Page 25 of The Mountain Man's Sweet Treat
I stand awkwardly, not sure what to do or say. This place still looks exactly like I remember it. She hasn’t changed anything in years, and I doubt she’s about to start redecorating now. “I’m trying to…find my way.”
“You’re home. That’s all that matters to me.” She moves around the kitchen, her house slippers making the familiar flap against the worn linoleum. I missed that sound. I remember listening to as a teenager as I fell asleep. She’d be up, pacing the floors and waiting for my other brothers to get in for their curfew. I asked her about it once and she told me that when your kids get to be a certain age, the only things left to do are pace and pray.
“I’ve been here a while, living in a cabin in the mountains,” I admit. “I didn’t feel like I was home until just recently.”
“Now you do?” There’s no mistaking the hope in her tone.
I feel myself smiling easily. I do that more since I’ve met Sophie. There’s just something about being with her that makes me smile. She lights up my life. I didn’t even realize I was sitting in darkness until she burst in like sunshine after years of rain. “I met a girl. She’s my whole world.”
An odd expression crosses my mom’s face. I have the feeling there’s something she wants to tell me. It’s the same look she would get around Christmas and my birthday, a secret she’s been keeping to herself for too long is dancing on the tip of her tongue.
Before I can ask her what it is, her phone buzzes on the kitchen counter. She frowns and picks it up. She listens for a moment before she turns off the kettles. “I’m on my way.”
“What’s happening?” I push to my feet. We haven’t talked in years. I know she wouldn’t be leaving unless this were important.
“Another cowboy’s wife went into labor. I’m on babysitting duty for now. But there’s something I have to tell you.”
“Tell me tonight. I’ll be at the autumn festival tonight. You can meet my girl then,” I promise, dropping a kiss to her weathered cheek.
After meeting with mom, I spend the day on the mountain working around my cabin. Sophie was gone by the time I arrived home. She left a note to let me know she’s hanging out with Mallory from Sew Cute. She said there was something she wanted to talk to me about later, but there was a smiley face by it, so I’m guessing it’s good news.
At ten minutes to six, I knock on my cabin door with flowers in my hand.
Sophie opens the door, flushing bright red. “You don’t have to ring the bell at your own place.”
“This is how a man shows up on the first date with his future wife.” I hold out the bouquet of orange and red mums, her favorite flowers.
Her delighted smile makes my heart soar. “These are beautiful.”
“I can’t wait to show you off at the autumn festival.”
She freezes, the flowers halfway to her nose. “Whiskey, we don’t have to go into town. I don’t expect?—“
“I know you don’t expect me to. But you’re my future and I’m proud to show you off,” I tell her, meaning every word. She may not see herself as brave, but she is. I want to be brave right alongside her and that means showing up for her.
The look she gives me is everything. “And I’m proud to be on your arm, Marine.”
Warmth blooms in my chest. I know she’s supposed to leave next week for the race. She’s supposed to return home to Georgia after that, but she doesn’t know that I’m planning to follow her. She’s my home now, and I’ll follow her anywhere she wants to go.
Chapter 13
Sophie
Whiskey and I make it to the autumn festival just as the sun is setting, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink. I can tell the crowd makes him uncomfortable, but he doesn’t complain. He just pulls me close, putting his arm around my shoulders.
There’s a booth with face painting for the kids. I stop and help out, painting a few faces. And when I’m done, the way Whiskey looks at me takes my breath away.
I think he’s thinking the same thing I am about one day raising a family together. After that, we decorate a pumpkin together. They’re having a big contest to judge all the pumpkins later, so we make one with a cutout of a zombie and submit it to the contest for a $5 donation to the children’s fund in town.
There’s every kind of autumn dish imaginable for sale, and all of the delicious scents blend together. I eat a corn dog that’s flavored like pumpkin pie. I like it, but Whiskey keeps making a face with every bite.
Candy apples are our next treat. The apples are crunchy and tart, just sweet enough underneath all of that caramel. I beam up at my new boyfriend.
“Isn’t this amazing?” He leans close enough to whisper in my ear, “Nothing tastes as good as your pussy.” My cheeks heat, and I duck my head so no one can see how warm my face is. When I shiver, he wraps me in his jacket, and we walk down a lane of booths, pausing to let some of the kids run in front of us.
He says, “What made you decide on Asheville for your first 5K race?” I say, “It’s a charity run. For every mile run by each participant, $10,000 is being donated to fund research into post-traumatic stress disorder. I don’t want anyone else to ever go through what I faced and feel that alone.”
He says, “You’re so brave. I’m in awe of your strength.”
