Never Alone

Chapter 26

            When he opened his eyes the next morning, he found Annie's arms tangled around him and her face buried against his chest. Her breathing was shallow and even and for a few minutes, he studied her and decided she was the most beautiful woman on the face of the earth. She fit so perfectly in his arms, and his heart swelled as he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead and pulled her close.

Thank you, Lord, for giving us a second chance. Help me not to blow it this time.

She stirred and her lashes fluttered. When her eyes focused on him, she bit back a lopsided grin.

"I thought you were going to keep your hands to yourself, Trev."

"It's easier said than done, especially when I wake up with you snuggling like this. You expect an awful lot of me," he brushed a wayward curl out of her face.

She sat up and rubbed the remnants of sleep from her eyes.

"Marry me, Annie," the words were out before he could stop them.

"What?" she gaped at him. "We're fighting for our lives out here. How can you even think about...anything like that right now?"

"When I'm with you...I can't think of anything else," he took her hand. "I know I don't have a ring and I'm not kneeling down, but I've loved you since I was fifteen years old. Please, promise me you'll let me spend the rest of my life with you...once this is over."

Tears sprang to her eyes and she swallowed hard. "What if we don't make it out of this? What if we don't have much left of the rest of our lives?"

He brushed the falling tears from her cheek. "What makes you think this is the end?"

"That helicopter...last night. Do you think they are looking for us out here? What if they're on their way to our campsite right now?"

"Annie," he sat up and pulled her close, "they didn't have a searchlight. I don't think they were looking for anyone. It looked like a life flight helicopter that takes patients to hospitals. I really think we're safe here, but if it would make you feel better, we can move deeper into the woods."

She nodded against his chest and sniffed. "I think I'd like that. I would feel safer."

"Then as soon as we have breakfast, we'll move camp," when she looked up at him, he stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"I love you, Trevor," she breathed.

"And I love you." His heart threatened to beat out of his chest as her hands slid up his chest to his neck. When her lips met his, he kissed her passionately warmth cascaded through him as he drew her closer. Knowing he had to stop before he gave up his scruples, he pulled away and swallowed past the lump in his throat. "So...does this mean you'll marry me?"

A mischievous smile curved her lips. "Maybe," she quirked a brow. "If you'll satisfy my curiosity."

"What do you want to know?"

"You said you've loved me since you were fifteen. What made you start loving me?"

A smile pulled at his lips. "You're not going to like it," he shook his head.

"Tell me," her blue eyes sparkled leaving him powerless to deny her.

"You probably don't remember this, but the minute I started loving you was when you kicked Derek Lafler in the crotch that Saturday at the park."

She socked him on his good arm. "Pick another time! That's awful!"

He laughed at the indignation on her face. "Nope. That's when I knew. Can't change it now."

"Why? What about me kicking someone...there...made me loveable. It should have worried you."

"Do you remember why you kicked him, Annie?"

"Of course," her brows furrowed. "He kicked my dog. An eye for an eye and a kick for a kick!"

"But the dog wasn't yours at the time," Trevor remembered the day vividly. "The dog was scrawny and obviously had been abused. You saw Derek kick that poor dog, and you stepped in to help. When I saw how much you cared, how much you wanted to help that puppy that couldn't defend himself...I loved you for it."

"That helps...a little, I guess." She kissed his cheek.

"But that's not all. Do you remember what was going on in your life at the time?"

"A lot," she sighed. "That was the worst summer of my life."

"I know," he draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "You dad died a few weeks before all that happened. Most kids would have been so consumed with their own pain, they wouldn't have noticed the suffering of anyone or anything else. You have a beautiful heart, Annie. And...I wasn't Derek's biggest fan, so I didn't hate watching him cry like a little girl after you kicked him."

She smiled up at him, her eyes pools of moisture. "I'll marry you, Trev. I've never wanted anything else...I've only ever wanted to be your wife."

"Oh, Annie, you've made me the happiest man alive," he kissed her forehead.

***

As Trevor packed up the tent and other gear and loaded the pickup, Annie shoved her hands in her pockets in an attempt to warm her frozen fingers. Something in her right pocket took up space, and she grabbed it to see what it was.

The little purple tracker that Trevor synced to his phone. As she turned it over in her hands, something inside her told her to press the button to activate the device. She wasn't sure the reason, but she listened to the little voice within her and hit the button in the center. A faint, green light flicked on, and a sense of safety rained down on her.

Though Trevor believed they would be safe, this extra measure offered her the reassurance she craved.

They only needed to load a few more items and they would move deeper into the woods. As she glanced over at the man she'd loved for over two decades, her heart filled to think she would be his forever.

Tracy would be so happy. I hope she knows that her last wish came true.