Page 183 of Rangers Mountain Rescue
“I’ve spent so much of my life being careful… being afraid of what could go wrong.”
I swallow. “And I still lost everything anyway.”
His expression shifts.
Not pity.
Something deeper.
Understanding.
I reach out before I can stop myself.
Rest my hand lightly against his chest.
His heartbeat is steady beneath my palm.
“And I still choose this,” I whisper.
Silence.
His hand comes up.
Covers mine.
Warm.
Steady.
Like he’s anchoring me instead of the other way around.
“You don’t make this easy,” he mutters.
I almost smile.
“Good.”
Something in his eyes breaks open at that.
Not control.
Not restraint.
Something real.
He pulls me in again.
But this time… it’s different.
Not rushed.
Not desperate.
Certain.
His hands come up slower, like he’s giving me time to stop him.
Like he needs to know I won’t.
