Page 185 of Sunrise & Serenity

I don’t answer. Can’t. All my fucking hopes and dreams held together by a few lines on a page.

“Holden?” There’s a faint tremor in her voice.

I drag a hand through my hair and stare out across the valley. “It’s just a sketch.”

“Is this a house?”

It’s a home.

But the answer sticks in my throat. This feels a hell of a lot more vulnerable than telling her I loved her.

I exhale. “It’s a someday. If you ever decide you want it.”

I keep my eyes fixed firmly on the mountains. Much safer.

Silence. Long enough that I drag my gaze back.

She’s staring at me, not the plans. And the look in her eyes steals every coherent thought from my head.

“You really thought about this.”

“Yeah.” The word comes out like sandpaper.

Because I did. More than I should have. More than I meant to.

She lowers the plans slowly, her expression shifting. Like she’s seeing something she’s been afraid to believe.

The wind stirs her hair, and a strand catches against her cheek. Before I can stop myself, I reach over and tuck it behind her ear.

The second I touch her, every muscle in my body tightens. Christ. What this woman does to me.

Neither of us moves, neither of us looks away. Then she takes a step closer. Close enough that I can smell her honeysuckle shampoo. Close enough that I can feel the heat of her. Close enough that every sane thought abandons me.

She rests a hand over my heart, and I’m sure she must be able to feel it jolting against her palm. Then she smiles, warm and bright and more beautiful than the damn sunrise. The kind of smile that ruins me every time.

“I love you.” I hold her gaze. “And I’m not asking you for anything. I just don’t want you to ever doubt what I want.”

Her lower lip trembles, and tears glisten on her lashes. “I am so in love with you, Holden.” Her voice breaks, and she holds up the folder of plans, letting out a watery laugh. “You got everything right. And I’m not just talking about the studio. That someday?” She shakes her head. “I think it might be exactly what I want.”

Rising up on her toes, she curls her free hand around the back of my neck.

I don’t hesitate, pulling her against me so I can kiss her properly. The taste of her is fucking heaven, and the little moan she gives has me aching for her.

When I finally let her go, she looks back down at the folder, at our future sketched out on paper between us.

“You know,” she says softly, “for someone who used to be convinced I was leaving, you’ve gotten weirdly close to building me an entire life here.”

A real laugh escapes me then, and I kiss her again.

My future used to be the next rodeo. The next city. The next motel room.

Now it looks like this.

EPILOGUE

SAGE

The lodge is quiet. Not empty. It’s never really empty anymore. But at this time of the morning, it’s calm. A few guests linger over coffee on the deck, but most have already headed out to experience all the ranch has to offer. The faint strains of laughter drifting through an open window make me smile.