Page 107 of Billionaire Lumberjack's Bargain

His arms slip around my belly, and he tugs me against him upright.

His lips trail down my neck to my collarbone. “God, Camille, that was incredible.You’reincredible.”

I laugh lightly at the compliment as I reach back and wrap my arms around his neck, threading my fingers through his thick, sometimes unruly hair that no doubt looks a hot mess after what we just did.

“You know I’ll always protect you, right?”

His question makes me stiffen slightly, and I glance at him over my shoulder. “Of course. Why are you asking me that?”

“Because I changed my mind.” He squeezes me gently, possessively. “I don’t want you to go. I thought it would be easier to know you were safe somewhere away from here. But honestly, the thought of letting you and Davey and Pops out of my sight when everything is so unclear actually means it would be the only thing Iwasthinking about.”

“So, you want us to stay?”

He nods, and my heart lifts. “I know this mountain better than I know myself. Every leaf, every tree, every stream, every inch of it is part of me, and knowing it that well is going to be what allows me to protect it and you better here.”

The sincerity of his words makes my chest ache.

I can see the benefits of both options.

If we go, we would be safe, at least temporarily, from whatever’s happening up here. But there is no guarantee there would be anything to come back to if we did leave. If we stay, Dalton has backup for whatever might be coming, and we’ll be on home turf.

“What do I have to do to get you to say yes?”

I press my lips to his cheek. “Nothing. You just did it. You promised you would take care of us and protect us, and I believe you.”

“That’s all I need to do?”

He sounds surprised, and I turn the best I can to see his face fully.

His eyes search mine, like he’s half-expecting me to change my mind. “You should want to go, Camille. You should want to take yourself and Davey somewhere that none of this can reach you.”

I shake my head, hating the darkness overtaking his gaze. “No. I want to be where I feel the safest. And that is withyou.”

He shivers against me, clutching me to him tighter, his hands settling over the expanse of my stomach. The way his eyes drift down to that spot, the sheer wonder and love in them, is enough to help assuage any fears I have that staying might be the wrong choice.

This is James Mountain.

This is his home.

This ismyhome.

And I won’t let anyone scare me away from it—even temporarily.

This little girl will be coming into the world soon, and I want it to be this one. With Dalton at my side, Pops watching our backs, and Davey running around the homestead free from the complications of life beneath the mountain.

If that means facing down the reality of what that slip of paper has brought to our doorstep, then so be it.

I’ve faced worse situations and won’t back down from this one.

ChapterSixteen

DALTON

The tiny scrap of paper easily fits in the palm of my hand, and the few hand-scrawled letters written on it might seem completely innocuous to anyone who doesn’t know what they mean.

A shitstorm is coming—all because of this minuscule piece of stationary.

Despite its diminutive size, it feels like a massive, heavy weight in my hand, a burden I now have to carry to protect this mountain and the people on it.

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