Page 79 of Entangled with a Mountain Man

"I know, and I'm sorry," he says, his voice pleading. "But I was going to leave Paige for you. I still can. We can start over."

I take a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "Ian, listen to me. What we had... it wasn't real. You were married. You lied to me. We can't go back from that."

His face darkens. "So that's it? You're just gonna throw away what we had?"

"We didn't have anything real," I say softly. "I'm sorry, Ian. But this needs to stop."

He's quiet for a moment, and I think maybe he's finally understood. Then he speaks again, his voice low and dangerous.

"It's because of him, isn't it?"

I tense, ready to defend myself, but then I remember the girls. They're watching, scared and confused. I need to end this, now.

"Ian," I say, keeping my voice steady. "This isn't about Everett. This is about you and me. And there is no you and me. Not anymore."

He stares at me, and for a moment, I see a flicker of the man I thought I knew. Then it's gone, replaced by anger and hurt.

"Fine," he spits. "Have it your way. But this isn't over, Kenzie."

He turns and stalks away, and I let out a breath. My hands are shaking as I climb into the truck.

"Miss Kenzie?" Harper's small voice comes from the backseat. "Are you okay?"

I force a smile, meeting her eyes in the rearview mirror. "I'm fine, peanut. How about we go home and have a bubble bath?"

The girls cheer, momentarily distracted from the scene they just witnessed. As I pull out of the parking lot, I catch a glimpse of Ian watching us leave. And not far behind him, I see Paige, her eyes filled with hate.

A chill runs down my spine. This isn't over, not by a long shot.

The drive home is quiet, the girls subdued after the encounter at Millie's. I keep glancing in the rearview mirror, half-expecting to see Ian's car following us.

Calm down, Kenzie, I scold myself. You're scaring the girls.

As we pull up to the house, I take a deep breath. "All right, ladies. Who's ready for that bubble bath?"

Their excited chatter fills the air as we head inside, and I feel some of the tension leave my body.

We're home. We're safe.

I run the bath, adding extra bubbles and even digging out some of the girls' bath toys. As they splash and play, I sit on the closed toilet lid, my mind racing.

I should call Everett. Let him know what happened. But what if he's in the middle of something important? What if I distract him and he gets hurt?

"Miss Kenzie?" Hazel's voice pulls me from my thoughts. "Can you tell us a story?"

I smile, pushing my worries aside for now. "Of course. What kind of story would you like?"

"A princess story!" Harper chimes in.

"Okay," I say, settling in. "Once upon a time, there was a brave princess..."

By the time the story's over, the water's cooling, and the girls are yawning. I help them out, wrapping them in fluffy towels.

"Bedtime for you two," I say, herding them towards their room.

As I tuck them in, Harper looks up at me with wide eyes. "Miss Kenzie? Is that man going to come back?"

My heart clenches. "No, peanut. He won't bother us again."

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