Page 28 of Claimed By The Mountain Man

His face is a mask of pain and worry when he sees my tears, and he gathers me closer, sinking down into the grass. I rest in his lap and just cry, letting it all out.

I thought he was the one.

That’s all I can think as my tears darken the soft fabric of his shirt.

Where do I go from here?

10

Carter

Getting shot hurt less than this.

My heart is breaking in my chest as I sit in the grass and cradle Scout to my chest. She’s crying, sobbing, and each tear is a cut to my heart.

“It’s okay. Whatever is wrong, I’ll fix it,” I promise, trying to soothe her, but it’s no use.

She either doesn’t hear me or doesn’t believe me. I look around, trying to find something out of place. I still don’t know why she was running away. Did her dad contact her? Did she see something or someone lurking outside? Why wouldn’t she come to me instead of bolting?

My foot is starting to fall asleep.

Scout is calming down now, her tears slowing as they roll down her cheeks. I brush a few drops aside, then stand, lifting her easily in my arms and heading for the house.

I’m on high alert, waiting for someone to jump out or for Scout to start fighting me again, but all is quiet as we go inside.

I sit down on the couch, cuddling her, and start to rock back and forth slowly.

“Why did you run?” I ask softly.

She stiffens in my grasp. “I heard you,” she whispers, looking gutted.

I scan my mind. Heard what? What happened to make her run? What was I saying?

“Heard what?” I ask, drawing a blank.

“That you lied,” she snaps.

She tries to shift off me, but I hold her in place, my hands gripping her hips.

Tears fill her eyes again. “You never ordered the part for my car. You were never going to. You want to keep me trapped here. You want to take away my choice, just like my dad and Leonard.”

I open my mouth, but she speaks first.

“I thought you were different,” she whispers brokenly.

Fuck. I feel like shit. Hudson was right. I shouldn’t have tried to force Scout to choose me. I should have let her decide for herself. Now I might really lose her… unless I can open up and tell her everything.

“I don’t want you to leave,” I say slowly. “I can’t lose you.”

Scout turns her head away from me.

I take a shaky breath. “Scout, I love you. I fell in love with you the second I saw you in that damn wedding dress. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. It was like we were soulmates, and as soon as we were together, it all just clicked. You’re what I’ve been missing all of my life.”

Scout’s shoulders ease slightly, but she doesn’t turn to look at me or relax in my hold.

“I’d lose my mind if you left. Fuck, just thinking about you being out there where I can’t protect you makes me anxious. I want to be the one to keep you safe. I want you to trust me, to want to be with me too, because I know I won’t survive without you.”

“That’s crazy,” she says weakly, her fingers twisting in her lap.