Page 21 of My Protective Mountain Man

His thumb brushes across the back of my hand. “I bought you a means to live out your dream. You left your life for me. It was the least I could do.”

I can’t sit still another second. I push back my chair and rise to my feet, my pulse rushing in my ears. He starts to stand too, but I’m already moving around the table. The emotion chokes in my throat as I reach him and throw my arms around his neck, pressing myself against him.

He holds me like he’s been waiting to do it for days—no hesitation, no reserve. I bury my face in his chest, letting the tears fall freely.

No one has ever done something like this for me. No one has believed in me like this. Not just in what I could be tothem, but in what I could become formyself. Well, not since my mom.

I pull back slightly to look into his face. His eyes are soft, warm, full of hope and certainty.

“This is everything,” I whisper, voice trembling. “You don’t even know… I’ve never had someone do something like this for me.”

“You have someone now,” he says, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “And I’m never going anywhere.”

The restaurant seems to fade away around us. All I can see is him. All I can feel is the way his arms fit perfectly around me, the way his heartbeat anchors mine.

And in this moment, wrapped in his warmth, I know it with perfect clarity: he’s the only man for me. Someone who sees me. Someone who believes in me. And he’s mine, too.

EPILOGUE

EVEREST—FIVE YEARS LATER

I wakeup and my stomach growls for breakfast. The scent of fresh pine mingles with the faint aroma of cinnamon and coffee drifting from the kitchen. It’s early, but the house is already alive with the soft sounds of our twin boys stirring—Mikey and Ollie, just two years old now, their tiny voices blending with the rustling of sheets and the quiet shuffle of feet on hardwood floors.

I stand in the doorway, watching Sierra move with graceful ease through the rooms, a natural rhythm to her steps as she checks on the boys, smiles, and hums softly under her breath. This place—our home—is no longer just a dream. It’s our perfect refuge. And the bed and breakfast is fully booked almost every weekend, a hot spot for weary travelers and a haven for those seeking peace. And it’s Sierra’s warmth, her spirit, that guests remember most. Things are nearly perfect.

The boys are chasing each other now, their little legs stumbling over each other on the living room rug, laughter spilling from their mouths in joyous bursts. Mikey’s bright eyes catch mine, and he throws his arms out, a silent invitation for a chase. I grin and scoop him up, feeling the weight of his smallbody against mine as Ollie follows closely behind, determined not to be left out.

Sierra catches my gaze across the room, a smile spreading slowly across her face, softening the tired lines that motherhood and hard work have etched gently on her skin. Her hair is pulled back loosely, a few stray curls framing her glowing face. She’s more beautiful today than she ever has been. I can see it in her eyes—that quiet satisfaction and fierce pride. The woman who once chased a dream through dense pine forests has built something lasting and beautiful.

I walk over and wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her close so she can feel the steady thump of my heart. She leans into me, her cheek resting against my chest, and the boys reach up, tugging at my pants and her dress, filling the room with the purest kind of chaos. It’s imperfect and loud and messy, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Sierra looks up at me, her voice soft but sure. “We did good, Everest.”

I brush a stray curl from her face and smile, voice thick with emotion. “We did more than good. We built a life. A home. A future.”

Her eyes glisten with unshed tears as she squeezes my hand. “Remember when I first got lost in those woods? I never imagined this. That I’d find you, a home, and a family.”

I kiss the top of her head and think back to that moment—the day she stumbled to my doorstep, exhausted and parched, and I knew then that my solitary life was about to change forever.

The boys tumble toward us again, and I lift Mikey into my arms while Ollie clambers onto Sierra’s hip. We stand there, tangled together, the four of us caught in a moment of pure happiness. And as I watch Sierra cradle our son, her smile radiant in the morning light, I know I’m the luckiest man alive.

Without a word, she closes the small gap between us. Her lips meet mine with a fierceness that makes my breath hitch, a kiss full of yearning and promise and all the things we have said out loud a million times or more. My hands cup her face, fingers threading through the loose strands of hair as I pull her closer. The world narrows until there’s nothing but the two of us, caught in this perfect, fleeting moment.

When she finally pulls away, her cheeks are flushed, and her eyes glisten with tears—happy ones, I think. She swallows hard, her voice barely a whisper. “Everest… I have something to tell you.”

My heart jumps, a thousand thoughts rushing at once. “What is it?” I ask, voice low but steady, though inside, I’m spinning.

Just then there’s a knock at the door. My Aunt Caroline is coming to take the boys for the weekend. Sierra and Aunt Caroline have been talking more than usual lately, and I can’t say that I’m disappointed about it. They apparently planned a little slumber party for the boys at Aunt Caroline’s and now I have my wife to myself for the night. That hasn’t happened in years and I fully intend on taking advantage of her in every way possible.

With big hugs and kisses, the boys jump in the car, drive away with my dearest aunt, and vanish into the skyline. Now… back to my wife.

“You said you had to tell me something before we were interrupted?” I ask.

She laughs, her perfect lips stretching across her mouth. Even something as simple as her smile still turns me on after all these years.

Her hand slides to rest on her belly, her touch light but full of meaning. “I’m pregnant,” she says, her smile trembling with disbelief and joy.

For a moment, the world stops spinning. I blink, trying to wrap my mind around it, to hold onto this beautiful truth.Then a grin breaks across my face—wide, genuine, unstoppable. “You’re… really pregnant?” I ask like I’m making sure I heard right.

---