He gave up. There was no way he was getting out of this with his pride intact. “Fine.” He sat up beside her. “I had a stupid idea.”
“What?”
“You’re going to make me do this, aren’t you?”
“Tell me the truth? Yes, I am.”
“I thought . . .” He told himself to get it over with. “I thought I’d come here, see you, confirm what I was feeling.”
“Did you?” she asked.
“Yes.” He’d confirmed it beyond a shadow of a doubt. He was in love with Mia.
“So, why lie?”
“I thought I could maybe find a job down here. Not right in LA but, you know, in the area, maybe in the national forest.”
“You were going to find a job in LA?”
“Yes.” It sounded crazier the more he said it out loud.
“And what, move here?”
“Yes.” There was no point in dancing around it any longer. “Move here to be with you.”
She looked angry then, angrier than he’d expected.
His back went up over that. All she had to do was say no—tell him no, and he’d be on his way.
“You’d hate LA,” she exclaimed.
He didn’t have an answer for that, since she was likely right.
“And I’m insulted,” she said in the same angry tone.
Insulted? She was insulted that he was in love with her? Great. He started to move off the bed.
“What about Alaska?” she said, stopping him.
He looked back, vaguely hearing the outer door open to the living room.
“Did you even consider Alaska?” she asked. “Do you still think I’m not good enough for Alaska?”
For a moment he was distracted knowing a waiter was in the suite. Then her words penetrated.
“Maybe I didn’t fit in at first,” she continued. “Okay, I’ll grant you that. I made loads of mistakes. But I learned the WSA radio. I mastered Raven’s kooky shower. I drove a loader. I fought off a damn grizzly bear. What more do I have to do, Silas? Exactly how much more do I have to do to prove myself to you?”
“What?” he asked, too stupefied to come up with something more intelligible. He was grateful to hear the door click closed and know the waiter had left.
“I am good enough for Alaska.” She huffed.
He reached for her, but she pulled away. “You’ve got this all wrong, so wrong.”
“And if I’m not, I can learn.”
He took her shoulder then, shifting closer. “There’s nothing for you to learn.”
Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. Her voice was small. “Don’t give up on me so soon.”
“I’m not giving up on you.” He could see he was botching this big time. He drew her into his arms. “I was afraid.” He rocked her, smoothed her hair, kissed her temple. “Afraid that Alaska wasn’t good enough for you.”
She swallowed. “Why?”
“I love you, Mia. I’m head over heels in love with you, and I’ve been racking my brain trying to come up with a way for us to be together.”
She drew back. “You came here to be with me?”
He nodded, smoothing her messy hair back from her face.
“That was your plan?” she continued.
“Yes.”
“Well, that was stupid.”
He grinned.
“You’d hate it here.”
“I thought you’d hate it in Paradise.”
“I can’t wait to get back to Paradise.” She searched his expression. “I love you, Silas. I don’t love this.” She waved her arm around the room. “I don’t even love Lafayette, not really, not the way Henry and Hannah seem to love it.”
“Henry and Hannah? Why are we talking about them?”
“I gave them Lafayette. Well, I split it with them. But they’ve got controlling shares.”
Silas’s brain scrambled to keep up. “I thought you gave them the house.”
“That too.” She came up on her knees and cradled his face in her hands. “There’s nothing holding me here, Silas.”
“So . . .” He couldn’t bring himself to believe it. “You’ll come to Paradise.”
She nodded, and his chest all but burst with emotion.
“I’m building you a house,” he said, drawing her into his arms again.
“Yeah? Something like Raven’s?”
“No, not like Raven’s. I wouldn’t ask you to live like Raven.” He made a point of gazing around the opulent room. “Plus, there are certain elements of your lifestyle I’m coming to like. Danny’s offered me the plans for a villa—just like the one we had at Wildflower Lake. We can buy a lot near the river if you want. Or we can do something else.”
“I’d love a villa by the river. That sounds perfect.”
“I never should have let you go.”
“I had to come back here to find out what mattered,” she said gently. “I think we both knew that.”
“I mean, I should have come back with you. I should have known enough to figure this out with you by my side. I made so many mistakes.”
She chuckled at that. “You? Seriously? I’m the super-klutz.”
“No, you’re wrong about that. I took one look at your classy clothes, your beautiful hair, your elegant manners and made assumptions. I was wrong to do that, and I’m sorry.”
She shook her head. “We’re both guilty. I took a look at you and thought you were a serial killer.”
“I’m still sorry that I scared you.” He shook his head with a chuckle.
“A sexy one,” she said in a husky voice. “But I took one look at your stature, your height, your shoulders—” She rubbed his bare shoulder with her palm. “Your rakish beard and rugged chin, and I thought you were dangerous.”
“I’m not dangerous.” He paused. “Well, not to you. Maybe to some of those yahoos who’ve been trolling you on social media.”
“They’ve stopped. Well, mostly stopped. But they’re never going to find me in Paradise.”
