Page 44 of Restored By the Mountain Man
Driving back to my place, I glance over occasionally as Zoe chatters on, licking her fingers after devouring her first cronut. I’m so fucking proud of her, how she stood up to Tom’s parents, for herself.
Shit. How?
I rub my chest, unable to deny what seems impossible in such a short amount of time. I’m in love with her. Her spirit, her strength, her inner joy, how she loves those who are lucky enough to be in her light. No one else was meant to bring me back to life. It was only her.
I’ll always love Elizabeth. And Rosie. But the peace that settles deep inside when I think about the privilege of loving Zoe for the rest of my days, if she’ll find me worthy to, feels like healing. Freedom. A new purpose.
I park and we head inside. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I lift her for a kiss. Smiling, she kisses me back as I bring us to the kitchen. I set her down, kissing the top of her head, and open the fridge to take out ingredients for dinner later tonight.
“What we having, mountain man?” She hops up on my back to see over my shoulder.
Laughing, I adjust her so she doesn’t fall and continue laying out ingredients.
“I’m thinking, chicken sausage with zucchini, tomatoes, and pasta.” I rinse the heirloom tomatoes in the sink.
“Um, drooling,” Zoe says, leaning further over my shoulder.
I chuckle. “And for appetizers, sourdough, pan toasted with garlic butter, topped with burrata and herbs.”
“Marry me,” she declares, and I laugh, knowing she’s joking, but damn. Some crazy ass part of my brain said, yes, when she demanded it.
My phone vibrates in my back pocket.
“Oh,” Zoe hums. “A little to the left.”
Shaking my head, I ease her off my back and face her, taking my phone out. “Child’s play. I’ll properly warm you up soon,” I grin, then answer, “Hunter.”
“Such a tease,” she whispers, hip-bumping me out of the way as she starts cleaning the zucchini.
“Mr. Hunter, sorry to call,” Gus says.
“Never a problem. Everything alright?”
Gus’s voice comes through strained. “One of the main mash pumps broke down, so they can’t transfer between the vessels from yesterday’s batch.”
“Shit. I’ll be right there. Nash left for the day?”
“Yes, Mr. Hunter. I didn’t want to wait till tomorrow,” he starts.
“Definitely not. We don’t want to risk spillage. Thank you for calling. Always call, got it, Gus?”
“Yes, sir. You got it. See you soon,” Gus says before we hang up.
“Spillage? One of the pumps?” Zoe asks, her hip leaning against the sink.
“Yeah, I need to shut it down and make sure there aren’t any leaks already, then look around to see what the core of the problem is.” I pull her hips to me. “Sorry, Sweet Cheeks, this might take me an hour or two.”
“That’s okay, handsome. I can get started on prepping some of this and make myself a light lunch.”
I wrap my arms tighter around her. “You know what might be nice?”
She places her arms around my neck, bringing us chest to chest. “What’s that, Mr. Hunter?”
“A nice, hot bubble bath to soothe your muscles. You deserve it.” I lean down and kiss her.
Zoe tilts her head, and we both take the kiss deeper. This wild desire is new, and I’m leaning into it wholeheartedly. But it’s more than just lust. There’s this effortless underlying trust, intimacy, and genuine care that makes every touch feel bigger.
I’ve watched some of my brothers fall in the last year, and I thought the speed at which they fell was a bit impractical and, logically, impossible. But I can’t deny every time I see them with the women who healed them back together and love my brothers everyday fiercely, that what they have is real.
