I stepped behind her, sliding my arms around her waist and dipping my head to breathe in her scent. Her hand slid up to cup my cheek as she angled back to catch my eyes.

“I still can’t believe you’re here,” she murmured.

“Oh, I’m here,” I said, catching her lips in a lingering kiss. “I’ll always be here.”

* * *

Ella

A few weeks later, I rolled over, coming awake slowly to feel myself surrounded in Caleb‘s embrace. He was warm, but then he was always warm at night. I loved it.

We never made it to Hawaii. I couldn’t believe it, but the following day, I had fallen going down a ski slope and badly sprained my ankle. Yet again, something had happened and intervened with our plans. But I didn’t care. Not even a little bit. We stayed at the ski lodge for a few extra days and then came home.

My ankle was just about back to normal. I felt Caleb shift in his sleep, and I nestled my bottom back towards him, smiling when I felt his arousal against me. I kept thinking this ridiculous, out of control desire would start to fade now that we’d been together a while. If anything, the opposite appeared to be happening.

In the wispy light of dawn with desire curling around us like smoke, I rolled over when he said my name.

“Yes?”

“Good morning,” he said softly, dipping his head and catching my lips in a kiss. As was always the case, there was no such thing as just a kiss with us. A good hour later after he’d left me boneless from a shattering orgasm, we showered and made our way downstairs. I leaned against the counter and sipped my coffee as Caleb got ready for work.

This—these mundane moments—were my favorite part of our life together. Small gifts like this were something I’d written out of the story for myself before my life intersected with Caleb’s again. He stood, snagging his bag of gear and turning back as I followed him to the door.

“When will you be home?”

“Maybe I shouldn’t even leave,” he replied, his gaze darkening.

My cheeks heated. “No. You go. I have work to do, and you said you guys had some projects today.”

He winked and swung his bag over his shoulder.

“I love you,” I called as he opened the door.

He looked back once more. In a flash, he grabbed my hand and reeled me to him again. He claimed my lips fiercely, leaving my pulse pounding as he drew back. Walking backward, he blew me a kiss before turning. Closing the door behind him, I leaned against it and simply smiled.

* * *