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“Does that mean you’re going to stay?”
He grinned. “I think it’s safe to say that’s a strong possibility.”
This moment couldn’t have gone better if he’d planned it. They were finally on the same page. This was their fresh start. He would prove to her that he was the man she deserved.
“I’ve got to get back to Nick, but maybe I can see you later?” Grant grasped her chin with his finger and thumb, tilting her head upward. “I’d love nothing more than to spend an evening doing whatever you want.”
“I’d like that,” she whispered as he dipped closer to her.
“Good. Let’s say I pick you up at six.”
“Okay.”
Grant brushed his lips against hers, and just like that, the flow of electricity resumed. It was like someone had flipped a breaker, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to pull away from her.
Apparently, Bella must have had similar thoughts as her hands came around his neck. She clung to him, her grip tightening. He sensed a mild desperation in her touch as she deepened their kiss. If this was what it felt like to be himself with someone, he never wanted to go back.
And if he had anything to do about it, he never would.
EPILOGUE
Six months later
So much had changed over the last several months. Charlotte was serving time in prison for arson, defamation, and attempted parental alienation. Grant had been successful in requesting a restraining order during the whole process. Charlotte wouldn’t be allowed to have contact with any of them from this point forward.
Thankfully, Eli was able to find a replacement cook without too much trouble. Grant had been offered his job back, but he’d refused. Currently, he was working remotely until he sold his company. Transactions of this magnitude didn’t happen overnight so he’d make do until it was finally done.
He’d made the move to Rocky Ridge permanently. In fact, he had just made an offer on a nice piece of land complete with a small barn and a decent-sized house. All he needed was a special someone who wanted to spend her life with him there.
Grant watched Nick run with a group of boys toward the hay maze he’d put together. Some of the children belonged to the other ranch hands, while some were Nick’s friends from school. It was Nick’s birthday, and Grant had gone all out.
There was a bouncy house, squirt guns, games, and of course, the food. He’d hired a couple superheroes to come in the next twenty minutes. From the looks of it, everyone was having aa blast and that was the most important part.
Bella sidled up beside him and nudged him with her hip. “I think you overdid it.”
He huffed. “You can’t overdo it on a birthday.”
She lifted a brow. “You realize these kids would have been thrilled to go on a horse ride or swimming in the creek, right?”
Grant rolled his eyes, chuckling when Bella gave him a mock irritated look. “Okay, okay. I might have overdone it a little. But this is the first birthday I’ve been able to have with him.”
“And you don’t have to make up for all the other ones with this one. There will be several more.”
“He’s only going to be seven once,” Grant argued.
Bella sighed, though her smile indicated that she wasn’t really judging him. “Don’t blame me when your son expects you to go all out every single year. One day, you’re going to realize that you can’t go back. And what’s gonna happen when you have another kid? There will be plenty of firsts.”
He shot her a look out of the corner of his eye. He had already thought about that. One day, he wanted to plan a first birthday—and he wanted to plan that baby’s party with Bella.
She glanced at him and made a face. “Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Do you know how beautiful you are?” he asked.
Bella snickered. “No use buttering me up. I’m not going to change my mind.”
“Do you know what tomorrow is?” He faced her and pulled her close, his hands at her waist.
Her eyes darted around them. “I hope it’s garbage day, because all this stuff isn’t going to last a week in those bins.”
