Page 180 of Forever To Me

I chuckle. “What, did you think I was luring you out here to leave you for the coyotes?”

She shrugs and gives me a smirk. “Maybe.”

I laugh, nudging Maximus closer until our knees bump in the saddles. “I told you, you're stuck with me, Red.”

She smirks, tilting her head. “Is that right?”

I grin, shaking my head, but damn if it’s not true.

We ride for a while, just the two of us, the golden light filtering through the trees, the scent of wildflowers, and warm earth filling the air. When we reach a stretch of open field, I tug the reins, slowing Maximus, and reach out, catching Stormy’s bridle and pulling her close.

Violet frowns, confused. “What are you?—”

But before she can finish, I lean in, capturing her lips in a slow, deep kiss, the kind that steals my breath from my chest.

She sighs against me, her hands fisting in my shirt, and for a second there’s nothing else.

Just her and me and this place that feels like home.

When I pull back, she blinks, a little breathless. “Wow.”

I smile. “I love you.”

Her cheeks are pink, her smile soft, “I love you, too."

I grin, clicking Maximus forward. “C’mon. We’re almost there.”

The hills roll out ahead of us, stretched wide under the open sky. The warm breeze tugs at her hair, loose strands escaping from her high ponytail, and I can’t stop looking at her.

She catches me staring. “What?”

I smirk. “You just look real pretty.”

She laughs. “Thanks, Asher. You're kinda pretty yourself.”

We ride side by side, slow at first, just taking it in—the way the sky shifts from bright blue to that soft, glowing orange, theway the wind moves through the grass, the way she smiles at me when she thinks I’m not looking.

And for a while, we don’t talk.

Riding together, spending time together, just like we’ve done before, I’m about to ask her to spend the rest of her life with me.

And damn if that doesn’t make this ride the most important one yet.

The wildflowers stretch out ahead of us, a sea of color against the green of the hills.

Violet gasps, pulling Stormy to a stop. “Asher.”

I stop beside her, watching her take it in.

Her breath catches. “This is beautiful.”

I study her face, the way her eyes light up, the way the wind catches her hair, the golden light making her look like something out of a damn dream.

She’s the beautiful part.

I slide off Maximus, looping the reins over a fence post, then turn to help her down.

Her hands land on my shoulders, her body sliding against mine, and for a second, I forget what I’m supposed to be doing.

---