Fuck, I’d lost it when I saw my father on top of her, knowing his intentions. And then he’d fired the shot. I didn’t think, just reacted, jumping in front of her. And I’d do it a million times over.
“I need to get out of here,” I say, but when I open my eyes, the doctor is gone.
In his place is Marcie, holding Lily in her arms. The pain I’ve caused covering her face, her once bright eyes are dark. And it kills me to think that I did this to her.
“Marcie.” I try to sit up, wincing when I manage it.
“Don’t,” she says, moving to my side. “You’re going to open your stitches.”
“I don’t care. I just...I needed to know you’re all right.”
Her brows draw down. “No, James, I’m not all right.”
“Fuck. You have no idea how sorry I am. I wanted to tell you. I was going to tell you—”
“I know.” She rocks Lily in her arms, worry still tugging at her mouth. “I’m not all right, James, because for a moment I thought...I thought you died. And it...” A small sob escapes her lips and tears fill those beautiful hazel eyes of hers. “It was the worst thing I’ve ever felt.”
I want to wrap her in my arms, and I reach for her, ignoring the pain that shoots through my gut. “Come here.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“The only thing hurting me is not being close to you.” I pull her into my arms, Lily sleeping soundly between us.
“I was so scared.”
I kiss the top of her head. “I felt the same way when I came back to the cabin and found you gone.”
“I shouldn’t have left—”
“We can go over all our shouldn’ts, but it doesn’t change anything...and you’re here now. Safe.”
She glances up at me. “You saved me, again.”
“I’d save you a million times over, take a thousand bullets, fight through any rainstorm to make sure you’re safe. You’re my heart, Marcie. You’re what it beats for.”
She places her hand on my chest. “You’re mine too.”
“I love you.” I smile down at Lily who squirms between us. “Both of you. And I know that’s fast to say. That you probably need time to figure out what you want—”
“I know what I want.” She strokes a hand over my cheek and beard.
“Yeah?” I swallow, praying to God that it’s me. “What’s that?”
“I want the heart of this mountain man.”
“You have it.”
She grins. “And you have mine. I love you, James.”
I let out the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding in and kiss her. “Fuck, I hope this is real and not heaven.”
She chuckles. “It’s real. But you did just get shot. You need to rest.”
“Not before I ask you something...” Nerves make my stomach flutter, and I take her hand and bring it to my lips. “Will you marry me, Marcie. Be my wife?”
Her eyes widen.
I continue, my words tumbling from my lips. “We can move to the city. I can buy a house with a yard, and—”
“No.”
“No?” My gut sinks.
Her eyes twinkle. “No, I don’t want to move to the city. I love the cabin. The mountain. It’s a perfect place to raise Lily, and maybe one or two of our own in the future. We might have to add a couple more rooms, but I think—”
“So, that’s a yes?”
A huge smile brightens her whole face. “Yes. I want to marry you, James. You have my heart, always and forever.”
Epilogue I
James
One year later....
“What do you think?” I ask, holding my beautiful wife in my arms and looking at the renovations that are finally done - and just in time. Because it won’t be long before our new additions will be here.
“It’s perfect.” Marcie twists in my arms, her large belly between us, and smiles up at me. “Now we’ll finally get some privacy.”
I chuckle, kissing her, then glance over at where Lily and Banjo are playing in the dirt. Lily squeals in delight when Banjo licks her face.
“Speaking of privacy,” I say, picking Lily up and tossing her in the air, making her giggle. “It’s time for you to have a nap.”
“No, no, no,” she says in her baby voice. “Paaaay. Pease.”
“You can play after your nap. Plus, you get to sleep in your new room.”
She claps her hands in delight as I take her into the cabin, cleaning her up before laying her down in her crib.
With the twins on the way, soon this mountain is going to get a whole lot busier, and noisier.
I shut the door and find Marcie in our new master bedroom. She’s stretched out on the king-sized bed, and she groans in delight when she sees me. “Oh my God, this bed is so comfortable. I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything better.”
I chuckle, leaning over her and pressing my mouth to hers, then raise a brow. “Nothing?”
She laughs, fingers playing with the buttons on my shirt. “You know what I meant.”
“I think you’re going to have to convince me that I’m not going to be replaced by a memory foam mattress.”
Her fingers are already peeling away my shirt, then moving down to my jeans. “Or maybe you need to remind me why I love you more,” she teases.
“I thought I did that last night.” I nip at her bottom lip, sliding my hands under her shirt and finding her nipple. She whimpers when I flick it, then lower my mouth for a taste.
“Mmmm,” she moans. “I think I need a repeat.”
I don’t hesitate. I undress us both and lose myself in her. Each touch, each kiss like it’s the first and last. She runs her hand over my length, her eyes lit with want. My only goal is to make her this happy forever.
She rolls on top of me, straddling me, easing down on my cock, my hands running over her swollen belly. God, she looks like an angel.
“What?” she asks, her hips swiveling as I fill her up the way she needs. Her auburn hair falling in her eyes. I brush it back, drawing her closer for a kiss. Her lips are soft, her skin is like butter, and my cock grows as I take her, as I make her mine all over again.
“God, I fucking love you.”
She smiles, her tits bouncing as she reaches the edge of her pleasure, and I hold on to her, loving the way it feels when she reaches euphoria. When we come together, our bodies ignite as one. I know I’m the luckiest guy in the world.