“You’re coming to Paradise.” He repeated it because he couldn’t quite believe it was real.
“I’m coming to Paradise,” she said on a sight, her lithe body molding against him.
“I love you so much.” He kissed her mouth, her tender, sweet mouth, gathering her as close as he could, holding her tight as he dared, determined never to let her go.
Chapter Seventeen
Mia wanted Silas to enjoy the best of LA, so she made reservations at the Hamburg Room, a private club overlooking the Malibu shore. It was one of her favorite spots, where waves crashed up on the rock shore, splashing over the ground lights and against the glass wall. The lighting inside was more muted, yellow-toned and romantic.
She’d dressed in a midnight-blue off-the-shoulder, chiffon-column sheath, with a sweetheart neckline and an asymmetrical hemline. It looked great with diamonds, and she’d worn them on her ears and around her neck. She’d had her favorite hairdresser put her hair up, going with an elaborate style, since she wouldn’t be coming back to the salon again. The night was also a not-so-fond farewell to a barely-there pair of black stilettoes with ankle bands. They’d looked fabulous, but they were the most uncomfortable pair of shoes she’d ever bought.
She wanted to have a final night out to remember.
Silas had only brought along jeans and a dark blazer, but he’d paired them with a white dress shirt and a burgundy tie. He looked fantastic, turning the heads of several women as they were shown to a prime table beside the window. The white tablecloth was crisp and the crystal stemware sparkled over the polished silver.
“What do you think?” she asked as they took their seats.
“It sure isn’t the Bear and Bar,” he said, glancing around.
“The food is fabulous. You should try the scallop and citrus salad.�
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“You think?” An odd expression pulled at his face.
She hadn’t meant to push her preferences on him. “Or whatever you want. They have a nice filet mignon. I like it with the blue cheese crumble.”
He glanced pensively around the room again, and Mia followed his gaze—the party of businessmen laughing at a large table with a couple of them surreptitiously glancing her way, the staid-looking older couple near the rock feature, the young lovers in the alcove booth gazing into each other’s eyes.
“Do people recognize you when you’re out like this?” he asked.
She suspected he’d seen the businessmen looking. “Sometimes,” she said. “But they’re not nearly so hostile lately.”
His frown deepened.
“Is something wrong?” she asked him.
“No,” he said, switching his frown to a faux smile. “Nothing.”
She drew back. “You’re lying to me again, Silas Burke. Why are you lying to me?”
His smile turned sheepish. “Okay, total honesty. This isn’t exactly my kind of place.”
“You don’t like frou-frou food,” she guessed. She could understand that. The portions here were quite small, and they did tend to doll them up with garnishes and exotic sauces.
He shook his head. “It’s more the atmosphere.” He gave a little shudder. “It’s not exactly the kind of place where you kick back and relax.”
She gathered her purse.
“What are you doing?”
“We’re leaving.”
He reached out and covered her hand. “No, that’s not what I meant. If this is your favorite place, we’ll eat here. I really don’t mind.”
The waitress arrived with a beaming smile. “Can I offer either of you a cocktail tonight?”
“We’ve had a change of plans,” Mia told her with an apologetic smile.
The waitresses smile disappeared. “Is something not right? Would you like to change tables? Something a little quieter, perhaps?”
“It’s not the table,” Mia said.
“We can stay,” Silas said.
“Nothing’s wrong,” she said to the waitress. “We’ve just changed our plans.”
“All right.” The waitress withdrew. “Have a great evening.”
“I didn’t mean for us to leave,” Silas said. “This is not exactly a hardship. Let’s order drinks.”
Mia rose from her chair. “LA has about five thousand restaurants; it’s really no big deal. What did you have in mind?”
Silas quickly stood.
“No lying,” she admonished.
He grinned sheepishly then, looking like his usual self. “Burger. Maybe nachos. Someplace with comfortable chairs where your fancy dress won’t fit in and I can take off my tie.”
“You okay with a water view?” she asked, thinking she knew just the place.
“I’ve got nothing against the ocean.”
They grabbed a cab and moved a few miles down the road toward Santa Monica.
Mia showed Silas into a laid-back bistro with wide open windows, bare wood tables and lively chatter.
He stripped off his jacket and tie as the waitress showed them to a table.
“Better?” she asked as they got seated.
“Perfect,” he said, draping his jacket over the chair and pocketing the tie. He looked over at her with a smile and squeezed her hand. “Thank you.”
She smiled back at him, happy that he looked more relaxed. The evening was about both of them enjoying the city, and she loved this little bistro.
The sun had set, and the lights in the garden below illuminated the shrubbery and the palm trees.
“Beer?” she asked as the waitress approached.
“Whatever you’ve got on tap,” Silas said to the woman.
“Light or red?” she asked.
“Red.”
“Same,” Mia said.
Silas looked at her in surprise.
“I’m having French fries too.”
The waitress gave them a grin as she walked away.
