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“Oh,” I said faintly. I could guess what was coming next.
Alex’s toned stomach was creased as he sat leaning forward, running a blade of grass between his fingers. “The thing is…they’re starting up a paranormal intruder division. They want me to run it. ”
The words echoed inside me. The whole time we’d been up here together, I’d been imagining us having a quiet, peaceful life from now on – the thought of it being taken away before it had barely begun made me want to cry.
“So…I guess that would pay a lot,” I said at last.
“Yeah, it sounded like they’d give me a blank cheque if I wanted it. ”
I cleared my throat. “And – it’s what you love, right? I mean, it’s what you’ve done your whole life; it’s part of who you are. I totally understand that. ”
Alex looked up in surprise. “Willow, I told them no. ”
“You…really?”
“Yeah, of course. ” He snorted and tossed the grass aside. “It’s just so typical of those guys. When there was an actual paranormal intrusion, Dad struggled to get any funding – and now that there’s no intrusion whatsoever, they’re throwing money at it. ”
I hated mentioning this, though knew I had to. “But Alex, won’t you get bored eventually if you’re not doing something exciting? I mean, you could probably do whatever you wanted for the CIA. Hunt terrorists or fight crime or—”
“Willow, no,” Alex interrupted softly. He put his hand on my cheek. “Listen to me,” he said. “I have been worrying about saving the world since I was five years old. I never had a choice, and that was okay – it was just what had to be done. But now the world’s finally getting back on track; it doesn’t need me any more. That means I can do—” He stopped, shaking his head with a sudden grin.
“Anything,” he said.
All at once the sun shining down seemed even brighter. “You really don’t want the CIA job?” I asked.
Alex looked like he was trying not to laugh. “What gave it away? Anyway, what about you? The CIA would snap you up in a second, if they knew what you’d done. ”
I smiled and stretched my legs out. “I think I’ll pass. ”
We sat basking in the sunshine. A hawk was circling high overhead; the only other movement was the clouds drifting across the sky.
“You know what I’d really like to do?” Alex’s blue-grey eyes had turned thoughtful.
I’d just started to brush the grass from his warm back. “No, what?”
“I’d like to travel. ”
I stopped mid-motion and glanced at him in surprise. “Is there even a single state you haven’t seen?”
Alex nodded, leaning back on his hands as he gazed out at the mountains. “All of them. I was always on the hunt before – I never got a chance to just enjoy any of it. I’d like to see the country again and…” He shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. “Well, see exactly what it is we’ve saved. ”
I began to smile as I imagined it. I swiped the rest of the grass from his back and then slowly caressed his spine.
“You know what?” I said. “I like the sound of that. A lot. ”
Alex’s gaze flew to mine. “Really? You want to?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I think I do. We can take the truck and go all over. ”
He cupped his hand behind my neck and kissed me softly, then pulled me onto his lap with a grin. “Nah, let’s get a couple of motorcycles. I’ll teach you to ride, and you can be a biker chick. You are going to look seriously hot in leather. ”
I laughed and twined my arms around his neck. “Okay, deal. But you’re not allowed to have one of those big biker beards, so don’t even think about it. ”
“I can’t have a beard?”
“No. Definitely not. ”
“Hmm. We may have to negotiate this one. ” Alex took a strand of my hair and tickled it across my face. For as long as I’d known Alex, he’d looked so much older than his age – weighed down with responsibility for the whole world.
Now his stormy eyes were simply…happy.
For a moment, as the breeze whispered, I thought of my mother. Alex’s family. Sam. Everyone who’d fallen in battle; the groups we’d sent out; Alex’s old friends who’d died years before.
And I knew that this was what we’d all been fighting for: the freedom to find joy in the world, now that we still had a world to enjoy.
My heart felt almost too full for speech. I touched Alex’s face, tracing the dark arch of one eyebrow, and finally cleared my throat. “So how’s this for a plan? We’ll spend a few more weeks up here, then hit the road for a while. Then after that…just be together. ”
He took my hand and turned it over. Slowly, he kissed my palm; my pulse skipped at the feel of his summer-warm lips. Below, the mountains shone like a new dawn.
“Who said you’re not as psychic any more?” Alex said softly. “You just read my mind. ”
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