Page 25 of Broken Mountain Man

Lyla's eyes widen, and a tear trickles down her flushed cheek.

"Are you sure?" she asks in a small voice. "Because I'm feisty and stubborn, but I have a heart, too. I can't bear having it broken."

I reach out to cup her face, thumbs brushing away the dampness.

"I've never been surer of anything. I want you here, Lyla. All of you." My throat feels tight as I lay myself bare, "I want to know everything about you - your childhood dreams, your favorite books, that silly show you can't get enough of. I want to fall asleep beside you every night and wake you with kisses in the morning."

She throws her arms around me fiercely, burying her face against my chest.

"You're an idiot," she mumbles, voice muffled. "But you're my idiot now. And I'm never leaving you."

I hold her close, pressing my lips to her hair.

"I'm...broken, Lyla. In ways I've never admitted out loud before. But I'll try my damnedest to be better. For you."

Pulling back, she cups my face in her soft palms, "Then we'll do it together. I'm here - to take care of you when nightmares strike, or you just need someone's hand to hold."

After years of guilt and pain, I've finally found someone worth changing for, someone in whom I can place my hopes again.

Epilogue - Lyla

Five years have passed since that fateful day I stumbled upon Russell naked in the lake. So much has changed, yet in the best possible ways.

Our rustic one-room dwelling has expanded into a cozy three-bedroom home with running water and electricity. We even installed Wi-Fi out here in the middle of nowhere.

As I step outside into the cold mountain air, I catch sight of my two favorite guys emerging from the tree line. Russell's tall, powerfully built frame dwarfs the tiny figure of our four-year-old son trotting at his side.

My heart warms at the sight of little Aaron. When I found out I was pregnant all those years ago, and we learned it was a boy, we knew immediately what to name him—honoring the friend whose memory haunted Russell for so long just felt...right.

Aaron spots me first and breaks into an enthusiastic run, little sneakers kicking up dust. He tries valiantly to wrap his short arms around my legs in a hug, scrunching his nose up adorably when he can't quite reach.

"I wanna be big like Daddy!" he declares, pouting.

I laugh, ruffling his unruly mop of chestnut hair.

"You've got plenty of time for that, munchkin. For now, just enjoy being a kid, okay?"

Russell reaches us then, sweeping me into a one-armed embrace and pressing a lingering kiss to my cheek.

"How was the lake?" I ask.

"Cold!" Aaron pipes up immediately with a vigorous nod. "The water was real cold today, Mama."

"Go inside and warm up, sweetie," I tell Aaron with a smile.

"But Daddy said we could go 'sploring!"

I raise an eyebrow at Russell, "Like father, like son, I see."

He chuckles, giving me a one-armed squeeze.

"The kid's a natural. Who knows how he'll take to school and all that."

"Good point," I concede, "We'll just have to wait and see if our little wildling prefers city life or living out here."

"I like the woods!" Aaron shouts.

We both laugh at his vehement preference, which is so reminiscent of how resistant Russell was to civilization at first.

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