Chapter 78
DIANA
I’ve climbed so many mountains in my life.
Some were short, others were a little bit taller.
Although, all of them demanded so much from you.
Oftentimes, more than you think you can give.
But then, when you’re standing at the very top, you realize it doesn’t matter how big the mountain is.
The fact that you’re courageous enough to climb them is still worth celebrating.
Grouse Mountain, however, is an exception.
I will never climb this thing.
“Oh my god.” I gawk at the distance as we take the sky ride all the way to the top. “They make you guys climb this every year?”
Kai hugs me from behind. “If it makes you feel any better, I get so hot and sweaty, you can see my abs through my shirt.”
Heat sears my cheeks at the thought.
In the corner of my eye, Wallace and Stella help snap a photo for his family.
I smack Kai’s chest.
“Ow!”
“Tone it down, you heathen. Your family is here!”
I can feel Kai smile against my forehead before he kisses it. I lean into him, my fingers weaving through his as his arms tighten around me.
The black sky slightly fades under the thick band of pink breaching the horizon. On the other side of the mountain, the city lights glimmer like a thousand stars.
“Honestly, Grouse Mountain hits a little differently when you don’t have to suffer to get up here,” Luke muses.
“I’m grateful for the free breakfast we’re gonna get at the top.” Rowan smirks.
The owners of Blue Horizon Bistro have grown into Kai’s biggest supporters, and they invited him and his loved ones to the very first breakfast of the day.
By the time we reach the top, the sky brightens enough to see the dark outline of the mountains beyond.
The cozy, rustic table nestles close to the floor to ceiling windows that glimmer with fairy lights. Thick candles burn inside glass pillars wound with brass metal. They flicker over a menu that’s filled with hearty, comforting dishes that arrive as quickly as we order them.
Luke moans as he stuffs a wad of vanilla blueberry pancakes into his mouth. “This is how you should bribe the boys to show up for the Grouse Grind, Row.”
“No way. If we had to get through it with a nervous breakdown, so do they,” Rowan insists. “It’s a rite of passage. Right, Luke?”
Luke glares at him. “Don’t you fucking start—”
They start recounting embarrassing tales of Luke losing his wits on the Grouse Grind.
“He flings himself to the ground,” Kai chortles, “and tears are running all over his face—”
“—Sexily,” Luke cuts in.
“—And he’s like, ‘Just let me die!”
“My abs were glimmering in the sun while I cried.”
The whole table doubles over in laughter.
Luke shakes his head and smiles down at his pancakes.
I look around me with my heart so full as I take in the table of people who have loved and embraced me these last several months.
Through every challenge and triumph I’ve had with the Rager, they’ve always stood by me.
I wish I could tell that version of myself who worried about making all the wrong decisions that she was headed exactly where she needed to go.
In the middle of all the laughter and chatter, Kai’s gaze finds me. His pinky brushes over mine before our hands intertwine on the table.
“I got a little surprise for you,” he whispers.
I cock my head. “What did you do—”
The words die out the second the waitress emerges from the kitchen with a dainty cake. A single sparkler flickers and shimmers like a star over the buttercream frosting.
“Oh my god,” I gasp.
“One sparkler and a couple hundred more to go,” Kai says.
A choked laugh bursts from me. I throw my arms around him and kiss his face.
Everyone claps and hollers with a joy that’s so contagious.
Luke clears his throat. “Now, I’d like to make a toast!”
“Brace yourself,” Rowan warns.
“Shut it, Kaneshiro.”
He rises to his feet with his glass of freshly squeezed pineapple juice. “The Grouse Grind has no mercy for weak bitches.”
Laughter erupts.
Luke’s smile softens. “That’s why it’s a little easier when you know you have your brothers and the ones you love supporting you every step of the way.”
He looks out at the table that’s stuffed elbow to elbow with Kai’s family, Aunt Edie, his father, Wallace, Rowan, and Stella.
“Even though everyone in this room is going to be roughing it on different mountains this season, I hope we get to do it together until we reach the top of…well, wherever we wanna go.” Luke huffs, playfully rolling his eyes.
“As much as you all enjoy roasting me, there’s no one else I want to be on this journey with. ”
Luke raises his glass. “To new beginnings!”
“To new beginnings!”
We clink our glasses.
In a cascade of glowing gold, the sun finally breaks free from the dark. A new day shimmers across the room, its light flickering like a flame burning to life.