Chapter 25

 

Wearing heels to scale a mountain was probably not one of her better ideas, but Bex didn’t care. All she cared about was finding Chase. She knew he was here. She saw his truck parked at the entrance of the trailhead. She was bound to find him on this trail. She just hoped her body held out until then.

He might not think she was worth it anymore, but damn it he was, and she would fight for him. Lay it all on the line as long as he would find it in his heart to accept who she was and all the craziness that came along with it.

The back of her foot rubbed harshly against her shoe as she continued up the gradual incline. Her calf muscles protested, and the arch of her foot cramped, but she ignored the pain and pushed on. She wasn’t stopping until she was looking into Chase’s dark gray eyes.

He could reject her, but she wasn’t leaving until she had closure. She was hopelessly in love with the small-town fireman and before she left, he needed to know. He needed to know that he had her heart, and he could keep it if he wanted to.

With each step up the mountain, her body begged for her to stop but she ignored the pain and continued on. Her body jerked forward as her heel caught on a tree root, sending her face first to the ground. She managed to get her hands out in front of her to break her fall.

Hot searing pain shot through her palm as it skidded across a few inconveniently placed rocks.

“Ouch,” she said, pulling her hand into her chest and examining the bloody mess. She couldn’t tell how deep the cuts were through the dirt but she didn’t think it was too bad. Besides, the pain in her hand was nothing compared to the pain in her heart.

She debated sitting on the ground and waiting for Chase there but she didn’t want to give up. She was determined to get to him, to prove her worth. So she slid her shoes off and continued on the journey barefoot.

It felt like an eternity before the trees gave way to a clearing. She saw Chase and her breath caught. She’d been walking for so long she didn’t think she’d ever reach him. She took a minute to watch him.

With his shoulders hunched forward, he sat on the rock that they had made love on for the first time and the memory made her both happy and sad. She’d never forget that moment for as long as she lived.

She could hear him speaking but couldn’t make out the words. She thought about turning around and giving him privacy when he kissed his fingertips and held them up to the sky. He pushed off the rock, standing to his full height.

She admired the strong muscles of his calves, the way his shirt clung to the hard ridges of his body. He turned toward her and he froze in place.

His eyes narrowed, confusion marking his handsome features. He blinked a few times as if he thought he was imagining her.

“Hi,” she said, offering the most awkward of waves. Her shoes dangled from her other hand and his eyes focused on them before they landed on her palm.

He walked over to her, grabbing her wrist without a single word. He examined the torn skin and shook his head. “What the hell were you thinking coming up here by yourself? And in those ridiculous contraptions no less.”

She yanked her hand out of his hold. “I was thinking I wanted to see you.”

“It couldn’t wait?” he asked, a sharp edge to his tone.

She wasn’t going to back down. From that first day she met him she had never ran away from him and always snapped back whenever warranted. “No, it couldn’t,” she said, her voice firm.

“What was so important that you put yourself in danger—”

“I love you,” she said, cutting his words off. She’d been holding them in for so long and she probably should have waited until they figured out all the rest, but she didn’t want to keep it in for a second longer. He needed to know that she was in love with him and she had no intention of walking away. Not now, not ever.

His eyes widened as he took her in. She wasn’t expecting an I love you back, but any words would have been nice. She wouldn’t let it deter her.

“My life is complicated. The world I live in is full of flaws, and I can’t promise you that your face won’t be thrown on every tabloid. Or that they’ll stop digging into your life. But I can tell you that I love you, and the thought of going back to L.A. without ever telling you that…it would be something I’d regret for the rest of my life.”

He stared at her, lips parted, a storm brewed in his eyes, but he didn’t move, didn’t speak.

“And I’m sorry. More than you’ll ever know. You shouldn’t have gone through any of that. If I could somehow make it go away I would. If I could take away your pain and make it my own, I would find away. I swear it.”

Chase shook his head. “No.”

She stumbled back at the certainty in that one word. “No?”

