“Sophie is the one who should go to jail,” Robby grunts as Sully relentless holds him against the wall. “She owes me and skipped town.”
“You think I give a fuck about that? You come here, to my state, to my home, and you threaten my wife and you think for a goddamn second I’ll let you go easy. I’m pressing charges and you’re lucky I don’t kill you now.”
My eyes go wide. “Sul, it’s okay, it was my fault—”
Sully looks at me, shocked. “You owe him money, fine — but you are not at fault. He followed you, threatened you, and in Alaska that means he will pay. No one treats our women like that — never.”
Sully pushes Robby from the storage closet, slamming him onto the concrete sidewalk, as officers arrive to handcuff him.
The minutes are tense as Robby shouts insults at me, at my husband, but Sullivan is cool and collected. He is a man who understands business, and how the world operates. He has money and more than that: I see he has integrity. He will fight for my honor above all else.
The reality hits me hard as employees from the shops come out to see the commotion. They take Robby away after Sullivan and I give our statements. They will need us to come to the station later, but for now, I am bawling. It’s overwhelming, and I fall to my knees, crying
“Hey, Soph, hey, I’m right here,” he says, pulling me into his arms. He lifts me up and takes me to the spa where the attendants quickly show us a private room where I can collect myself.
He helps me into a chair and he kneels before me. “What in the world is going on?” he asks. “I heard the statement you gave but… you owed that thug thirty grand?”
I press my hands to my face, unable to look at Sullivan. Here is a man who trusts me, has gone all-in with me … and I’ve lied to him.
“I’m so ashamed,” I say.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he tells me. “What started all of this?”
I go back to the beginning. He knows I never had a family, but as I tell him my story of pulling up my bootstraps —boots I most likely bought at the thrift store — his eyes soften. ‘You’ve been through hell, all on your own.”
“Well I made really dumb choices on my own,” I tell him, explaining the surgery, the bills, not understanding that there were payment plans and how to get help. I turned to the only thing I knew — shady characters.
“You were doing the best you can, Sophie, you’re being too hard on yourself.”
I shake my head. “I lied about it on the application. I didn’t tell Isabela at the agency. Robby has been texting me since I left and I should have been honest with you. I just wanted to deal with it on my own. I didn’t want to bother you. So instead…”
“Instead you were trying to take care of it all by yourself, just like you’ve always done.”
“Look where that got me,” I say, waterworks starting all over again. “He wanted to hurt me, Sullivan.”
“Thank god I got there when I did. The salon called, asking why you didn’t arrive, and I immediately knew something was off. I turned the car around and came looking for you, called in security, and that’s when I heard you screaming.”
“I’m glad I fought back,” I say, knowing it is the very reason I am here, right now, unscathed.
“God, I love you, Sophie,” he says, kissing my cheeks, breathing me in, and I sink against the man who picked me sight unseen. This man who chooses me still, when he could so easily walk away.
“I love you too, Sullivan. And I’m so sorry.”
“Shh, no more apologies.” He cups my face with his hands. “I know you want to trust readings, and cards, and books on how to live your life, but Sophie, I think it’s time you trust your heart.”
A tear rolls down my cheek and he pulls me into his arms. “You’ve never had a family, someone you can rely on — but it’s different now, Sophie. Now I am your person.”
I look at him, this generous man who has taken me in his stride — and I shake my head. “You aren’t just my person, Sullivan. You are my North Star. Guiding me home.”
Epilogue 1
Sullivan
One year later…
A week after Robby threatened my wife, I told her I wanted to marry her again. She looked at me like I was crazy. But I wasn’t.
I was sure.
“I know I gave you a ring the day we met and promised to have and to hold you — but now the vows mean something different. Now they aren’t words — they are the beat of my heart, Sophie.”
I wanted my brother and his wife with us. I wanted Sophie’s friend Charlotte here too. As we walked into our next chapter of life, I wanted the people who love us to be at our sides.
The day was perfect. Sophie glowed, in a white lace gown and a bouquet of wildflowers. My hippy girl, through and through. And damn, she looked beautiful with her bronzed skin and long wavy hair. I stood before her, holding her hands and giving her every inch of my heart and soul. Love at first sight is real — before Sophie, I was a player, but she brought out the best in me. She made me a husband — gave me a reason to be a protector, a lover, a friend. A real, true mountain man.
Hannah brought us a wedding present: a basket of her homemade healing salves and ointments, and massage oil too that I was more than sure we could put to good use.
But it wasn’t about the gifts — it was about being together. Family.
Charlotte squealed with Sophie when she arrived, more smitten with the Alaskan vistas then I expected a California girl to be — but then again, Hannah and Sophie were from the sunny state too, and look how well they fit in.
Now, we are celebrating our one-year anniversary as husband and wife. And this day is more special than ever because Hannah and Harrison are flying in to stay with us at our home — the place Grandad Sully left me.
“There they are,” Sophie says, pointing to the seaplane in the sky. Then she leans over and kisses Moss, our six-week-old baby girl who is nestled against me in a baby sling. I am obsessed with her and carry her constantly. I made a good decision a year ago and decided to pay the big bucks to get Wi-Fi on the property, which meant I could work from home. There was just no way on hell I could leave my girls or this perfect stretch of coastline.
“I can’t wait to see Marina,” I say. “A month is too long.”
They have a three-month-old baby girl, and the last time we saw her was when they came to Juneau to meet Moss after the birth.
