Epilogue: Robyn

In the spring

“I really wish you’d reconsider,” Micah says for the third time that day. It’s Sunday, and we’re both off work. And I have big plans today with Maya. And with Travis and Killian and Hannah.

We’re seated at the kitchen table finishing up a late breakfast, which I made myself—French toast and bacon.

“It’ll be fun, Micah. Don’t be such a party pooper.”

“Party pooper?” His eyebrows rise sharply, as if I said something utterly ridiculous. “You think me being a bit worried because you’re climbing a 30-foot tall rock makes me a party pooper?” He leans back in his chair and crosses his arms over his chest—aggressively. “How about it makes me a concerned boyfriend? One who doesn’t want his girlfriend getting hurt ?”

“Please don’t be like this. I like Maya. I like that we’re becoming friends. And I want to learn how to climb. Besides, she’s an expert. And so are Travis and Killian and Hannah. They’ll all be there, too. It’ll be fine.”

“Do you understand how high 30 feet is? If you fall—”

“Killian is going to belay me. If I fall, he’ll handle it. But maybe I won’t fall. Maybe I’ll be good at this. Have you thought of that?”

Micah scrubs his hands over his face and exhales heavily. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“No.” It’s hard not to snicker in the face of such melodrama. Micah’s not afraid of anything, but when it comes to me, he’s definitely overprotective. I pull his hands off his face, cupping them in mine, and make him look at me. “I really want to do this. I’m not afraid, so please don’t be afraid for me. Have a little faith. You know Killian won’t let me get hurt, and Maya is a great instructor.”

He gives me his I-am-being-reasonable face. “But this is 30 feet we’re talking about, Robyn. That’s equivalent to a three-story building. Pardon me if I’m a bit freaked out.”

Maya has taken me out climbing a few times already, but the highest I’ve gone is 15 feet. This climb is definitely higher. Definitely next-level stuff. “Just be glad we’re not free soloing it.”

“No,” he says sharply, straightening in his chair. “Absolutely not. Don’t even joke about it.”

I stand and move closer, stepping between his legs so I can cup his face and lean in. “Just kidding.” And then I kiss him. “Now, let’s get ready to go. We’re supposed to meet them at the rock face in thirty minutes.”

“Fine,” he mutters. “Get your gear.”

We grab our jackets. It’s a nice spring day, and the sun is out, so it’s warm enough to climb comfortably in a long-sleeve T-shirt and leggings. I reach for my backpack, which is already packed with my climbing gear and shoes, and follow Micah out to the truck. It’s a 15-minute drive to the trailhead, then an easy 10-minute hike to the climb site—a vertical rock face popular with locals and tourists.

Micah’s quiet on the drive over, and I feel bad that he’s genuinely worried about my safety. I lay my hand on his thigh, hoping to reassure him, and without saying a word, he lays his on mine.

We park at the trail head and set off to our destination.

A couple of minutes into our walk, we hear someone coming up behind us on.

“Wait up, guys!” Hannah says.

I glance back to see Hannah and Killian gaining on us. “Hello, Mrs. Deveraux,” I say as she comes alongside me. It’s hard to believe they’ve been married for six months already.

Hannah smiles as she squeezes my shoulder. “Are you ready for this?”

“I am. I can’t say the same for Micah, but I’m good to go.”

Killian walks up to Micah and claps him on the back. “It’ll be fine, Micah. I promise not to let your girlfriend fall.”

Micah tightens his grip on my hand. “Who’s worried?” he asks, totally bluffing. “I’m not.”

When we arrive at the rock face, Maya and Travis are already there setting up. Since this is a popular site for climbing, there are already anchors set in the rock face. Maya’s up there right now setting the top ropes for the both of us. I crane my neck up to see her and realize just how high 30 feet is. It’s high. My stomach takes a dive, and I feel a bit dizzy.

“Hey, perfect timing!” Maya calls from above. “I’m coming down now, Trav.”

“Coming down,” he repeats, letting her know he’s ready. He braces himself as she begins to descend, letting out rope as she rappels down.

Micah helps me put on my harness and attach my carabiners and other equipment. Killian supervises as I thread my rope through the belay device and lock the loop in the carabiner. He does the same for himself, and then we do a safety check. Maya is a stickler for safety protocols, and she’s drilled them into my head.

Travis and Maya do the same. After we double-check our knots and harnesses, we’re good to go.

I remove my hiking boots and strap on my climbing shoes—slim, flexible sport shoes designed to allow my toes to find and grip even small crevices. Mine are black and teal.

“Are you ready?” Maya asks. “It’s like we’ve done before, just a little bit higher. Piece of cake, right?”

I crane my neck to see the top of the face we’re about to climb. It does look awfully high.

Micah walks up behind me and lays his hands on my shoulders. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” he whispers in my ear.

I tilt my head back to see his face. “I’m good.”

Micah kisses me, and then he steps back to let Killian pick up the belaying line. Travis has Maya’s line. I know she could easily climb this rock without any support, but since she’s teaching me, she lets Travis belay her.

“Ready?” Travis asks Maya.

She gives him a thumbs up.

“Ready, Robyn?” Killian asks me.

