Just like back then when the kiss happened in the center of the street, people are looking at us. I know what they see—a clearly older man professing his love by the act of a kiss to a fresh-faced twenty-something-year-old woman. I'm sure they think he's paying me. High-end hooking is huge in Manhattan and spotted everywhere.

James pulls me upright and breaks the kiss. His arms are still wrapped around me as I draw in a breath and gasp, my lips tingling. He doesn't say anything—he doesn't need to. It's all right there for me to see in his eyes what I mean to him. My fingers stroke his salt and pepper beard as I gaze into his eyes. We're both grinning like two cheesy fools.

"I fucking love you so damn much." James grins. "I love this woman!" he shouts to the room, and my cheeks burst with heat as my smile stretches across my face once more.

"James!" I whisper sharply under my breath.

He gives me an unapologetic shrug. James caught me by complete surprise, and I love him even more for it.

Taking my hand, he laces his fingers with mine and sits next to me until the dinner is over.

Twenty-Two

"Tell me when you had time to plan this?" I ask James.

As soon as the dinner had ended, James whisked me into a Bentley and had the driver take us to a private airstrip where a plane was waiting for us. He wouldn't tell me where we were going no matter how many times I’d begged, but he’d assured me it was somewhere I wanted to go.

And he wasn’t wrong.

Aspen holds fond memories for us. It’s where we both fell hard for each other with so much on the table to lose. Where we found balance and unison. Aspen is where we’d realized we were unapologetically in love with each other.

"I had a little help." James beams from ear to ear as he guides me inside the log cabin I’ve dreamed about revisiting.

Happiness curls through my veins as I take in the space around me. It looks exactly the same, like we were just here yesterday. The cozy first floor is decorated in forest greens and brassy gold hues. This place screams home to me, and there’s a warmth spreading in my chest that solidifies the feeling.

"Who helped you?" I turn around and James stares like the answer is obvious. "Natalie," I state. I can't believe that dirty little ho didn't tell me.

"I planned this a few months ago, but Natalie only knew about it recently because I asked her to pack you a bag. I didn't trust her to keep it a secret from you."

I'm delighted he planned a surprise trip like this. "You asked her to pack my bags? I'm scared to see what she put in there."

James laughs and walks over to where I'm standing. I wrap my arms around his broad shoulders and his hands encircle the small of my back.