Mia opened the menu, flipping through all the pages, not just the salads. Everything looked delicious.
“Mia?”
“Hmm?” The pulled pork wrap looked very tempting. But so did the bacon burger.
“Mia?” he repeated.
She looked up and gasped, all thoughts of food forgotten.
Silas had reached across the table. He was holding out a small box—a ring box.
Her heart skipped a beat as she took in the recessed round diamond nestled in a swirl of diamond chips set on a woven band.
She was speechless for a moment.
“Mia, you are my everything. I love you so much. . . . Will you marry me?” he asked, his deep tone totally sexy and romantic.
She looked into his eyes that were peering hopefully at her. “You . . .”
He cocked his head.
The waitress approached with their beer, saw what was happening and abruptly backed away.
“It’s a yes-or-no question, Mia.” But he didn’t look worried. He looked happy. He was glowing.
She was glowing too, everything from her skin to her eyes to her heart. “Yes. Absolutely yes.”
He took the ring from the box.
“It’s perfect,” she said as he slid it onto her finger.
“I asked for something low-profile. LA elegant meets Alaska practical.” He kissed her ring finger. “We’re going to make this thing work, Mia. I promise.”
“We will,” she said. “Oh, I know we will.”
* * *
* * *
Mia wore a loose-fitting soft cotton blend T-shirt, steel gray with short sleeves, tucked into a pair of khaki cargo pants. Overtop, she’d layered a breathable cotton black-and-white-checkerboard shirt, buttoned and tied at her waist, the cuffed sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She and Silas had stopped in Anchorage to pick up a few necessities, so she had practical weatherproof leather boots laced on her feet. They were super comfortable for walking in the woods.
Her hair was up in a ponytail, threaded through the back of a WSA baseball cap. No need for a handbag. Bear spray was strapped to her belt, and her phone was in a pocket of the cargo pants. Silas’s truck keys dangled in the ignition where they’d parked it on the road between the airstrip and Paradise.
“This is where I was thinking,” Silas said as the pathway led them to a grass-and-wildflower-strewn meadow on a bend in the river.
Mia paused and smiled, breathing the fresh, fragrant air and feeling the sunshine on her face. Wind whispered softly through the trees, and birds chirped all around them. The river rolled past with an understated rumble, while the mountains rose sharp against the sky beyond.
“It’s nice,” she said, thinking the view was spectacular.
He took her hand and they started walking again. “The bank’s high enough that we wouldn’t need to worry about floods.”
“Live and learn,” she said, liking the idea of the precaution.
“We can build the deck right out over the water, get the morning sun, glass part of it in if we want to extend the season. If we take down a few of those trees over there, our bedroom will have views out two sides.”
“You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?”
He pulled her close to his side. “What do you think?”
“I love it.”
“You sure? It doesn’t have to be here.”
“We’d practically be neighbors with Raven. Of course it has to be here.”
A smile curved his lips. “There’s a footpath to her place. It’s a ten-minute walk, but we can bring in a machine and widen it for the ATV.”
“We’re getting an ATV?”
“I have an ATV.”
“Aren’t you just full
of surprises?”
“I have a boat, too. We can build a dock and a boathouse right out front, and we can tour up the river whenever the mood strikes us.”
“It’s perfect,” she said, gazing around.
He leaned in and kissed her hairline. “We can put in a lawn, or we can keep the meadow.”
She turned to face him, tilting her chin and looping her arms around his neck. “Anything sounds good to me.”
“We can decide later.”
“Let’s decide later.” Right now, she just wanted to enjoy the moment.
He bent his head to kiss her lips, the sweetest, most earthy kiss, making her wish the villa was already built so they could rush to the bedroom.
“There you are!” Raven’s voiced called out from a distance.
They broke their kiss, and Mia looked toward the sound and saw her cousin emerge from the trees.
“That path needs some work,” Raven said as she approached.
Mia smirked. “I’d be happy to widen it out with the mini loader.”
“Oh no you don’t.” There was a mock warning in Raven’s tone.
Silas kept his arm looped around Mia’s waist, resting loosely on her hip. “I can vouch for her. She’s pretty good with the heavy equipment.”
“I can see why you picked this spot.” Raven shaded her eyes and gazed around.
“We’re building the deck out over the river,” Mia said. In her mind’s eye, she could already see their villa blending into the natural setting.
“That’ll be Brodie,” Silas said as they heard a truck engine stop.
“He owes me twenty bucks,” Raven said. “I bet him you’d come back.”
“He probably thought that was a safe bet.” Three weeks ago, Mia herself would have put a lot more than twenty bucks on her staying in LA.
“He bet Silas would move to LA.”
Mia looked up at Silas, his profile in relief against the Alaskan wilderness. “That was never going to happen.”
“It might have happened,” Silas said as Brodie cleared the trees.
They watched him stride across the meadow.
“Welcome back,” he said to Mia as he approached. He smiled at her without a trace of reluctance, no suspicion or caution.
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