I nod. “Yep. I’m ready.” I’m excited, but I’m also nervous. I glance back at Micah, who has moved back a bit to give Killian and Travis room to move. When I catch his gaze, Micah nods to me.

Maya starts off by raising her foot and placing it in a crevice at about knee height. I copy her and do the same, although it takes me longer to find a suitable starting place.

As I step up, I feel Killian taking up the slack in the line. It’s reassuring to know he’s holding my line. If I slip, he’ll stop my fall, and I’ll either find new footing or he’ll lower me safely to the ground.

Maya keeps pace with me, moving at my speed, watching my moves and offering advice.

“You’re doing great, Robyn!” Hannah calls from the ground.

I glance down to see Micah and Hannah standing together, back a few yards from Killian and Travis, giving them plenty room room to maneuver. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for these new people in my life. Not just Micah, but the others as well. His friends have all embraced me into their lives, into their world. They’ve made me feel welcome, and now they’re teaching me new skills. Hannah’s already asked me if I want to join the McIntyre Search and Rescue team.

I’m about halfway up the rock face when my foot slips. As I abruptly drop a few feet, my heart shoots up in my throat. But the line quickly goes taut, stopping my descent. I brace my feet against the rock to steady myself.

“You okay?” Maya asks me. She’s about six feet above me now, looking down.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just give me a minute.” I take a couple of deep breaths to slow my breathing. I don’t dare glance down at the ground, or I’ll lose my nerve.

“It’s okay, Robyn,” Killian says from the ground as he adjusts his stance. His steady voice is reassuring. “You’re doing great.”

“Come on, O’Neil, pick up the pace,” Maya says as she starts ascending once more. “We don’t have all day.” She’s a tough love kind of girl, and that’s exactly what I need right now.

I find new hand and foot holds and start ascending once more. It’s a steady climb up, no more slipping, until I reach the top. Maya’s waiting for me there. She extends her arm toward me, offering me a high-five. I smack my palm against hers.

“You did it!” Maya says, giving me a high-five. “You should be proud of yourself. I know Micah’s proud of you.” She glances down at the ground. “You’re proud of her, aren’t you, Micah?” she yells down.

“You better believe I am!” he yells back.

We start our descent then, and of course it goes a little quicker on the way down than it did going up. When I’m a couple of feet above the ground, I feel a pair of hands grasp me around the waist. I look back to see Micah smiling at me.

“You were awesome,” he says as he lowers me to the ground. “You took two years off my life when you fell, but other than that—you kicked ass.”

I turn to face him, and he wraps his arms around me. “I like climbing.”

He winces. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”

Maya slaps Micah on the back. “She did great.”

After we pack up all our gear, I change back into my hiking boots. The six of us hike back to the parking lot.

“Lunch is on me,” Maya says. She winks at me. “Let’s go celebrate Robyn’s accomplishment.”

* * *

“Were you scared?” Micah asks me that night as we’re lying in bed.

“Yeah, a little. But I knew I was in good hands. I knew Killian wouldn’t let me fall.”

“I assume you want to keep climbing?”

I nod. “Yes, sorry.”

“Then I guess it’s time I learn how to belay,” he says. “I want to be the one holding your rope.”

“Aww.” I roll to face him and lay my arm across his chest. “That’s so romantic.”

He grins. “I’m just being practical. I think I’d be less nervous if I was belaying you myself. I hated just standing there and watching. I want to be more hands-on.”

“Speaking of hands-on.” I roll him to his back and straddle me. As I lean down to kiss him, my hair falls forward, brushing his bare skin. He shivers visibly. “I know you’ll be there to catch me if I fall,” I say.

“Always,” he says, his tone solemn.

That sounds like a promise.

* * *

The next morning, while we’re sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast, Micah sets his laptop on the table in front of me. Zillow’s on the screen.

“You know, the cabin is pretty small for two people,” he says. “I was wondering if you’d be interested in looking at something larger? Maybe something with a few bedrooms and a couple of bathrooms? A larger kitchen and dining area maybe? What do you say? There are some new listings on here that look pretty good.”

My eyes widen. “Are you talking about going house hunting?”

“Yeah.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal.

“Together?” I ask, clarifying. This is a huge step.

He winces. “Is it too soon?”

“I like the idea. It’s just—”

He nods. “It’s too soon.”

“No! It’s not. I—”

He comes around to my side of the table, pulls me to my feet, and then he takes my chair and sits me on his lap. He pushes my empty plate aside so he can bring the laptop closer. “Take a look at these and see if there are any that look good to you.”

I turn to face him. “Are you serious?”

“Yes,” he says. “Absolutely.”

I smile. “You want to play house with me?”

He grins. “I do.”

Those two little words make my heart stutter. “Those are pretty big words, mister.”

Now it’s his turn to smile. “I know. Do they scare you?”

I shake my head. “Not one bit.”

“Good.” He kisses the back of my hand. “Robyn O’Neil, will you pick out a house with me? Do you want to live with me forever and ever, ’til death do us part?”

I kiss him then, and murmur the words, “I do” against his smiling lips.

* * *

Thank you for reading Robyn and Micah’s story. I hope you are enjoying the McIntyre Search and Rescue series. More books are coming!