“We need to convince them to move out here with us. This house is too big for us alone.”
Behind us, the photographer asks us to move slightly to the left. We do as instructed and Sophie smiles up at me. “Does it feel like we have the paparazzi here?”
“It’s important we get lots of family photos this weekend with the girls.”
I hired a photographer to be here for the next few days to capture as much as possible of our families. I want a bookcase full of albums like the ones Sophie found in the attic.
“You are such a softie,” she teases.
I shake my head. “You are so wrong about that.”
She licks her lips and I know what she is thinking. “Maybe after the house goes to sleep we can pull out the telescope.”
I chuckle as Harry’s plane lands. My brother is a war hero, and a hell of a father. I’m eager to spend a few days with the man who trail blazed the best decision of my life.
“You want to look at my big telescope, is that right?” I tease. “You sure you can handle it?”
“It’s been six weeks,” she murmurs, taking my hand as we walk toward the dock to greet our family. “Six weeks too long.”
“I love you, Sophie. And I agree, it’s time we took a good hard look at the stars.”
“Is stars a euphemism for your co—” She covers her mouth, laughing as she realizes the photographer is trailing us. “We need to be careful.”
“I don’t want to be careful tonight,” I say, pulling her to my side, and kissing her. “I want to knock you up all over again.”
I squeeze her butt, hoping the photographer captures that. “I plan on it.”
Epilogue 2
Sophie
Five years later…
I roll over in the bed as the morning sunlight filters through the window. My hand rests on my husband’s chest. Solid. Sure. Constant.
“Happy anniversary, babe,” Sullivan says, facing me.
“We should celebrate,” I say, ideas already filling my mind. “I’m so …” I laugh, running my hand down his body and feeling his morning length. Hard and thick and suddenly my body is piqued with excitement. This is going to be a very good anniversary.
“So what, Soph?” he asks.
“Horny.” I giggle, stroking him the way he loves. The house is quiet, Moss, Clover, and Everton are still asleep. We need to take advantage of the morning.
“I love this side of you,” he says, cupping my full breast as I roll on top of him. My pussy craves the sensation of him filling me up.
“The pregnant side?”
“Exactly.” As I straddle him, he runs his hands over my growing baby bump. I’m five months along with number four and am in that sweet spot of still being able to move and no longer suffering from morning sickness.
I sink against him, my core opening to greet him as he laces his fingers with my own. Five years of marriage has taught me so much — but mostly that the more you give, the more you get.
And that giving yourself to someone else is the scariest and yet the most beautiful thing in the whole damn world.
The Universe, even.
His hands run over me greedily, and I lean down to kiss him, savoring each and every moment with the man love. I could stay in this bed all day with Sully, but motherhood calls and soon the little ones will be knocking on the door, asking to go over to their cousins’ house that was recently built on the family property.
So for now, I relish this time with my beloved. “Five years,” I say. “No regrets?”
Sullivan shakes his head as I move my hips, letting his fullness complete me. “Never.”
He kisses me, our growing baby between us, love blossoming in every inch of our lives.
“I love you, Sophie.” His cock pulses with life as he comes inside me, making me moan with pleasure as he takes me to my own edge. My body is hot as I come, and he sits up, cradling me in his lap as the orgasm rushes from tips of my toes to my core. God, I love this man.
We hear the pitter-patter of little feet and I kiss Sullivan once more. Our life so full and so utterly complete. I never had dreams for my life before I moved to Alaska and married him — I realize now it was because I spent my life operating in survival mode — and when you’re trying to survive, there is no space in your head or your heart to dream.
Now, my dreams are big. Deep and wide. Family is my focus, my every heartbeat and my guiding force. Not astrology or tarot cards. Though I still love to read them, now I know where my center is; who I am and where I want to be.
I want to be Sullivan’s wife, Hannah’s best friend, and the auntie to her and Harry’s children. I want to be a mother — devoted and strong. I never had any of that growing up, but now I have more love around me than the stars in the sky.
Sullivan stands from the bed and wraps me in my thick terrycloth robe. “Shower, Soph, I’ll get the kids breakfast.”
He kisses my nose, turns to walk away.
Then he comes back, holding me by my waist, cupping my face. “What is it?” I ask.
“You came here five years ago because you were following the signs — and, Sophie,” he says, his eyes fixed on mine, “I thank my lucky stars every day that you did.”
He kisses me, our lips parting and our tongues entwined — a kiss as full of force as the one we shared the day we met, standing at the dock.
I melt against him all over again. My past may have been dim, but a certain kind of darkness is needed see the stars. And now, with my mountain man, all I see is light.
* * *
Have you read the other books in the modern-mail order bride series?
Harrison and Hannah’s love story is here in The Mountain Man’s Cure : https://amzn.to/2VVW59I
River and Rose’s love story is here in The Mountain Man’s Muse: https://amzn.to/2HpTPUK
Also by Frankie Love
Frankie Love’s Amazon Best-selling series!
The Mountain Man’s Babies:
TIMBER
BUCKED
WILDER
HONORED
CHERISHED
BUILT
CHISELED
HOMEWARD
RAISED
About the Author
Frankie Love writes filthy-sweet stories about bad boys and mountain men.
As a thirty-something mom 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
[email protected]
The Mountain Man’s North Star: A Modern Mail-Order Bride Romance Page 6