Page 20 of Her Mountain Man Veteran

“Welcome home,” he says, pulling me tight against him. “How’d it go?”

“Great.” I rest my head against his chest, listening to the thump of his heartbeat. “I think he’s genuinely happy for us.”

Dane grunts his approval. “How about you, sugar? Are you happy?”

“Happier than I’ve ever been in my life,” I tell him.

“Good.” He leans back to look at me, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. “I love you, Celeste. More than anything.”

For a second, I forget how to breathe. The words dance around me, and the forest seems to glitter like magic.

I love you, Celeste.

And as his golden eyes burn into mine, I know this man is the one. I feel it with a certainty that runs deep, blossoming from somewhere inside me. Dane is the man I’m going to spend the rest of my life with, and this is where our story begins.

“I love you too,” I tell him softly. “So, so much.”

His handsome face splits into a crooked smile, then he kisses me so passionately that it feels like we might never come up for air. When we finally do, Dane carries me over the threshold, into the cabin that is now my home. And as the door closes behind us, I know I’m finally where I belong.

EPILOGUE

DANE

It’sa warm May afternoon on Cherry Mountain, and light streams through the windows of my workshop as I whittle a small piece of ebony. My knife chips carefully at the wood, shaping it into a pendant. I never expected anybody to be interested in my woodwork, but with Celeste’s encouragement, I’ve started selling my creations. She helped me set up an online store, and now I get orders from all around the world for custom wooden pieces. It’s a neat little business. But my favorite thing I’ve ever made is my wife’s bookmark. She still cherishes it.

Once the pendant is finished, I package it up, ready for delivery tomorrow. My watch says it’s nearly five, and my chest tightens with anticipation.

Celeste will be home any minute.

I head out of the workshop and around the cabin to the front door, watching out for my wife’s truck. I bought her a pickup when she moved here—her little tin can from the city wasn’t safe around these parts—and my heart lifts when I hear the nearby rumble of her engine. She pulls up in front of the cabin, smiling at me through the windscreen. I hurry to open the door for her, helping her down to the ground.

“Hey there, beautiful.” I lean in to kiss her. “Fuck, I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.” She grins at me. My wife is always happy after a day at the library—she landed a job there soon after she moved in with me, and I can’t imagine her working anywhere else. Every week, she brings home a new stack of borrowed books for us to read, and even though she’ll be taking maternity leave soon, that sure as hell won’t stop her from turning our cabin into her own personal library.

“How was your day?” I ask as we head toward the cabin.

“Good. Sawyer seemed happy, too. I’m pretty sure he was having a dance party.” She smiles, resting a hand on her belly. Talking about our son always makes her smile. Her due date is only a couple of months away, and the excitement builds every day as we get ready to meet him. We decided to name him Sawyer afterThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer, a book that will always have a special place in our hearts.

Inside the cabin, Celeste eases herself onto the couch while I bring her a glass of pink lemonade. This place has changed a bit since she moved in. Instead of one giant bookcase, we now have two, each taking up their own wall—mine on one side, hers on the other. My wife has an eye for décor, and everything seems brighter now, more homely.

“Brody called while I was at work,” Celeste says as I join her on the couch. “He invited us over for dinner.”

We often go to Brody’s cabin for dinner. Things were kind of awkward between us at first, especially when Celeste moved in with me. He was happy for us, but I know he thought we were moving too fast, and it took a while for me to fully gain his trust. But Celeste and I get happier every day, and I’ve finally proven to Brody that his sister means everything to me. He became way more understanding of our relationship when he met Emma. Just like me and Celeste, they fell in love pretty much instantly, and now they’re both happier than ever. These days, I get along well with my brother-in-law. Hell, I’ve even come to think of him as a friend.

“Dinner sounds good,” I say, wrapping an arm around my wife. “What time?”

“Seven.”

“Hm.” I hook a thumb beneath her chin, tilting her face up to mine. “That gives us nearly two hours.”

“Yes, it does…” She smiles at me knowingly, her blue eyes glinting.

Fuck, she’s so pretty.

“I can think of a few things we could do in that time,” I tell her, my cock stirring with anticipation.

She raises her eyebrows, her gaze fixed on mine. “What kind of things?”

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