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The woman in my arms made a sound of distaste. “Absolutely not.”
I chuckled again, my body shaking against her slightly.
“I found her in the kitchen, cooking dinner, as usual. That’s where she would always be after school and she used to always greet me with a bright smile, like I was greatest thing on Earth…” I trailed off as my chest got tighter.
“My mom looks at me like that,” she whispered, her voice shaking slightly.
I nodded. “I told her I wanted to change my name. She told me she would never do it. When I asked her why she gave me an answer I would never forget.”
“What’s that?”
“The city of Denver is where she met Pop. She said when they met, she was in the darkest part of her life. She didn’t go into detail, just told me Denver was the place where she discovered love wasn’t a myth. It was real. Denver was her happy place.”
“Honey, that’s beautiful.” I pulled her closer to me.
“I think so, too. Took me a few years to realize it, but when I did, it was too late for me to apologize.”
I felt her stiffen beside me. “What happened to them? Your parents?”
A long, unsteady sigh left me. “They’re gone, baby. Have been for a long time.”
“I’m sorry, Denver.” My name on her lips would be a blessing I would always cherish, and it killed me to know that Momma would never get to hear it. She would never get to meet the woman who made mefeelafter being dead inside for so long.
“I’m sorry, too. I’m sorry about your mom, Val.”
She was quiet for a moment, and then I heard a sniffle. Ah, hell.I rolled us so I was on top and caged her in with my arms. “Fuck, baby. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I—I promise,” she sobbed, bringing her face to her hands. “I just—I’m not ready to lose her.”
“No child is ever ready to lose their mother, Val,” I softly said. The thought of Cathy came to my mind. I still haven’t had the chance to sit down with Caleb to tell him he wouldn’t be seeing his mother much anymore. Dread settled on my shoulders. “I was only a couple of years older than Caleb when my mom passed.”
Why in the hell did I just say that?
She wiped her cheeks and put her hands on my biceps. Fuck her touch was everything. “Smoke,” she whispered.
Part of me knew shouldn’t keep talking but here I was yapping like a fucking dog for this woman. I felt like I could tell her anything, confide in her. Something changed between us tonight—aside from the sex. She and I both knew that wasn’t just sex.
It was my life finally starting.
My son was a gift from God. I knew this, but eventually, he would have his own life to live. He was my son, but he couldn’t be my life. One day, he would be his own man, making his own way in the world, and I would be here.
I wanted this woman with me.
In order for that to happen, she needed to know me, to see me for who I truly was, monster or not. “My mom was murdered, Val.”
“Denver,” she gasped, her hands cupping either side of my face, her thumbs stroking my rough cheeks. I rolled again, taking her with me. I needed to look up at her while I did this. She read my eyes and straddled me.
Valerie leaned down, her breasts against my chest as she braced her hands on my pillow. My hands went to her waist, holding her close, my thumbs stroking her soft, cherry-scented skin. The moonlight gave me just enough light to see the curves and dips of her face, along with the mesmerizing green of her eyes.
My forest enchantress.
“Momma had her spot on Hallow Ranch. When Pop brought her here for the first time, he gave her a tour of the grounds and took her to a steam about halfway up the mountain. That was her spot. When she was pregnant with Mason, Pop made me go up there with her. He didn’t want her alone while she was pregnant. Over the years, she marked the trail, but eventually, Pops and Jigs made a little pathway for her,” I explained. “She went there every single day, in the mornings mainly. That’s where she liked to pray and thank God for everything we had.”
Valerie nodded, her fingers moving through my hair. I needed her touch right now more than I expected. I hadn’t talked about this in years. The last time was about five years ago, when I needed my brother to come home and he refused. I ended up drinking a fifth of whiskey and hiking up to Momma’s spot. The boys found me a few hours later. The twins were fairly new to the ranch at this point and Beau had only been here about a year. Mags and I were close, but not that close. Jigs was the only one who knew about Momma. I told the boys everything that night. That’s when they made a vow to protect Hallow Ranch with everything they had.
“One morning, she left a little earlier than normal. I was twelve at the time and Mason was only eight. She told us she wanted to watch the sunrise. Pops was fine with her going by herself, and she knew the land well…” I trailed off, my voice getting thick as anxiety swarmed over me.
“Honey, look at me.”