“I’m happy I know the truth now.”

Confusion gave way to relief. “You are?”

He ran a hand over his face then rubbed at his chin before letting his hand fall back to his side. “It told me that in life there is suffering and while there’s nothing you can do to stop it, it will force you to focus on the good. That’s what my mom did in her final minutes on earth. She focused on the people she loved. I wasn’t with my mom physically when she died, but now I know I was with her in her heart. She didn’t die alone like I thought she did. She couldn’t have. Not when her heart was filled.”

Bex looked out to the sky and smiled. “I bet your mom is looking down on you, and she is so proud.”

Tears filled Chase’s eyes but he didn’t let them fall. He smiled instead, turning the darkness into light. “I think so, too.”

Bex didn’t know what else to say. She put her heart out there for him and he didn’t respond to her declaration. Now it was time to go. She was glad that Chase somehow managed to find closure in the chaos. If anything, that’s what she would take from all of this.

Knowing he found peace would be enough for her even if it meant letting him go.

“I should go,” she said. “I just wanted to say goodbye.” She walked over to him, lifted on her toes and kissed his cheek, lingering for a moment and savoring his warmth. Taking in his masculine scent that was strictly Chase, she burned it to her memory. “Goodbye, Chase.”

She backed away and when he didn’t make a move she turned to the trail. Her heart was heavy, but in time she’d be able to move on, and at least she’d always have the memories to hold onto.

She entered the trailhead the heaviness of her heart becoming too much to bear. She fought the onslaught of emotions that were battling their way up her throat. A jagged breath caused her to stop and when the first tear fell she tried to find the strength to force the others to stay at bay.

“Rise above the clouds and you will find the sunshine,” she heard behind her and she spun around only to come face to face with Chase. He smiled at her, and it was the same smile she observed when he had been sleeping. The one that was content and filled with peace and sunshine. She realized he was her sunshine amongst the dark clouds and a spark of hope filled her.

“Excuse me?” she asked, curious as to why he would say that.

He brushed the lone tear from her cheek and cupped her jaw. “When you whispered that, the first time we came up here, and I asked you to explain it. You didn’t think you made any sense, but Rebecca, you made perfect sense to me.”

“I did?”

“You did. We might live in entirely different places, but we both see the world the same way.” Emotion clogged her throat as his dark gray gaze penetrated deep to her soul.

“And?” she said, knowing there was more and getting impatient for him to tell her what she’d been waiting to hear.

A smirk lifted at the corner of his mouth. “Did you honestly think I’d let you walk back down yourself?”

“Oh,” she said, disappointment consuming her. She forced a smile and hoped it appeared more grateful than it felt. She didn’t want to be disappointment. She wanted to be happy that he could still look her in the eye and make her feel like she was the only person who existed, but without the words, she couldn’t help but to feel deflated.

His hand reached out grabbing her hip and yanking her close. Unexpected glee rocketed inside her as her hand came against his warm chest.

“Also,” he said tilting her chin so she was looking directly up at him. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you.” Her eyes widened as she looked up at him with bated breath. “I love you, too, and I’m sorry I ever made you doubt that.”

She grabbed his face, pulling his lips down to hers, kissing him and letting every emotion crashing around in her body spill out.

Her life had been a roller coaster for the past few weeks, but there was one thing she was certain. With Chase by her side, there was no mountain too high for them to climb because when they reached the top and rose above the clouds, they would always find the sunshine in each other.

“Hop on,” he said, bending down and pointing over his shoulder to his back.

She linked her arms around his neck and he stood up, holding her thighs. She kissed his neck and then his cheek because she could.

“You ready?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said, and he carried her down the trail and toward their future.

 

The End

 

 

Thank you for reading Chase and Bex’s story! I hope you have fallen in love with the Marshall family as much as I have. Their story has only just begun.

 

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~Keep reading for an excerpt from Mad About Matt

Book 1 in the Red Maple Falls series~