Page 97 of Wild Desire

"Will you help me design it and move in with me when it's finished?"

Her hand fell away from her face, and I tipped her chin up slightly so she could meet my gaze. "Yes.”

I kissed her, reveling in the coolness on her lips, the thick puffy clothes between us. I pulled away slightly. "Now are you ready for a ride?"

She nodded. "Let's do it."

We snowboarded away from the site of our new home and came to a stop on the top of the slope. I squeezed her hand. "Are you scared?"

She shook her head. "Not really."

"It will come back to you."

Snow fell in fat flakes. "I trust you."

Her words meant so much to me. This woman didn't trust anyone to be there for her, and I looked forward to proving her wrong for the rest of my life.

"How do you want to go down?" I asked her, mimicking something we used to say to each other when we were teens.

"Hard and fast," she said with a grin.

I squeezed her hand one more time. "That's my girl."

"I'll see you at the bottom,” she said with a cheeky grin.

I pushed off, not waiting for her to follow because I could hear the second she took off, the slice of her board peeling through the air. I loved these conditions. It was cold and dark, and there was no one else on the mountain.

I executed a few easy jumps, hoping she’d follow suit just like old times. Gliding through the air was exhilarating. I loved the speed, the wind rushing over my cheeks, and the snow-covered views.

I came to a stop at the bottom and skidded sideways so I could watch her finish. She took the last jump soaring high, her knees tucked, a smile on her face. She landed a few feet away, then glided toward me.

"How was it?" I asked her.

"It felt amazing.” Her voice was filled with awe.

I grinned. "You want to do it again?"

"Let’s do it.”

We went down again, side-by-side, easily falling in sync. At the bottom, I tugged her toward me and kissed her. When I pulled away, I said, “I have one more thing to show you.”

“What else could there be?” she asked as we headed toward the lift.

We went to the top again, where we’d discussed building our house. This time, there was a table and chairs set up close to the edge. There were a few poles with lights strung between them, creating a romantic space.

"What's this?" Noelle asked as we approached.

"I thought we'd have dessert."

Underneath the domed cover, there was a large slice of chocolate cake drizzled with more chocolate and sliced strawberries. When she sat down, I dropped to one knee in thesnow. "Noelle Richards, will you always be by my side whether we’re snowboarding or walking? Will you marry me?”

She nodded jerkily, her eyes wide with shock. "Yes. Of course."

I tugged off her glove and slid the ring onto her finger.

She lifted her hand, the diamond sparkling in the light. "It's beautiful."

"You're beautiful. You shine as bright as this diamond." I stood, leaning down to kiss her upturned face.

This felt like us. We’d met at the lodge, we’d grown closer while snowboarding, and we’d come back together when the timing was exactly right for both of us.

I saw the future unfolding in front of us exactly as we wanted it to. Except this time, we’d do it together.