Chapter 35
thirty-five
“ B oy, a man could get used to this view,” Mission said as he stepped out onto the back patio where Kristie had said she’d be.
Holding her in his arms meant the world to Mission, but he’d managed to step back and tell her that he’d come to bring her dinner.
She’d said she’d provide a dessert, and he’d moved his truck so that others could get by, and they’d both come back into the cabin carrying the things they’d made for the other.
He’d immediately started unbagging the freezer meals he’d stopped at the grocery store to get, and Kristie had stood in front of him, weeping even while she smiled.
She’d picked the spaghetti and meatballs, of course, and she looked over to him now, as Mission passed her a plate with the neatly arranged pile of noodles, the triangle of meatballs, and that extra sprinkling of parmesan cheese.
“There’s no garlic bread,” he said. “I wasn’t sure what kind of place you’d have, but I figured a hotel room would have a microwave.”
She’d cleared the evidence of her crying and tears, and she beamed happily at him as she took the plate.
Mission sighed as he sank into the other chair on the patio and looked out into the night. “It’s really quiet here.”
“Thank you for coming,” she said, though she had not asked how he had learned where she was.
“If I’d known there’d be cookies,” he said, “I would have been here a couple of hours ago.” He gave her a slow smile, noticing the worry in her eyes despite her scrubbed face and smile.
She looked away from him, her nerves clearly on display. Mission didn’t want that; he’d come to calm all her fears. Fine, maybe his too.
“I’m not mad,” he said.
“You’re not?” She twirled up a small bite of noodles and put them in her mouth. “I would be.”
“Yeah.” He looked into the darkness, able to picture the majestic Rockies through the darkness. “Why?”
“Because I disappeared,” she said. “And I told you not to talk to me anymore.”
“That’s not what you said,” he said. “You said you needed some space. You didn’t say, ‘never call me again.’”
“Well, you didn’t call,” she said.
“That’s because Lennie told me where you were.” Mission didn’t want to have a rapid-fire back and forth with her, especially not if it felt like an argument.
“I think we’re both just reading the same situation differently,” he said. “For me, kitten, nothing has changed.”
She nodded, her focus solely on her food. “ I’ve changed though,” she said.
“Have you?” he asked. “Since Saturday?”
She looked up, that blazing fire in her eyes that he loved so much. “Yeah. I have.” She almost looked like she wanted him to challenge her, but Mission held his tongue. Kristie just needed to talk, and Mission wanted to listen while she did.
She softened after a moment, and she too looked out into the night. “I haven’t had anyone accuse me of anything like that since I left Anthem. It was really hard for me.”
“I know that, kitten. I was trying to be there for you.”
“I know,” she said. “You’re wonderful.”
With those words, Mission’s heartbeat slowed and settled. This was not a fight, and he didn’t need to have his defenses sky high.
“Sometimes I need to work through things on my own,” she said.
“Yeah, well, I wish you’d have worked through them on my couch instead of out here, alone,” he said. “I don’t like how far away you’ve been.”
She nodded and sliced off a bite of her meatball.
“It’s okay for me to be concerned about you,” he said, thinking of what his grandfather had told him on the drive here.
Dare he repeat it to Kristie? She’d hear everything then, and Mission reminded himself he’d come specifically to say everything, for her to hear him .
“Because it’s okay to want to help the person you love,” he said.
Her head jerked up as she turned to look at him. Then Mission knew she’d heard him loud and clear. A smile came to his face and filled his whole soul.
“That’s right, kitten. I’m in love with you. You’re it for me, and I want to be at your side while you work through the hard things, and celebrate with you during the good times. I’ll give you space if you ask for it, and I’ll come running the moment you say you need me.”
Kristie sniffled again, and she set her plate of spaghetti on the table between them.
She rose and took the few steps to his chair before she settled into his lap and curled into his chest. He wrapped her in his arms, once again marveling at how close he felt to her and how peaceful he became when he held her.
“I love you too,” she whispered.
Mission chuckled. “Is that so?”
“Yes.” She lifted her head and looked right at him. “These past few days weren’t easy for me either, and I did a lot of soul-searching. And you were part of that.”
“In a good way, I hope.” He reached up and pushed her hair back off her face, really enjoying the way his love moved through him bit by bit, making him feel warm and comfortable and safe.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you where I went,” she said. “I’m sorry you had to be so far away from your farm.”
“It’s all right, kitten. I’m sure I’ll have bad days too, and you’ll have to put up with me.”
She searched his face, and Mission wondered what she saw.
“You’re my anchor.” She reached out and cradled his face in one hand.
“I started writing down things that would pull me back to the life I have in Ivory Peaks. There’s a big list inside that you can look at if you want.
Your name is at the very bottom, but I saved it for last on purpose.
As I wrote it, and every time I’ve looked at it since, I knew I only needed one thing on that list to come back to my life there. ”
“Oh, yeah? What was that?”
“You,” she whispered. “If all I had left in Ivory Peaks was you , it would be enough.”
“ You’re enough for me,” he said. “I’ve been in love with you for weeks, but I was too scared to tell you.”
“Scared of me?” she teased.
Mission’s smile only lasted a moment, because no, he wasn’t truly scared of her. But perhaps a little afraid to admit his only goal had shifted from what he wanted to her happiness and care.
“I was only scared about one thing the last few days,” he said. “And that was that I might lose you.”
“You haven’t,” she said. “You won’t.”
He nodded, fully reassured. “Are you going to kiss me then?” He smiled at her, the moment between them tender and meaningful, despite his gentle tease.
“If I must.” Kristie leaned forward and touched her mouth to his. He’d kissed this woman plenty of times in the past several months, but this touch felt new, and different, and exciting.
Fireworks popped through his bloodstream as Mission lost himself in kissing the woman he loved.