Page 20 of Chased By the Mountain Man

“It really was,” I say, my voice a little hoarse from screaming so loud. “It was perfect.”

Trent presses a kiss on my cheek and my body relaxes against him, our heartbeats gradually slowing down, beating as one.

“Jasmine?”

“Yes?”

“Move in with me.”

I pull back to look at Trent, eyes wide. “Wha…what?”

“Move in with me,” he says firmly. “I want you to live here in the cabin. I want to take care of you.”

Hope soars in my chest, but I can’t help the lingering anxious thought that escapes my lips. “I’d love to. But I’m scared,” I mumble.

Trent cups my cheek, frowning with concern. “Why, beautiful? What’s scaring you?”

I take a moment to untangle my thoughts before saying, “I’m scared that what happened this morning could happen again. I’m scared you’ll get it into your head that you don’t deserve me and pull away.”

He sighs, looking pained. “I’m so sorry, Jasmine. I know I fucked up. I know I hurt you, and I hate myself for it. I will never stop trying to make it up to you. It was stupid of me to try and keep us apart, but if you give me another chance, I swear I will never let you go again.” His eyes are burning with emotion. “I’ll be a better man for you. I’ll get help, talk to someone so I can work through all this shit. I’ll never shut you out again, beautiful, I promise.”

His low, growly voice is so full of sincerity that it takes my breath away.

“I believe you, Trent,” I tell him. “I trust you. God knows you’ve earned it after everything you’ve done for me.”

“I’d do anything for you, Jasmine. Anything to keep you safe.”

I grin at him. “Well, I guess that means I’m moving in.”

He makes a sound of deep relief in his throat as he squeezes me tight, peppering my face with kisses. “You won’t regret this, princess. I’ll never stop trying to make you happy.” He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear, looking at me with so much affection that I almost want to cry. “You can quit your job at the bank. You don’t need to work there anymore—I know you hate it.”

I gawk at him. “But, Trent, what about money? I can’t just stop working.”

“My grandpa left me a big inheritance, so there’s plenty of money in savings for both of us. And once I get my shit together, I’ll get another job.” He looks thoughtful for a moment. “My brother owns a mountain lodge a couple of miles away. It’s been in our family for years. Who knows? Maybe he could use some help.”

A flicker of excitement stirs inside me.

Quit my job at the bank?

I can’t pretend I’ve been looking forward to going back to work, even if Danny will no longer be there. I’d miss my co-worker, Sharon, but otherwise there’s nothing I enjoy about my job.

“I have an idea for something else you could do,” Trent says slowly. “If you wanted to.”

“What?”

He kisses my forehead softly. “You could get your master’s degree. Then you could do what you’ve always wanted to do.”

My heart starts to thump. The thought of a master’s degree started swirling around in my mind the moment Trent said I could quit my job, but hearing him say it out loud makes it feel even more real.

Could I really do it?

It’s scary. So much could go wrong. I could make so many mistakes as a counselor…but maybe I’ve let fear hold me back for too long. I’ve been sabotaging myself, missing out on something special because of my own insecurities.

And suddenly it hits me.

I’ve been doing exactly what Trent did this morning. He almost let his fears get in the way of our future. His demons almost tore us apart before we’d even had a chance to try to be together. But in the end, Trent made the right choice. He didn’t let his fear win. Maybe it’s time I did the same.

“I…think that’s a great idea,” I say, grinning despite my nerves. “There’s an online master’s program that I was interested in, but I never applied for it. I started working at the bank instead.”

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