“Jovi, I can’t do this.” I shake my head vigorously as she leads me up the side of the mountain.

“It’s okay. Just don’t look down.”

Her telling me not to look down does the exact opposite. I look down. My head starts spinning and all I can hear is my heart hammering away. It feels like my eyes cross and I fall to my knees.

She spins around and tilts her head to the side. “You looked down, didn’t you?”

I nod, unable to talk. There is a lump in my throat that is blocking air and my voice.

She walks the couple steps back to me and sits down on the dirt trail at my side. “We don’t have to do this, you know?”

I’m finally able to swallow the excess salvia in my mouth as I nod my head. “Yes, I do. It’s on the list: conquer a fear. Heights is my fear— we’re doing this.”

“Okay, well why don’t we just hang here for a minute and catch our breath. Look at that view.” A breathtaking smile covers her face. It’s so bright it lights up her dark brown eyes. She’s come a long way since we got back from our trip. She’s completely free. She’s let go of everything that had been holding her back, and she’s blossomed into a beautiful woman who isn’t held back by anything. She’s learned how to let things go and move on. She’s taking chances and doing anything and everything she wants to do. She doesn’t pretend to be anyone else. She’s just her and if you don’t like it, you can fuck off. She no longer hides herself away.

Seeing her like this, makes me want her more every day. She’s completely fucking breathtaking as she stares out over the mountain. Her chest is rising and falling quickly with her heavy breathing from the hike. The look in her eyes drives me crazy. I want her. Every day, just me and her.

I reach out and run my fingertips down her arm. She quickly looks over at me with a smile. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah, I’m ready.” Just sitting here, watching her, has calmed my nerves. She always does this for me. She brings me back from whatever cliff I’m on.

There is more to this than just marking this one thing off the list. I can’t wait to get to the top.

I stand and pull her up with me. I keep her hand in mine as we continue our way up the mountain trail.

It takes us another hour, but we’ve finally made it. I stop some way from the edge and bend over with my hands on my knees while I try catching my breath, but she doesn’t. She races right to the edge to peer over.

She’s completely fearless and free. I watch her from my position as she holds her arms out at her side, like she’s opening herself up for the world to see.

My heart pounds away in my chest. It’s time.

I stand up right and walk over to the edge.

She looks up at me with a wide smile. “You did it! Cross it off.”

I bring her against my chest and kiss her. Her soft lips press against mine and I know what I’m about to do it right.

When I pull away, I look deeply into her eyes. The fact that I’m standing on the edge of a cliff doesn’t even register. I’m not afraid because I have her in my arms. Our hearts beat together as one as I stare into her beautiful soul.

“Jovi, will you marry me?”

Her mouth drops open before it’s replaced with a wide smile. Her dark eyes only seem to burn brighter. “Yes,” she nearly whispers with a nod of her head.

I crush her lips with my own, feeling, tasting, loving. She’s mine and will be for the rest of my life.

When I pull away, I take the ring from my pocket and show it to her. She gasps and covers her mouth.

I know I’ve already proposed, but I drop to my knee anyway as I take the ring from the box. “Jovi, you’re everything I ever wanted in life. I know you think I saved you in some way, but really it was you who saved me. I’ve been broken for so long now, I didn’t think I would ever be put back together. But…” I slide the ring onto her finger. “as it turns out, the pieces I was missing were yours.”

She drops down to her knees in front of me and wraps her arms around my neck as she presses her lips to mine. I tangle my fingers into her hair and pull her as close as I can get her.

Here we are, kneeling on the side of a cliff, inches from falling to our deaths, and all I can think about is making her mine. I feel like I’m on the top of the world right now, and nothing can bring me down.

* * *

We’re walking hand in hand down the trail. The wind blows slightly, cooling our overheated skin. We’re quiet as we’re walking, just letting nature go on around us. It’s relaxing, like we’re the only two people left on the planet, and I’d be completely okay with that.

She squeezes my hand. “Are you ready to go back to work tomorrow?”

I shrug. “I’m excited to see what I can accomplish with this new advertising company. What about you? Are you looking forward to starting college?”

She smiles wide. “I am. I can’t wait to become a grief counselor.”

My feet stop moving on their own. “You’ve decided?”

She turns towards me, her smile still in place. “I have. I think it only makes sense, don’t you?”

I can’t help the grin that appears as I pull her closer to me. “I think it makes perfect sense.” I pull her against my chest, my lips landing on hers.

She breaks away and looks into my eyes. “You’ve helped me so much since losing Katie. I want to do that for someone else.”

I brush away a fallen hair from her face before placing my hand softly against her cheek. “I love you, Jovi.”

Her hand covers mine like she never wants it to leave. “I love you too, River.”