Page 38 of Snowed In With the Grizzly

And we’re off—retracing our path back to Grandma Jo’s dear little cabin. The sky is blue and the sun is glistening off the endless fields of white. Charlie chatters excitedly for the first fifteen minutes, then her head starts to nod and she falls asleep.

“What did you do?” I ask Jaxton in a low voice.

He takes his eyes off the road long enough to flash me his sexy smile. “What makes you think I did anything?”

“Well, apart from the fact that you’re here, right now, it seems like a hell of a coincidence that the FBI just happened to appear today.”

He sighs. “You’re too smart for your own good, you know that?”

“Yup.” I shrug happily, knowing he means it in the best possible way.

“So, I did some research on DiMarco. I assessed his vulnerabilities, and it turned out there were a ton of them. Then I made a couple of calls to some old connections of mine. That’s all.”

I draw in a deep breath and let it out again. For the first time in forever, it doesn’t catch in my chest. “You’re amazing,” I say. “And thank you.”

“Any time.” He takes my hand and squeezes it. “Any time at all.”

When our eyes meet, my heart explodes with love for him. I open my mouth to say the words at last—

“I’m sorry I left before you woke up,” he says at the same time.

“Oh, it’s fine,” I manage to say.

His head snaps toward mine. “It’s not fine, is it?”

Damn, there he is, picking up on my thoughts again.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” I admit.

“What?”

“Yeah. That note you left me. It seemed so final—”

“Damnit.” He shakes his head. “What a freaking idiot I was. Guess I was so focused on meeting up with the agents, I wasn’t thinking straight. I’m so sorry, Rowan. I promise you’ll never have another moment of doubt about me again.”

He flicks on the blinker and pulls over on the side of the road. “C’mere.” He unfastens our seatbelts and draws me into his arms.

“Rowan Anderson,” he whispers, holding me tight. “You’re my mate, and I love you so much. All I want is to spend my life protecting you and making you happy.”

My eyes prickle. “I loveyouso much,” I whisper, and our lips meet in a passionate kiss.

My stomach is full of butterflies and I’m already sohappy. I can’t wait for us all to start our new lives together.

EPILOGUE

Three months later

It’s buzzing in Poppy’s Little Coffee House, just the way I like it. The tables are full of locals chatting and sipping the drinks I just made, and there are several people waiting in line at the counter.

But in between whipping up cappuccinos and peppermint lattes, my eyes keep drifting to the clock. It’s almost three p.m., and he’s close by.

The mark on the back of my neck is tingling, as it always does when he’s near.

A shadow falls across the counter, and I look up.

His familiar bulk fills the doorway, while his dark gaze sweeps the room, zoning in on me.

My mate. My love. My heart flutters.

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