Page 14 of Broken Mountain Man

I covered one of his hands with mine, leaning into his touch. “Whatever happened, Elias, it wasn’t your fault. He knew the risks, just like you.” I knew the words sounded hollow, but I also knew he needed to hear them.

He nodded. “I know that. Now. It’s taken a while for me to get over it.”

“And now?” I asked softly.

“Now I’m terrified of losing you too,” he admitted. “But I’m more terrified of letting you go.”

The honesty in his voice undid me completely.

I knew where he was coming from. I’d spent three years of settling for less than I deserved. Three years of shrinking myself down to fit into spaces that were too small, relationships that asked too little of me, dreams I’d let atrophy from neglect. I’d become an expert at convincing myself that disappointment was just part of being an adult.

But here I was, sitting on a mountain man’s porch in yesterday’s clothes, and I felt more alive than I had since... when? College? High school? Had I ever felt this aware of my own power, my own worth?

“Then don’t. Don’t let me go.”

“Brittany—”

“I’m not going anywhere, Elias. Not unless you tell me to.”

The relief that crashed across his face was overwhelming. He leaned forward, capturing my mouth in a kiss that tasted like the beginning of something I’d never dared to hope for, but always secretly dreamed of having.

When we broke apart, both breathing hard, I laughed—soft and breathless and full of wonder.

“So what happens now?” I asked.

“Now,” he said, standing and pulling me up with him. “Now, I show you what it means to be mine.”

Heat flared low in my belly at the possessive promise in his voice. “Here? On the porch?”

“Everywhere.” He backed me up against the cabin wall. “Starting with right here.”

I gasped as he lifted me in his arms, one strong arm under my knees, the other wrapped around my back. I marveled at how perfectly I fit against him. Like I was made for this. Made for him.

“Elias.” His name was just a whisper against his neck, but he understood.

“Hold on, sweetheart,” he warned, carrying me to the door. “I’m about to show you exactly what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

And as he carried me over the threshold—literally carried me into our new life together—I realized something important.

For the first time in my life, I wasn’t afraid of the unknown.

Of taking a chance. Ready for whatever came next.

As long as it was with him.

EPILOGUE

Brittany

Six Months Later…

I woke up to the smell of bacon and the sound of Elias moving around the kitchen, humming something under his breath.

Humming. The man who barely spoke when I first met him was humming while he cooked breakfast.

Six months of mornings like this, and I still got a little thrill watching him in his natural habitat—shirtless, barefoot, completely at ease in a way he never was around other people.

I stretched lazily in our bed. I couldn’t believe it had been six months since I gotten lost—and found. Found my mountain man who wasn’t so broken anymore.

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