Page 125 of Never Left You

“He brought me huh? Not Lachlan?”

“Lachlan made the call, but Sylas pushed us together. I’m sure of it.” Lifting up on her tiptoes, she kissed me lightly. “I have something to show you. They aren’t done yet, but…come here.” Her fingers trailed down my arm until she pulled me to her vanity dresser.

Sitting on the top dresser were four framed drawings. A mountain range, two horses mid gallop, Stetson with Sylas’s grave, and Abi in the field with Luna. She framed my sketches. Every single one that I had drawn during these weeks here at the ranch.

“Abi…”

“I want to hang them in the stables. I want to see them every day.” She rested her cheek against my shoulders, her palm gliding around my waist.

“I…Abi I…” No words, there were no words to describe the emotion that swelled in my chest, and by the way she was looking at me, the way the tears were also forming in her eyes, she felt it too.

“Come on,” she whispered, pulling me away from the frames. “Let’s get some rest.”

We undressed—me keeping my boxers on and Abi putting on a loose t-shirt—and climbed into her bed. She cuddled up next to me and kissed my chest lightly before her body relaxedcompletely, her heartbeat and warmth lulling me into the deepest sleep I’ve ever had.

Sleeping in was not in Abi’s routine, and she made sure I was up before the sun as well. She woke me up with kisses all over my bare chest. We kissed until I couldn’t hold back, and when we made love, we were filling voids we didn’t know we had, coming together in more ways than one. I was hers, and she was mine.

We showered quickly, Abi fitting me into her daily routine as if I had been here every day. She even reminded me to take my medicine. She let me wake Stetson, saying he would be ecstatic to see me instead of her, and she was right. He opened his eyes quickly, wrapping his arms around my neck and pulling me in for a hug. I lifted him from his bed, ignoring the sting in my leg, and carried him downstairs where Abi already had a coffee mug full and waiting for me. The things she would need to make breakfast were already lined up; the only thing missing was the eggs.

“Mommy!” Stetson leapt from my arms and ran to his mother, wrapping his arms around her legs. “I missed you, Mommy.”

“I missed you too, bud.” She leaned, giving him a kiss on the crown of his head. “Eggs and bacon for breakfast?”

“Pancakes?” He asked, raising his chin.

“Eggs and bacon for breakfast?” she asked again, pretending she didn’t even hear his request for a different breakfast. “Go to the coop and get them for me?”

He let her go and turned to me. “Come get the eggs with me, Cash?” he asked as he slid on a pair of rubber boots over his fuzzy pajamas.

“Sure thing, Stet. Let’s go.” I grabbed my hat and slipped my boots on, giving Abi one last wink before we stepped out into the new day.

“So,” Stetson skipped. “You’re here to stay now, right? You’re Mom’s boyfriend?”

“I am.” I smiled at the admission. “But there are steps to take.”

“Like what?” he asked, opening the chicken coop’s door and taking a small step inside.

“Well, I gotta sell my place…”

“Can I come? It’s almost my spring break.”

I smiled. The idea of Stetson with me in Montana actually sounded like fun. “I’ll ask your mom. We also have to make sure your grandparents are okay with me moving in.”

“To my house!?” Stetson asked, his eyes wide as he reached and grabbed an egg, handing it to me gently.

I chuckle. “Yeah, in your house. Is that okay with you?”

He nodded rapidly. “I’d love that. We can go on more rides and get on the roof some more. You’ll teach me more things, right? I really want to learn bareback riding.”

“Not saddle bronc?” I raised an eyebrow.

He scrunched his nose and shook his head. “It’s cool watching you do it, but bare back seems more…”

“Dangerous?”

He furrowed his brow, trying to think of the perfect word to use. “Invigorating?”

“Invigorating?” I parroted. “Where did you learn that word?”

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