Page 67 of Almost True
“Just how much I love you.”
Dex laughs. “I find that hard to believe. But I’ll take it. I love you too, Korren.”
Epilogue—One Year Later
Korren
Dex and I are picking berries out in the hills behind Copper Creek. We did this last year, not long after the fire in Fairbanks, and this is my absolute favorite time of year here. The days are still warm even though the mountains have a new coating of snow, the tundra on the high slopes of the Chugach National Forest is turning vivid shades of red and orange, and there are berries all around. Blueberries and wild strawberries and salmonberries and Nagoon berries.
“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” I ask Dex as he leaves the meadow we’ve been scouring and plunges into another stretch of forest.
“I’ve been here before,” he says with a grin that shows his dimples.
The ground is remarkably clear and easy to walk across here, even without a trail—we’ve now done enough bushwhacking around here by now that I know how rare this is. It turns out Dex used to go for hunting trips with his dad all around these mountains, so he knows the area well. I can’t bring myself to shoot anything, but I’m all about filling our freezer with meat and working our way through it all winter long.
As I follow him up a slope, the ground springy underfoot and littered with rocks, I take a moment to savor the crisp air and the ringing birdsong. I’ve never been so content.
This whole year has been a revelation for me. Once I let myself enjoy it, it turned out that I love nothing more than living with Dex. My obsession with personal space doesn’t even seemto register Dex as an intruder—it’s like he’s a necessary part of me, so I can have him there every minute of every day and still want more of him.
We’re still living in the tiny cabin behind Chief Rhodes’ house. We’re saving for a place of our own, but it’s slow going with property prices being what they are. In the meantime, it’s a great place for us.
Dex and I are both still trying to work out where we want to be career-wise. I stayed with the fire station all through the winter, and I’m doing another season this summer, but it’s not the same without Dex there.
Actually, Dex has been talking about starting up his own nature guiding company, and I’d love to work with him if that happens. In the meantime, he’s been helping out Rowan’s cousin on his birding tours during the summer and picking up odd jobs with a local maintenance company during the winter.
We finally break through the trees into a meadow with a little waterfall and views of the mountain looming just behind. We’re far enough up the slope that the trees are starting to thin out, and it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.
“I’m sorry for doubting you,” I say with a smile. “It seems you did know the way.”
“Did you not trust me?” Dex says in mock outrage. “My navigation skills are second to none.”
“Except that time you led us into that swamp.”
“That was one time!”
I grin at him so he knows I’m just teasing.
“Anyway, I know where I want to live now,” I say. “Can you imagine waking up to these views?”
“And hiking all the way down to town every morning? We’d need a fucking helicopter!”
“Don’t ruin my fantasy, Dex.”
I turn in a slow circle, soaking in the serenity of the meadow, the shushing of the small waterfall and the craggy peaks that crowd close above the low trees encircling the clearing.
When I turn back to Dex, he’s on one knee.
My throat closes up. I’ve been doing a lot better, but when I see Dex kneeling in front of me, I’m suddenly not okay. I’m not the sort of person this should happen to. I don’t deserve this.
But Dex is speaking, and I try to push down my anxiety so it doesn’t interfere with what he’s saying.
“Korren.” His voice is low and intense. “I’ve known since the very beginning that you were it for me. I’ve never loved someone like this before, and I’ve never felt so complete as I have since you started sharing my life. What d’you say we do it properly? Will you marry me, Korren?”
I’m not crying. I swear I’m not crying.
My throat is still so tight I can’t speak properly.
Dex gets to his feet and folds me into his arms. “Korren. Baby. Was that too much?”
