To Claim the Mountain Man

Chapter 39

ISLA

The days slipped into weeks that quickly became the happiest of my life.

I spent my weekdays at Laurel Peak High School, where my temporary gig as an English teacher slowly morphed into something I could see as a career. I loved my students. Loved opening their eyes to the wonders of literature. Loved watching them grow through every assignment and discussion. Every day, I left my job feeling fulfilled, and I supposed that was all anyone could ask for, really.

I spent my nights and weekends with Heath. Our routines wove together seamlessly, like we were pieces of the same puzzle coming together at last.

We cooked together. Took Smokey on walks. He showed me his favorite hiking trails to admire the shift toward fall colors and how to build bookshelves, and I introduced him to my favorite book series and how to play the Sicilian Defense in chess. I wrote, and he crafted the most stunning pieces of furniture for customers across Colorado. On Sundays we went to my parents' home for family dinner.

And, at night, we made love. A tangled mass of skin and heat. Sometimes rough and frenzied, like we might die from the all-consuming want burning between us.Other times, slow kisses melted into lingering touches and long, languid strokes. He'd whisper sweet words in my ear, then, minutes later, describe every dirty thing he wanted to do to me. I lived for those nights, and even more for the mornings when I woke up beside him, nestled against his side, tucked beneath his strong arms.

In truth, I quickly forgot what life was like without Heath in it. I wasn't sure I wanted to remember.

As September bled into October and cobwebs and fake skeletons decorated storefronts across town, an overwhelming sense of contentment characterized every day. Sure, I wasn't in New York. I wasn't sitting amongst my peers in a classroom at Columbia, gleaning every last drop of knowledge from the leading creative writing experts in the field or preparing a manuscript for publication.

But I was surrounded my family and friends. I was reacquainting myself with Laurel Peak and all that the little town had to offer. And I had Heath. For the first time in my life, that was enough. It was more than enough. It was everything.

That feeling of contentment followed me into Rise and Wine, an adorable coffee shop by day turned into a wine bar by night, on Friday evening. I sat at a table with Skylar and Eliana, sipping a glass of merlot, and kicking ass at a surprisingly competitive round of Halloween-themed trivia.

"I will die on this hill," Sky huffed, tossing back the last swig of her chardonnay. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes a bit wild. "Edward Scissorhands is a Christmas movie! Not a Halloween movie!"

I snorted. Eliana and I had been giggling for the past two minutes, since Skylar stood up from our table and tried telling the trivia host that his questions about the beloved movie categorically did not belong in Halloween-themed trivia. The five other trivia teams across the little bar gave our table the stank-eye, and the host announced that we'd be taking a ten-minute break.

"Just because a movie has gothic vibes doesn't mean it's automatically a Halloween movie," Sky continued, thudding her fist against our table. My wine glass vibrated. "You know?"

"We know," Eliana groaned, cradling her head in her hands.

"Believe me, we're on your side, Sky." I grinned, unable to hide my amusement. Skylar was the only person I knew who would get so heated over a simple trivia question. Granted, Edward Scissorhands was on her list of top-ten movies of all time. "But we did get the question right, so what's the harm?"

Sky scoffed, eyes widening like I'd just spoken blasphemy. "The harm is to every Tim Burton movie. Ever. They are—"

"Changing the subject now!" Eliana sang, tapping her short, bitten fingernails against the body of her wine glass. She turned toward me, a smile pulling on her freckled cheeks. "Where's your boyfriend tonight?"