Epilogue

HARRISON

TEN YEARS LATER

There's the slap of skin on skin, and I turn to glance at Benny. His whole face is scrunched in disgust as he lifts his hand from his arm and reveals the mosquito he got.

"Cute date," he deadpans.

I just want to tell him to bear with me. I've been saving for this trip for years now, and little does Benny know it's for a very specific reason. Our dream Australian vacation was less about beaches and fancy bridges and more about fungus.

One specific fungus.

Because Benny is worth it.

"Forests smell."

"This is the bush, babe."

"Bush. A bush is what's between your legs right now."

I laugh, if only to dispel some of the nerves. "You said you like the retro look."

"I'm going to say anything to get in your pants."

Trim the pubes. Got it.

We've been walking for an hour now, and I'm starting to get as frustrated as he is. We set out at sunset, and even though I was careful about making sure we stuck to the paths and have the exact mapping and coordinates set out, I didn't expect us to be walking for this long.

I'm starting to lose hope.

I've been researching, and getting firsthand recounts, and narrowed the dates to be the most common for these stupid things, but I'm still coming up empty. What the hell am I supposed to tell Benny if I suddenly decide we're done and head back frustrated and disappointed? This is less of a romantic night to remember and more the opening to a horror film.

"Are we lost?" he asks.

"No."

"You look lost."

"I know exactly where we are." The problem is, I don't know where they are. Years of planning have gone into tonight, and if, after spending my whole life being good to plants, they choose not to return the favor, I might just stomp on one.

Okay, I won't.

But I'll probably want to.

Might even kick a tree trunk if I'm annoyed enough.

"My legs hurt," Benny complains, and I finally stop.

This is useless. My hair is damp under my hat, and if we go any further, we probably will end up lost. That's definitely not the kind of trip I'd been planning.

So, with my heart lodged in my throat and disappointment churning in my gut, I force a smile. "You're right. Let's go back."

"Fina—" His eyes shoot wide. "What the fuck is that?"

My head shoots around, expecting to find a ghost or a man with an axe, but there's nothing there. I narrow my eyes, searching until—holy fuck. We found them.

I grab Benny's hand and drag him off the path, making note with my phone compass on which way we're heading as I pray no spiders jump out to ambush us.

"No, don't go toward the thing!" he protests, but I don't let him go, and when we step through a thick patch of shrubs, my mood soars.

This is better than I imagined.

A whole cluster of ghost mushrooms. There are four thick trees here, and growing all up the sides of their massive trunks are brightly glowing fungi.

"Wow," Benny breathes.

Wow, indeed. I've never seen so many together like this. It's like I'm on an otherworldly planet.

Benny wraps his arm around me, head resting against my shoulder. "This is what you were looking for?"

"Yep."

"It's … fucking unreal."

"Yep." I take a deep breath, heart that was in my throat back in my chest and hammering out a fucking drum solo. "So are you."

I click off my flashlight, and the mushrooms glow brighter. They're not bright enough to see him clearly, but there are gaps in the canopy above, letting enough moonlight through for me to catch his smile.

"There you go being sweet again," he murmurs. Like he can feel it too. The something magical in the air that makes us whisper so we don't disturb it.

"You know I love plants, and you know I love you?—"

"Probably in that order," he teases.

"Which is why when I did this, I knew it had to be this way."

Benny's eyebrows pull together, and when he slowly lifts his head, I know he's figuring it out.

"When … when you do what?"

"Ask you to marry me."

"Oh my god." Both hands fly to his mouth as I pull out the ring.

"I know we said it didn't matter either way if we took this step or didn't take this step, but the truth is, I lied. Call me a romantic, but I want to marry you. More than I've ever wanted anything, and I'm pretty sure I've been planning this since I met you. Maybe not consciously, and maybe not actively, but there was never any other choice. I was always going to end up here. In Australia, surrounded by nature, asking you to be mine."

"Goddamn it, Harrison." He swipes at his nose, and I know that look. The one where he's close to tears. "You flew me to the other side of the world and hunted down some stupid glowy mushrooms, all so I'd know you were serious?" His voice hitches. "I know sometimes I joke around asking why I love you when you're being all dorky, but this is why. This is the dorkiest, sweetest, youest thing in the entire world, and when we tell everyone about this, we're going to leave out the part where I'm a dumb, crying mess, but I'm glad I am. Because I want you to know I'm serious too."

Shit, now my eyes are starting to sting. "Is that a yes?"

"You shouldn't even need to ask, baby. I'm yours. In every single way. And I can't wait to be your husband."

The tears come, and I don't try to hold them back as I slip the ring onto his finger and kiss him. Benny is everything I never knew I needed, and after ten years together, I still fall for him more every day.

THANK YOU FOR READING A STEALTHY SITUATION. I HOPE YOU ADORED BENNY AND HIS HARRISON.

If you want to know more about cutie Jordan from stats class, and those sudden muscles he's sporting, make sure you jump into Batting Style by Louisa Masters, book three in the Franklin U 2 series.