Page 186 of Rangers Mountain Rescue

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“Aspen…” he murmurs.

Just my name.

But it sounds like everything.

I touch his face.

Trace the line of his jaw.

The edge of the man who fights everything and still chose me.

“I’m here,” I whisper.

And I am.

Completely.

When we finally come together again… it’s not rushed.

Not wild.

It’s slow.

Careful.

Like we’re both afraid to break something fragile.

Like we both know this moment will change everything.

I feel it in the way he holds me—

not just with strength,

but withgentleness.

Like I’m something worth protecting.

My fingers tighten on his shoulders as emotion rises too fast, too full.

Because this isn’t just physical.

This is trust.

This is choosing someone when you know it could destroy you.

And as that truth settles in—

a tear slips free.

Warm.

Silent.

He feels it immediately.

Stills.

Pulls back just enough to see my face.

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