Page 31 of Practically Perfect Together

Something in his voice makes me pause, a flutter of anticipation stirring in my chest.

"This spot," he says, gesturing to the outcropping where we sit, "is special to me. It's the first place my dad brought me hiking when I was old enough to make the climb. It's where I come when I need to think, when I need perspective."

Bear lifts his head suddenly, looking expectantly at Jameson as if on cue.

"When you left for Denver," he continues, "I hiked up here every day, wondering if I'd lost my chance at something real. I kept thinking about what you said. That we were just pretending. That none of it was real."

"Jameson—"

"But the thing is," he interrupts gently, "I was never pretending. Not really. From that first day when you stormed into my life needing a fake fiancé, something about you fit. Like finding a piece of yourself you didn't know was missing."

My throat tightens with emotion as he reaches into his pocket.

"I've been trying to find the perfect moment, the perfect words," he says, pulling out a small wooden box that I immediately recognize as his handiwork. "But I realized there's no perfect plan for this. Just the right person and the right feeling."

He opens the box, revealing a ring nestled inside. It’s a simple, elegant band with a small stone that catches the last rays of sunlight.

"The stone is mountain laurel jasper," he explains, voice slightly rough with emotion. "Found it on the east trail, where I first realized I was falling for you. Had it set in a ring my grandfather made for my grandmother."

"Jameson," I whisper, my heart racing.

"I'm not great with plans like you are," he says, taking the ring from its box. "But I know with absolute certainty that I want to build a life with you, Savannah. A real one. No pretending, no arrangements. Just us."

Bear whines softly, his tail thumping against the blanket.

"So," Jameson continues, his smile widening, "Savannah Carter, will you forget about business arrangements and fake engagements and marry me for real this time?"

Tears blur my vision as I throw my arms around his neck, nearly toppling us both off the blanket. "Yes," I manage through the tightness in my throat. "Absolutely yes."

His kiss is sweet and familiar and new all at once, a promise of everything to come. When we finally break apart, he slips the ring onto my finger with hands that tremble slightly.

"Perfect fit," I say, echoing his words from months ago.

"I was hoping you'd say that," he murmurs against my hair.

As darkness settles over the mountains, we remain on our outcropping, wrapped in each other's arms, Bear nestled against our feet. Below us, the lights of Elk Ridge twinkle like earthbound stars, and Mountain Laurel Lodge glows warmly in the distance.

I've spent my entire life making careful plans, arranging every detail for maximum efficiency. But the best things—the most perfect things—turned out to be the ones I never planned for at all.

A business arrangement that became love. A mountain town that became home. A man who showed me that sometimes, the best plan is having no plan at all.

And as Jameson pulls me closer under the canopy of stars, his heartbeat steady against mine, I know with absolute certainty that this—this moment, this man, this life we're building—is perfectly, wonderfully, completely real.

* * *