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“And I’ll take them out too.” I kiss her forehead. “What your dad does, isn’t going to be the reason we decide how to live. You’re how we decide, princess. You. Whatever you want, we do. I’ll keep you safe, and knowing your happy is all I want.”
She swallows hard and stares up at me with wide eyes. “What about your dad?” Her eyes brighten. “Oh, maybe we could get him hooked up with someone out here, too?”
I laugh. “Yeah, and maybe pigs will fly, and hell will freeze over.”
She shrugs. “You never know.”
“I know.”
“Look at you. You didn’t think you’d fall in love.”
“I didn’t, but you got me there.”
She smiles and cuddles against my chest.
I came here in search of a rogue grizzly bear. A bear who defies hibernation and rejects the concept of classical migration patterns. I get that frame of thought because I’ve spent a lifetime refusing sleep and living by my own rules. So, when that bear walks by the window again, and I catch sight of the toolbox in his mouth, I smile, and hold Lainey closer.
Who knows, maybe he’s heading toward a girl he doesn’t see coming, or maybe he’s had a plan all along. Either way, I’m not moving from this spot, and no one can make me.
Epilogue
Lainey
One Year Later
“I’ll stop by later this week with some of the wedding photos I took. I got one of you near the river looking off at the forest with Niko behind you and I swear it’s better than anything I saw in the professional photos,” Aspen says with a smile in her tone. “How are you feeling after everything that happened with your dad?”
I drag in a deep breath. “Umm…”
“You don’t have to talk about it. I just didn’t want you to think I wasn’t thinking about you.”
“No, I get it. I know you are. It’s… prison is for the best.”
“In this situation, I agree.” Her tone is soft and compassionate. “It’s a good thing Sergei knew the hitmen. If he didn’t, no one would’ve found a trail back to your dad having hired them. Maybe I was wrong about these mountain men.” I hear her trying to make light, and I know she’s explaining it back to me again because the last time we talked I still wasn’t comprehending the details. Everyone thinks that hearing it is going to help me process the reality of it all. Maybe they’re right.
Then again, my father sent two men to kill me.His own daughter.That may never process.
It's been nine months since I got that news, and it still rattles me to the core. I mean, he did warn me, but I didn’t thinkhe was serious. Even when the men were in the woods, I didn’t believe they were there for me. Hell, it still hasn’t registered. It’s like I’m listening to a story third party like it happened to someone else. I guess that’s how dissociation works. At least that’s what Niko read to me from a book he picked up on the subject of childhood trauma. He’s been trying to help me work through my feelings, but the ropes help more than anything.
The front door opens and my giant walks through wearing flannel and a pair of jeans. He kicks off his work boots and smiles at me.
“I gotta go. Dinner is ready, but I need to call you back because I want to hear all about how that relationship of yours is going.”
I hear her grin through the phone. “Are you sure? It’s kind of filthy.”
I laugh. “I’m here for everything. I’ll call you after dinner.”
We say our goodbyes and I reach up to hug Niko.
“Smells good in here. What are you making?”
“Venison stew. I used the stock you had in the freezer and a few of the potatoes from the greenhouse.” I’m not a great cook, but Niko makes me feel like I’m a five-star chef.
“This is great, princess. You didn’t have to cook. I told you I want you off your feet. That baby shower tomorrow is going to be exhausting. Between the wedding six months ago, the baby coming, and all the clients you’re taking in for your shop, you’re overdoing it.”
My eyes widen. “I’m over doing it? You work your ass off every day for us. This is the least I can do. Besides, my shop has like twelve clients. That’s nothing. I hope by this time next year I’ll have triple that.” I turn toward the bowls and pull two down from the cabinet. “Oh! I do have to go into town tomorrow to measure a baby for a christening gown! I’m so excited to make it.The mom wants tons of embroidery and little pink flowers on the collar. It’s going to be adorable!”
“Can’t wait to see it. I’ll plan for a trip first thing. Does that work?”
