Dianna sat down hard on the edge of Sam’s bed when they were alone again, stunned by everything that had happened.

“I can’t believe what you had to do to find me and April. I’ll never forgive myself if you lose your job.”

“I’d light those fires again, Dianna. If you were in trouble and it was the only way I could get to you, I wouldn’t hesitate for a single second. I can get another job. But without you, I’ve got nothing.”

And then Sam was running the back of his hand along her jawline, making her unable to focus on anything except the shivers running through her body.

“There are so many things I want to say to you right now. But the most important thing is that I love you, Dianna. I’ve always loved you. I always will.”

She brought his hands to her lips and kissed his warm skin. “I love you, too. Always and forever.”

His eyes were starting to close and she could see how hard it was for him to stay awake.

“I’m not going anywhere, Sam. I promise. Right now the most important thing you can do is rest.”

She watched him sleep for a couple of hours, her heart full with happiness. While the past three days had almost taken everything she loved from her, miraculously, she’d come out the other side with more love than she’d ever dreamed possible.

Still holding Sam’s hand, finally at peace, she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against her chair. The next time she opened them, she found Sam awake and staring at her, his blue eyes dark and passionate.

He held out his arms and she crawled up onto the bed with him, careful not to brush up against his thigh.

“Am I hurting you?” she asked, even though she had no intention of leaving him.

“The only thing that hurts is having you so far away.”

His lips ran a trail of kisses down her face, past her earlobe, lingering at the sensitive spot on her neck.

“I’m pretty sure this isn’t what the doctor meant when he said you needed to rest.”

She felt Sam’s grin against her skin. “To each his own. All I can say is I’m feeling better already.”

His kisses felt so good and she wanted to sink into them and forget everything, but there were so many things she needed him to know.

Pulling away slightly, she was mesmerized by the gleam in his eyes that told her how much he wanted her. She was amazed all over again that he wanted her, just as she’d been at eighteen.

Of all the women he could have chosen, he’d picked her.

And she’d chosen him right back.

Only this time, they were actually going to get the fairy tale. The whole thing, not just the opening credits.

“I can’t wait to hear what you’re thinking,” he teased, brushing a lock of hair out of her eyes.

At her silent question, he said, “Your brain is always going, always working, always questioning. It’s one of the things I’ve loved about you from the start.”

Her smile huge, she said, “I was just thinking about us. About our future.”

She paused and looked at him to see if the word “future” had freaked him out, but his expression remained open and loving, a far cry from the shuttered, closed-up man he’d been through the first half of their journey to find April.

“Earlier, when April and I were talking, she told me it isn’t my fault that I’m a control freak.” He chuckled as she said, “But I’ve finally figured out that it’s time for me to let go. Not just with April, so that she can live her own life, but with you and me. I don’t know what’s going to happen, Sam. I can’t predict what’s in our future. When I was eighteen, I was scared, so I left. But I’m not scared of risking my heart to you anymore.”

Sam’s mouth came down over hers with a kiss so sweet and filled with love that it brought tears to her eyes.

But there was one more thing she needed to know.

“What about everything you said to me? About needing to stay away from me because of what happened after I left?”

His black hole. How could she ever forgive herself if he ended up back in that dark place?

His answer was swift. Sure. “I’d risk a thousand black holes for the chance to love you, Dianna. Because not being with you will hurt me far more than anything else. Even falling off a cliff,” he teased.

And then they were kissing again and her hand was making its way beneath the sheet when the door opened.

“I’d tell you to get a room,” a nurse joked, “but I’m afraid even that’s not going to help you around here.”

Not feeling the least bit repentant, Dianna snuggled in closer to Sam. She couldn’t wait to start their new life.

Together.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Almost a week later…

HAVING FALLEN into a deep sleep on the plane out of Vail, Dianna was still groggy as they headed to Sam’s car in the San Francisco Airport parking lot.

And then they were standing in front of his old green Jeep and memories came rushing back, one after the other. Of Sam teaching her to drive a stick shift and laughing when she stalled in the middle of the intersection and cars from all four sides started honking at them. Of driving to one of Tahoe’s small, deserted beaches and making out in the front seat, then pulling off their clothes and going skinny-dipping under a full moon.

She’d had so much fun sitting beside Sam in the Jeep. More fun than she’d ever had with anyone else. Not to mention pleasure beyond her wildest dreams.

“You still have the Jeep.”

His dark eyes were full of heat. “I couldn’t get rid of it. Not when it felt like my only connection to you.”

“I’m glad you didn’t.”

Relaxing in the passenger seat, Dianna felt looser and lighter as the miles clicked by and they started climbing into the mountains.

That morning, April had headed back up to the Farm to reconnect with her friends and make some decisions about what to do next. Although it was hard to let her sister make the trek back up the mountain on her own, Dianna knew she had to let go and leave April’s life up to April.

As expected, Sam recovered quickly from his injuries. After Connor had arrived at the hospital, everywhere Dianna went she overheard both female nurses and doctors talking about the “gorgeous firefighters” on the fifth floor.

Dianna would never stop feeling lucky that Sam was her firefighter.