Epilogue
Amelia
Two weeks later.
I sat up in bed with a stack of mail in my lap.
Our bed. The thought still made me giddy.
We’d bought a bigger one immediately after I moved in, since Grayson had been sleeping on a camp cot that creaked every time either of us so much as breathed.
Now we had a queen-size mattress sitting on a simple wooden frame in the middle of the workshop, and it was the most comfortable bed I’d ever slept in.
Probably because of the man who shared it with me.
I glanced around the space, taking in what we’d created together in such a short amount of time.
My plants had transformed the industrial-feeling room into something that felt alive.
Trailing pothos vines cascaded down from shelves Grayson had built along one wall.
My prized variegated monstera sat in a ceramic pot near the window where it caught the morning light.
And a collection of philodendrons in various shades of green and cream clustered on repurposed wooden crates that served as side tables.
I’d added other touches too. A woven blanket in warm earth tones lay draped over the foot of our bed. Fairy lights strung along the exposed beams overhead cast a cheery vibe.
And a small gallery of photos captured moments from our first weeks together. Grayson at the hot springs, water droplets clinging to his broad shoulders. The two of us at the Ridge Diner, Marla photobombing in the background with a knowing smirk.
It was a strange home. And a temporary one, until we could finish all the construction and move into proper living quarters.
But I didn’t mind. As long as I got to be with Grayson, that was all that mattered.
I kicked off the covers and returned my attention to the mail. I’d been flipping through it to see if my final check from my old job had arrived yet when I came across a logo I’d know anywhere. My heart stuttered in my chest.
“Grayson?”
He looked up from where he was sitting at the small table we used for meals. He was nursing a cup of coffee and reviewing some notes about his upcoming tile work project. “Yeah?”
“What tech company did that guy work for? The one you saved on the first day we met?”
Grayson thought about it for a second, his brow furrowing. “Junoc, I think.”
“Junoc?” I stared at the envelope in my hands. “Like the social media company? They’re huge!”
He shrugged, those massive shoulders rolling with casual indifference. “I suppose so.”
“Well, the guy came through.” I held up the envelope, waving it at him. “He sent you something.”
Grayson took it from me and inspected it, turning it over in his large hands. “It’s probably a coupon for their software or something.”
I shook my head. “They don’t sell software, hon. They’re a social media platform.”
He tore open the envelope while muttering, “I don’t know about any of that shit. But don’t get your hopes up. It’s not like the guy’s going to send me a bunch of money. That only happens in movies.”
He pulled out a small letter and frowned at it, his eyes scanning the text. I waited, practically bouncing on the mattress with anticipation. The seconds stretched out unbearably long.
“Well?” I finally burst out. “What is it?”
“Uh, a year’s worth of movie tickets.”
I scrambled across the bed and snatched the letter from his hands, reading the fine print. “What? That’s it?”
He shrugged again, looking utterly unimpressed. “Don’t feel let down, hon. It’s not like I usually get tips for the work I do.”
“Yeah, but you saved the man’s life.”
“That’s the way of the world, babe.”
I kicked back against the pillows, watching my man.
He was wearing nothing but a pair of flannel pajama bottoms that hung low on his hips, and I let myself enjoy the view.
Everything about him was gorgeous. From the way his biceps flexed whenever he moved, to the jagged scar across his cheek.
“Well,” he picked up his coffee again. “I guess we should go see a movie.”
In the last two weeks, we’d come up with an action plan. One that didn’t rely on gratitude from a stranger.
Grayson was going to start booking classes as soon as he finished tiling the bathrooms, and he was actively working on it every day.
We’d talked about it and decided the students didn’t need bunkhouses after all. He was going to restructure his program so the students stayed in tents out on the property, which was more in keeping with the survival theme anyway.
He’d do beginner classes in the summer when the weather was forgiving.
Intermediate sessions in the spring and fall, when the temperatures dropped and the conditions got more challenging.
And he’d reserve small, select groups for the advanced winter classes, teaching them how to survive in the kind of cold that could kill.
Between my plant sales and his wilderness tours, plus the classes he planned to start, we had big plans for the future.
Life might look a little messy right now. But we had a strong future mapped out together.
I studied him again as he sipped his coffee, completely unaware of how handsome he looked in the morning light filtering through the windows.
My heart swelled with a warmth I still wasn’t quite used to feeling.
That’s my man.
I’d finally found my spot in the world. And I’d come a long way from that unfulfilling life in Jacksonville, and the job that had slowly been draining the color out of my days.
Now I had more than I’d ever hoped for.
A place that felt right.
A future that excited me.
And a man who looked at me like I was the best thing that had ever walked into his life.
Taking a leap of faith and a big risk had paid off.
And now I had the mountain man to prove it.
I couldn’t wait to see what the future held for us.
“You know…” he rumbled. “My cousin Flint called. He lives over in the Ozarks, and he’s got a buddy named Jameson who runs a wilderness tour business on Red Oak Mountain. I was thinking of heading over there for a week or so to bounce ideas off him.”
Grayson got a sparkle in his eye. “What do you think, hon? You up for an adventure?”
I nodded. “Yeah. That sounds great. Do you think Marla would water our plants while we’re gone?”
“Hell, yeah,” he grunted, his attention already moving elsewhere as he took me in his arms and snaked the straps of my tank top down.
The man was insatiable.
And he was mine.
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