Page 23 of Her Mountain Rescuer

“I—” He shakes his head.

“It took me time to accept that you were with Kaylee, Dad. But I promise you that you can get there.”

He clenches his jaw. Looks at us, looks around at nothing, and then turns on his heel and walks out.

Hailey slumps against me, and I wrap my arms around her. “It’ll be okay,” I say. “Just give him time.”

She sucks in a breath. “I’m sorry that he hit you. You didn’t deserve that.” She pulls back and studies my mouth, her fingers delicately tracing the edges of my split lip. “Does it hurt? Do you want some ice?”

I shake my head. “I’m fine, Hails. Really.” I kiss her temple. “Why don’t we have some wine and sit in front of the fire?”

She lets out a breath and then nods. “Yeah. Let’s not let him ruin our night.”

I pour us each a glass of wine, the ruby red liquid glugging quietly into the glasses. Hailey watches me from the couch, her eyes soft and warm, reflecting the dancing flames from the fireplace. I join her, sitting close, and she snuggles into my side. I hand her her wine, watching as she takes a small sip, then sets the glass on the coffee table in front of us.

“You didn’t have to let him hit you,” she murmurs, her fingers tracing patterns on my chest.

I take a sip of my wine. “Yeah, I did.” I brush a tendril of hair that’s escaped from her braid behind her ear. “That was the cost of choosing you, and I’d let him hit me a thousand more times if it meant getting to be with you.”

Hailey tilts her head up to look at me, her brown eyes filled with emotion. “Beau…”

I meet her gaze, unyielding. “I don’t regret a single thing, Hails. Not when it comes to us.”

Her expression softens, and she melts into me, her body relaxing against mine. I wrap my arm around her, pulling her closer. She’s my safe haven. My home. I press a kiss to the top of her head, inhaling her sweet scent.

“I never wanted him to get hurt. I didn’t want him to find out that way. But if I have to choose, I need you to know that I’ll choose you.” She twists, looking up at me. “I don’t ever want to lose you.”

“You’re not gonna. Not now. Not ever.” I lift her hand from my chest and bring it to my mouth, kissing the tips of her small fingers. “I love you, Hailey. I’ve loved you for a long time now. I want everything with you.”

“I want everything with you,” she whispers. “I choose you, Beau.”

I kiss her palm, her wrist. “I’ll always choose you, Hails. You’re the only thing that matters now. I want a future with you. I want to build a family, a home. Plank by plank, brick by brick, with you.”

“Brick by brick,” she whispers, her mouth curving up in a smile. “I used to be scared to admit I wanted that. That a career isn’t really what I want most in the world. I want to make a home, make a family. Be a mom.” She meets my eyes. “And I know without a doubt that I want all of that with you.”

“I don’t care what anyone else says. You’re my future. I love you.”

“I love you.” She can barely get the words out before I’m kissing her. She climbs into my lap, and I set my wine glass down and wrap my arms around her.

“Gonna spend the rest of my life taking care of you, Hailey. God, you feel like home.” I kiss a path down her neck, teeth scraping over her earlobe.

She presses into me, and I claim her mouth again, taking my time kissing her. Luxuriating in the knowledge that she’s mine. That we’re choosing each other, no matter what. I weave my fingers into her hair, tangling them in the strands of her braid as her tongue slides against mine. Her fingers scrape against my beard, and when the shoulder of her sweater slips down, I trace its path with my mouth.

“Take me upstairs and make love to me, Beau. Not because we’re hiding or proving something. Just because I’m yours.”

This woman is my salvation. My redemption. I would do anything for her. Sacrifice whatever it costs to keep her by my side.

“I’ll never stop making love to you, sweet girl.”

I stand with her in my arms and carry her upstairs, and in that moment, I truly don’t care if Logan ever comes around. As long as I’ve got Hailey, nothing else matters.

Nine

Hailey

I’m in the cozy kitchen of my little house—the one dad bought me as a graduation present—and the air smells like coffee and cinnamon. I made cinnamon rolls, and they smell amazing, but I don’t have the appetite for them right now. I’ve invited both my dad and Beau over for breakfast, asking Dad to come earlier so that we can talk.

I mean it that I’ll choose Beau over him if I have to. But I don’t want it to come to that. If I can accept Kaylee, why can’t he come to accept my relationship? I understand that it’s not exactly the same thing, given how long I’ve known Beau, but it’s also not completely different. If he wants to marry a woman his daughter’s age, why can’t I be with a man my father’s age?

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