Fuck that. Her family says I can’t be there? Well, forget it. I know I have no formal claim on Greta’s heart, but we’ve made it loud and clear to one another how we feel.

This is real. And I’m not going anywhere. Not without her. Without her by my side--without her forever.

With a bag of Christmas cookies from her bakery in the passenger seat, I drive my car to the mountain. Hey, maybe I wasn’t invited to this family gathering, but I won’t show up empty handed.

I know where she was headed--the mountain she is terrified of--and with good reason.

I’m not gonna let her go face those demons alone. Her family--while I love them to death, is so hell bent on all the reasons we’re wrong for one another, that they won’t be able to realize how badly she actually needs their support today--now more than ever.

She had a love that was real and true with Luke, and thank God for that. What they shared made her into an amazing woman.

A mother so brave and strong that her kids look at her with more love than I thought possible.

And Goddammit, somehow I ended up here, in this town, this Christmas, sharing a part of that love with her and with her kids.

I slam my car door shut and grab the bag of cookies as I hike into the mountain to tell Greta I love her.

A hell of a lot can happen in two weeks.

You can build a house in two weeks. Hell, you can win a war, topple a government--you can certainly fall in love in that span.

As I move toward the trail, I’m more resolved than ever. Shit, I know what I want to do--and the ring in my pocket proves it. When the moment is right, I am not going to hold back. I’ll tell Greta that I love her and then drop to one knee.

I’m focused on finding her and that’s when I hear it.

The sound of Greta calling.

I spin, headed toward the sound of her voice, but I can’t find her. Fuck, I knew I should have come with her from the get go.

I run down the trail, calling for her as I move. As I cut through a path, I see her family--Milo and Lucy and Charlie--hell, the whole crew. “Have you seen Greta?” they ask, fear in their voices.

I shake my head. “No, but I heard her, I’ll go this way to look.”

I take off in a different direction than Clive and Charlie and head back toward the voice, immediately realizing I don’t know this mountain. Looking at the cookies in my hand, I rip open the bag and crumble a gingerbread man.

Then I start making a trail of crumbs as I run. I keep moving, sliding a few times in the snow, my only focus is on getting to Greta. The trail will lead us back to her family once she’s in my arms.

“I’m here,” I shout. “Stay put.” I keep moving, seeing footprints in the snow, and realizing, with relief that I’m practically to the parking lot. Greta isn’t in danger; she just got turned around and scared.

“Greta?” I say, once I see her back. She kneels in the snow, crying. “Baby, you okay?” I run toward her, and drop to my knees. “I’m right here.”

She looks up, tears in her eyes and fear on her face. “My kids, I can’t find them, Ansel!”

“Shhh, shh, baby, they’re okay. I just saw them. Both Milo and Lucy are with your family. Everyone’s okay. But honey, are you?”

Her shoulders fall, her face crumbling in relief. “Oh, thank God. I couldn’t find them and got so scared. It’s my worst nightmare.”

I cup her cheek with my hand. “I know, sweetie. That’s why I came. I couldn’t bear the idea of you braving this mountain alone.”

“Ansel,” she says, looking past me. “Did you leave a trail of breadcrumbs?”

I push my lips forward, looking at the crumbs dotting the snow covered ground.

“You told me our love story was a fairy tale, but Ansel, crumbs? Really?” Her face breaks out in a smile.

“I didn’t want us both to get lost,” I tell her, grateful that she’s smiling and no longer terrified. “I’m so sorry you were out here all alone.”

“I’m not alone anymore.” She wraps her arms around me. “You got me in trouble with my family. They’re all pissed that I‘ve fallen for you.”

“You fell for me? Is that so?” I ask, pulling back to look into her eyes, already knowing the answer.

“I didn’t stand a chance. Not really. Not with you showing up in Linesworth with that man bun,” she says with a smirk.

“I’ll never live that down, will I?”

She shakes her head no, then swallows, and leans into my hand that rests on her cheek. “So, you were saying you came out here for me?”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“You know why, sweet cheeks.”

“Spell it out for me,” she asks. The moment has suddenly turned intimate, the two of us here, kneeling in the snow. The pine trees heavy with snow laden branches and the crisp mountain air between us.

“It’s pretty simple really,” I tell her, looking deep into her eyes. My knees practically frozen, but I don’t give a damn. Right now, this woman in front of me is the only thing I care about.

“Oh yeah?” she asks in a whisper.

“Yeah, truth is, I love you, Greta.”

“Stop,” she says, eyes brimming with tears. “I don’t deserve love like this, twice in my life.”

“Oh yes you do. And you can’t run from it. It isn’t just a dream, or a story someone else wrote--it’s real and it’s true and it’s ours.” I press my forehead to hers, holding her close, wanting to hold her like this until the end of time.

“I love you too, Ansel. So much it makes my chest hurt. The idea of not having you, that’s what scares me.”

“I’m not going anywhere, hell, if you try to get rid of me I’ll pour buckets of breadcrumbs down your driveway. I’m here to stay.”

“Linesworth is not Seattle. And I’m a mom and the kids and ... Ansel--, you want all that?”

“The life we choose is the only one that matters,” I quote for her.

She wraps her arms around me, sinking against my body. “That will never get old. You reciting lines from your book.”

“I think I have a new story idea,” I tell her.

“Really?”

I nod, reaching into my pocket. “Yeah. It’s a book about a man who meets the love of his life.”

Greta raises an eyebrow. “Not terribly original, you know.”

I smile softly, pulling out the ring. “This story has a twist.”

“And what’s that?” she asks, covering her mouth as she see the diamond I’m holding out to her.

“In the end, when he kneels down, asking her to marry him, he doesn’t know if she’ll say yes.”

“Why does he doubt her?” she whispers.

I tuck a loose strand of hair behind Greta’s ear. “Because she’s been through a hell of a lot. And going all in a second time might be too scary.”

Greta’s eyes twinkle. The same way they did the night I met her at the wine bar. “But Ansel,” she says. “I think you’re underestimating the heroine.”

“Oh yeah?”

She nods, her face a rosy glow. “Mhhmm. Because this character is thoughtful, reliable and resourceful.”

I frown playfully. “Sounds like Sarah.”

Greta shakes her head. “Nope. Because this woman is also really good in bed. Sarah was kinda uptight.”

I grin. “Oh, so this novel will be a little hotter, you think?”

“Much hotter.”

“In that case,” I say. “Don’t make me wait another minute. Marry me, Greta.”

She beams, her answer obvious. “Yes. Please. Let’s start our life together.”

I slide the ring on her finger and she laughs in awe at the sparkling diamond. “You know there’s a lot about me you still don’t know, right?”

“I know, hell, you’ve never even been to my place in Seattle. I’m a total neat freak.”

“Good, because I’m a total mess.”

“And I work at home, which will be totally annoying sometimes.”

She grins. “But that means you’ll be able to help with the kids.”

“Speaking of kids ... should we go find your family?”

“Our family?”

I nod. “Our family.”

“Did we seriously just get engaged?” she asks, as I pull her up to standing, wrapping my arms around her.

“We did, Greta, we did.” I kiss her, and I swear I’ll never let her go.

This snow-covered mountain that broke her heart once is now the backdrop to our own fairytale.