Page 22 of Her Mountain Man Recluse

“You’re right,” I say, closing the gap between us and wrapping my arms around his neck. “I want to stay with you, Ridge.” My face splits into a grin, the weight of my words hitting me all at once. “I’d love it more than anything.”

Ridge lets out a deep groan of relief, scooping me into his arms and holding me tight.

“I love you, Lila,” he says. “Fuck, I love you so much.”

My heart feels ready to soar out of my chest at his words, and I snuggle against him, smiling so widely my cheeks hurt.

“I love you too, Ridge.”

And when he pulls back to look at me with a grin that lights up his grumpy face, I know this is the best decision I’ve ever made.

EPILOGUE

RIDGE

It’sa frosty afternoon on Cherry Mountain, the sun already dipping beneath the peaks as I carry the bag of firewood through the trees. My wife will be home in a few minutes, and I want to make sure I’m there to welcome her.

As I reach the front door, I hear the whir of an engine as Lila arrives, parking beside my pickup. My heart thumps as I watch her exit the car, grinning at me. She looks sexier than ever now she’s carrying our baby, her rounded belly stretching against her sweater as she grabs a small box from the car. I stride toward her and pull her into my arms, smothering her pretty face with kisses.

“Careful,” she says with a giggle. “You’ll squash the cherry pie.”

“Fuck, I missed you.” She’s only been gone a few hours, but it felt like forever.

“I missed you too.”

Lila beams at me and I lean in to kiss her, groaning against her plump lips. Then I wrap my arm around her and guide her into the warmth of the cabin. Middy greets us as we enter, meowing, and she purrs contentedly as we reach down to stroke her.

“Did you have a good day?” I ask Lila as we straighten up.

“Yeah, it was fun.” She smiles, pointing at the cherry pie. “Want a slice?”

“I’ll get it, princess.”

When Lila moved in with me, I told her she didn’t need to work. My parents left me a generous inheritance when they passed, and I make extra money from selling wood and produce, so there’s plenty to support us both. But she was eager to find something part-time, and Buttercup Bakery fit the bill. She’s always bringing home leftover sweet treats, and I know she loves working in Cherry Hollow. The town has carved out a special place in her heart.

In the kitchen, I cut us each a large slice of pie and carry it through to the living room. There’s nothing to indicate that there was once a tree poking through the ceiling in here. The cabin is as good as new. I was determined to make the place safer for Lila, and now it’s pretty much stormproof. Everything has been reinforced, and I chopped down a couple of trees that were within falling distance of the roof. Keeping my wife safe is all that matters to me, and since she’s been here, she’s made a few changes of her own to our cabin. Shelves line the walls, stuffed with romance novels of every kind. There’s also a large TV for Lila to watch her favorite romcoms. She’s made the whole place look cozy, filling it with blankets and cushions and warm décor. Now it feels more like a home than ever.

Lila thanks me when I hand her the pie, and I take a bite of my own, humming appreciatively. It’s sweet and flaky and so damn good.

“God, I love my job,” Lila says as she digs in. “Free cherry pie—what more could you ask for?”

I smile at her, suddenly reminded of the present I bought her this morning. “I got something for you, princess. Give me a second.”

I head to the bedroom and reach into the closet, pulling out the bag I hid there earlier. Back in the living room, I hand it to Lila, joining her on the couch.

“Thanks, Ridge,” she says, beaming as I hand it to her. I watch her eyes light up as she opens it, pulling out three new romance books.

“I skimmed through them in the store. Made sure there was plenty of smut.”

Lila laughs, her eyes dancing. “You know me so well.” She hugs the books to her chest and kisses my cheek. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome, princess.”

My heart squeezes at the happiness on her face. I love buying my wife books. Seeing her eyes light up is fucking intoxicating, and I head to the bookstore in Cherry Hollow every week looking for new titles that I think she’ll love.

“We might have to put up some bookshelves in the guest room,” she says with a chuckle. “I think we’re running out of shelf space everywhere else.”

The guest room is another new feature of the cabin. It used to be an empty room full of boxes, but I knew Lila wanted Audrey to visit, so I fixed it up and put in a bed. It turned out to be redundant. In a twist of fate, on one of her trips to visit us, Audrey met Weston, the owner of the vacation cabin. The rest is history. They fell in love and now live in their own cabin just a short drive down the mountain. Lila was ecstatic when she found out her best friend would be moving to Cherry Mountain, and they see each other all the time.

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