Page 82 of Twins for the Mountain Daddies

They’d drop everything, leave the only lives they’ve ever known, just to be with me.

A lump rises in my throat. “Why?”

Holt pulls back just enough to look me in the eye. “You already know why, baby.”

I don’t.

I do.

But I need to hear it.

Wyatt shifts behind me, his lips at my ear. “Because you’re ours.”

I suck in a breath.

Holt cups my face, his thumbs sweeping across my cheekbones, his voice soft but steady. “Because we love you.”

They love me.

Theyloveme.

And I—God, I love them too.

The words claw their way up my throat, fighting to get out. But I can’t say them. Not yet.

It feels too big, too terrifying, too impossible.

Instead, I fist my hands in Holt’s shirt and yank him down, crushing my mouth to his. He groans, his fingers digging intomy waist as he kisses me back. Wyatt’s hand tangles in my hair, tipping my head back as he drags his lips down my throat. “That’s a yes, right?” he murmurs against my skin.

I let out a breathless laugh.

“Yeah,” I whisper. “That’s a yes.”

Lily is practically bouncing with excitement when we come back inside, her bright eyes darting between me, Wyatt, and Holt like she’s trying to figure out which one of us is going to spill the juicy details first. She looks like a kid who’s just been told Christmas came early, and I can’t help but smile at her enthusiasm.

“So?” she demands, hands on her hips. “What happened out there?”

Mason laughs, ruffling her hair. “Let them talk in private, kiddo. Why don’t we head out to dinner?”

Lily rolls her eyes but grins. “Fine. But I want all the details later.”

Once they’re gone, I turn to Holt and Wyatt. They’re both watching me, and it’s impossible to miss the hopeful, slightly nervous looks on their faces.

I shake my head, fighting back a grin. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around all this. You really mean it? You’d leave the mountains and everything for me?”

Wyatt shrugs, like it’s the simplest thing in the world. “We mean it. But what we want to know is if you’re gonna leave us again.”

There’s no accusation in his voice, just genuine curiosity, and it makes me realize how much I owe them an explanation. I sink onto the couch, pulling a pillow into my lap like it’s some kind of security blanket.

“I left because I didn’t think you’d want me to stay,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. “I thought you’d be better off without me.”

Holt sits beside me, his knee brushing mine. “And why would you think that?”

I look down at the pillow, twisting it in my hands. “Because I’m a mess. Because I didn’t want you to get caught up in all the drama that comes with me. I was trying to protect you.”

Wyatt’s laugh is unexpected, and I glance up, confused. “City Girl, you’ve got it backward. We’re the ones supposed to be protecting you.”

I don’t know what to say to that. I don’t know how to explain that I’ve never had anyone care enough to protect me before. It’s always been me against the world, and I’m terrified of what it means to let someone else in.

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