I always thought that I’d live my life alone in these mountains. Never thought I’d get a second chance. But with Marcie every day, my heart beats more wild, more alive.
Epilogue II
Marcie
Five years later ...
Lily is shrieking with delight as she steps in the river bed, the cool water covering her feet, splashing around her ankles, her curly auburn hair bouncing as she moves. Banjo weaves through the water before running in the lush forest, the happiest dog I’ve ever known. Lily reaches out her little girl hand, needing her daddy to hold on tight to help with balance. James is there, offering Lily his hand - just like he always is. There for his family.
The heart of this mountain.
“I got you, little sparrow,” James tells Lily, my heart melting as I watch them together.
I kneel on the blanket spread over the pebbled shore of the river, reaching into my picnic basket and taking out the chocolate cake I baked last night. In an instant, our four-year-old twins, Benson and Bradley, are asking for a slice.
“Be patient, it’s Lily’s birthday, let’s wait for her.”
Baby Abby coos in her little basket, and she kicks her feet up, reaching for her toes. Six months old and a blessing to be sure. When I found out I was expecting again, I remember running to James’ woodshop, tears in my eyes. He knew it before I said a word.
“Guess I’ll be pulling out the cradle again, won’t I?”
Of course we aren’t in the same cabin, we outgrew that by the time our Lily was one. Our new home is on the same piece
of land, there was no way we were leaving this mountain. I may be used to challenges in life, but a toddler and a woodfire stove stressed me out! James and a crew from Idaho built our home. The crew leader, Jax, told us if we ever want to relocate, there was a place called Miracle Mountain that would welcome us with open arms.
It was a sweet offer, but there is no way I am leaving the mountains of Fox Hollow. Being here is being home. James is the heart of this mountain and it’s where I want to raise our family.
“Mama!” Lily giggles. “Daddy is soaking wet!”
I look up and see James’ pants are wet all the way through. I smile, meeting my husband’s eyes. He looks even more handsome than he did five years ago, when he saved my life.
When he sacrificed himself for me.
It still brings tears to my eyes, remembering the day at the clubhouse, when James took the bullet and almost lost his life.
I wipe the tears from my eyes, this is a day to celebrate. To celebrate Lily’s life. She may be technically my niece and James’ half-sister, but in every way that matters, she is our daughter, and she lost so much the day she entered the world. I carry my sister’s memory in my heart, doing all that I can to impart her memory on the child she will never see grow.
“Why you sad, Mama?” Bradley asks.
“They are happy tears,” I tell my little guy. “I’m just so happy to be here.”
“Me too,” Lily says, coming over to us and reaching for a towel to dry her feet. “I love the water. And the forest. And the whole wide world!”
James and I laugh, she is a ball of energy, spirited and so full of life. “You know the forest is where I first met you and your mama,” James says, reaching for candles in the basket and placing them on Lily’s cake. “It’s a special place for all of us.”
“I’m gonna get married on a mountain one day,” Lily says with a long sigh, suddenly seeming so much older than five.
“There’s no rush to grow up, Sparrow,” I tell her.
“But I want to be big. I want to be a mama and have a bunch of babies and live happily ever after.”
James chuckles, tousling Lily’s red hair. “There is time for that, but today, let’s eat cake.”
“Make a wish first,” Benson says.
I light the five candles, grateful for the perfect summer day. As a family, we opt for small, private celebrations. Being together is the only party we need.
We sing happy birthday to our little girl, and I wonder what it will be like, one day, to see her all grown. As she closes her eyes to make a wish, I do too. I wish that Lily can always be this happy, this full of love and light. That her heart will always know where home is.
She blows them out and when she opens her eyes, she gasps, looking up in the sky. A rainbow appears, painting the sky with pastels and I feel our hearts collectively swoon. The sun always shines after the storm.
Also by Frankie & C.M.
Six Men of Alaska
The Wife Lottery (FREE!)
The Wife Protectors
The Wife Gamble
The Wife Code
The Wife Pact
The Wife Legacy
Mountain Men of Bear Valley
Untamed Virgins
Untamed Lovers
Untamed Daddy
Untamed Fiance
The Princeton Charming Series
Kissing Princeton Charming
Dating Princeton Charming
Losing Princeton Charming
Forever Princeton Charming
Hammers and Veils
Stripped Bare
Nailed Down
Scr*wed Tight
Drilled Deep
Love Without Limits
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Filthy Irish
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Get Some Series
A.D..I.D.A.S. (All Day I Dream About Sex)
G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time)
T.Y.P.O. (Take Your Pants Off)
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Heart of the Mountain
Game Day Baby
Frankie Love
Frankie Love writes filthy-sweet stories about bad boys and mountain men.
As a thirty-something mom to six who is ridiculously in love with her own bearded hottie, she believes in love-at-first-sight and happily-ever-afters.
She also believes in the power of a quickie.
Find Frankie here:
www.frankielove.net
C.M. Seabrook
C.M. Seabrook writes hot, steamy romances with possessive bad boys, and the passionate, fiery women who love them. Swoonworthy romances from the heart!
Find C.M. here:
www.cmseabrook.com
For something a little different, read Chantel Seabrook's Shifter, Reverse Harem, and Fantasy books here https://amzn.to/2MTiItI
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