Chapter Forty-Nine

Bec

T he hike to Mills Lake is stunning. At every turn, the rugged landscape takes my breath away. And not a single inch of the trek compares to the view of the lake itself.

Aiden and I take our time on the trails, catching up and laughing. Conversations with Aiden have always flowed easily, and today is no different. Every now and then, I look up from where I’m checking my footing to catch Aiden smiling at me. A look of contentment drawing up the sides of his mouth.

Something about being here with him, the fresh air invigorates the pulse in my veins, breathing life into my lungs. The mountains standing tall in the distance make me feel small, and with that feeling comes an indescribable comfort to my soul. In this quiet, boundless space, all my indecision and anxiety couldn’t possibly matter. What significance can any of my stressors hold in a world so wonderfully wild? What problem could matter more than living in the here and now, appreciating the small and large wonders around me?

When we finally stand lakeside, Aiden wraps his arms around my waist, whispering into my ear from behind me, “Was this what you had in mind? ”

“What do you mean?” I absentmindedly ask, still enthralled in the view before me: crystal clear waters below snowcapped mountains. I look over the lake, through the trees, unable to fully appreciate the beauty given the overabundance in front of me.

“Your dream vacation…” Aiden says, his voice wavering with a hint of uncertainty.

The memory resurfaces. “Oh my god, Aiden…”

He squeezes me tightly against him, nuzzling into my neck. “You said you wanted an escape. To experience the world more simply, stripped down to the raw elements. Did you find the peace you said it’d bring you? Is it as freeing as you imagined?”

“You chose this spot because…you remembered that I…” I stumble over my words, unable to accept that he is this goddamn perfect.

“I told you; I remember everything about the weekend I met you, Bec. What you said about being in a place like this…how it would make you feel. I wanted to give you that. And I selfishly wanted to feel it with you.”

I turn over my shoulder to look at him. “How did I ever think you could be my perfect one-night stand?” I huff out a laugh of disbelief.

“I would have begged for more,” he says seriously. “One taste, and I was lost to you. Even the idea of you was enough to hook me forever.”

Being lost to Aiden feels like it might be the place I finally find myself. The man I was terrified of getting close to may just be everything I never dreamed could be mine. I run my hands over his arms, which are still wrapped tightly around my stomach, soaking in his affection like the sun’s rays on my skin warming me inside and out in this place that makes me feel invincible.