Page 19 of Her Mountain Man Giant

“I love you,” I murmur against her skin.

Her breath hitches. She pulls back to look at me, her eyes glittering. “Say it again…”

This time, I meet her gaze. “I love you, Violet. So fucking much.”

She beams at me, her face lighting up the whole damn room as she says, “I love you too, Tanner.”

Her words warm me like sunlight, hanging in the air between us as I kiss her soft lips. Nothing else matters. All I need is Violet—her happiness, her love. She’s my future, and everything else is just background noise.

My girl.

My sweet Violet.

I’m going to spend the rest of my life with this woman. I feel it in my bones. One day she’ll wear my ring on her finger, carry my babies in her belly, and I’ll spend every day trying to make her happy, showing her how much I love her.

Our story is only just beginning.

And for the first time in eighteen years, the future looks bright.

EPILOGUE

VIOLET

I tap awayon my keyboard, the words flowing from my fingertips as I reach the end of the paragraph. Then I pause, looking out the window at the forest outside, the pines swaying in the wind. From here, I have a perfect view of the tree stump that Tanner uses when he’s chopping up wood—he’s out there right now in a red plaid shirt, sleeves rolled up as he smashes his axe against a log. I watch him eagerly, eyeing the way his muscles ripple, his arms bulging with every swish of the blade.

My husband is always good for inspiration.

When I finally finished my mountain man romance, I was pretty apprehensive. It was totally different from my first book, and I didn’t expect to find a publisher. But to my surprise, the same company that published my cowboy romance snapped it up, and it ended up outselling my debut, earning me a five-book contract. I’m almost finished working on the third book. Conjuring up a hero comes easily now that I have Tanner. I work little pieces of him into every book—the things he says, his mannerisms, the way he looks. He believed in me when nobody else did, and every book I write is dedicated to him.

I finish the rest of the chapter and save the document. Then I heave myself out of my desk chair, feeling a firm kick against myhand as I rest it on my swollen belly. Getting up isn’t as easy as it used to be now that I’m seven months pregnant. My due date is coming around fast, and my excitement is building every day, growing along with my belly. We’re going to call our baby boy Caleb Jason Greene, in honor of Tanner’s brother. It feels like a fitting tribute.

I turn off the lights in my office and close the door behind me before heading outside to see Tanner. I can hear the thud of his axe, the crack of wood, and the sound makes me smile. It reminds me of the first time I saw him chopping wood out in the forest, and I round the side of our cabin, my heart thudding when Tanner looks up from his work. He’s even more handsome now, wild and rugged, his beard more salt than pepper these days. There’s a glint in his eyes that wasn’t there before, a happiness he can’t contain. He drops his axe and strides toward me.

“Come here, beautiful,” he says, wrapping his arm around me. “I missed you.”

I grin up at him. We saw each other less than an hour ago, when he came into my office to bring me a glass of lemonade.

“I missed you, too. I finished the chapter! Only two more to go.”

Tanner presses a kiss against my forehead. “That’s awesome. You deserve a break, sugar.” He pulls me gently back toward the cabin. “Let’s head inside. I’ll get you some chocolate.”

I giggle. “You know me too well.”

Chocolate has been my kryptonite ever since I got pregnant. I’m never not craving it—chocolate bars, chocolate ice cream, chocolate brownies. Tanner keeps the kitchen fully stocked with all my favorites. He sure knows the way to a woman’s heart.

Back in the cabin, I ease myself onto the couch while Tanner heads into the kitchen, returning with a Hershey bar. I unwrapit and break off a few squares for him before taking a big bite, devouring the creamy chocolate with a hum of satisfaction.

“God, I needed that.”

Tanner smiles at me beneath his beard and wraps a powerful arm around me, resting his free hand on my stomach. He keeps his eyes on me, his gaze roaming from my face to my belly.

“I swear you get more beautiful every day.”

I beam at him, chuckling slightly. “Well, I certainly getbiggerevery day.”

“You’re carrying our baby, Violet…and you look sexy as hell doing it.”

I glow with pleasure at his words. Tanner seems to love my pregnant body. He can’t keep his hands off me, telling me every day how beautiful I am, even on the days when I feel about as sexy as a baked potato.

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