Page 101 of Broken Boundaries

It still hurts when I think about the way he yelled at me that day. I understand his anger, but I don’t think he needed to express it like that in front of everyone. I didn’t do that to him when he cheated on me. I calmly removed myself from the situation. With Brooks’s help, but still. I didn’t berate him in front of everyone he knows.

“Good. If he does start bothering you, let me or Beck know. We’ll handle it.”

My body instantly relaxes. I know that she truly means that, too. I never thought I would have people who actually cared about me in the way the people at Moonlight Ranch do. If you had told me earlier this year that I was going to fall in love with a small town in northern Georgia and never want to leave, I wouldn’t have believed you. But now, I can’t picture myself anywhere else.

This is home.

These people are my family.

This is everything I’ve ever wanted.

“Thanks, Harper.”

“No need to thank me. We look out for our family around here.”

I nod. “Yeah, I’m starting to see that.”

“Come on, let’s get back to the party.”

The two of us walk out back and see Jazz and Brooks bickering by the grill. Beck is playing catch with his daughter. We’ve set out chairs and tables, and everyone is sipping on a drink while they chat. The best part is the sun getting ready to set. The late autumn chill has set in, making the bonfire the perfect centerpiece for the night.

“Hey, darlin’, come here,” Brooks calls when he spots me.

I excuse myself from Harper’s side and head toward him.

“Did you need me to grab you anything?” I ask.

“Nope. Just need a kiss from my woman.”

Jazz makes a gagging noise before she walks off. I smile and lean in to kiss Brooks. His hand wraps around my waist, pulling me in closer before he kisses me.

Every time we kiss, it’s like a sense of calm washes over me. I have no doubt that this is the man I’m supposed to be with. We had an unconventional start, but that’s not going to stop us from having the most amazing ending.

“I love you,” I murmur as I pull back.

“I love you, too,” he says before giving me another quick kiss. “And I wanted to say thank you for planning all this. This place and these people mean a lot to me, and I’m so grateful that you’ve accepted all of this into your life.”

“We’re a team now, right? That’s how it works.”

He swallows down the emotion I see forming in his eyes. “Yeah, I just… I guess I never thought I’d have all this. And now I do.” He gestures to the backyard filled with people. “My life feels right all of a sudden. And that’s because of you, Aspen.”

“And you make me feel like I belong. I’ve never felt more content than I do right now. And that’s because of you.”

He kisses me again, but it’s interrupted by a small voice and someone poking Brooks’s leg.

“Excuse me, Mr. Brooks.”

We look down to see Beck’s daughter, Jade.

“Hey, Jadey. What can I do for you?”

I take a step back so he can focus his attention on the little girl who can’t be any older than five.

“I’m hungry,” she explains.

We both laugh.

“Me too. What do you want, a hot dog or a hamburger?”