Page 105 of Give Me Forever Love

“What’s up, Roadhouse?” I say. He stops and his eyes jump to me.

He breathes hard, his lips turning up a tad. He removes his gloves and tosses them onto a bale of hay.

“What are you doing up?” he asks, grabbing a towel that’s hanging over a stall door.

“Woke up and you were gone, so I came to find you.”

He wipes his face and the back of his neck before hooking the towel over his shoulders.

“Couldn’t sleep?” I ask.

“Nah.” He takes a seat. “Come here,” he says. My feet move without me telling them to, and once I reach my husband, he grabs me and pulls me onto his lap. He’s sweaty, but I don’t care. He’s sexy, too, and that has me squirming.

“Where’s everyone?” I ask.

“I told them to take the day. I wanted some alone time out here. It’s been a while.” He holds on to my hips, and it turns me on thinking those hands were just beating the shit out of the bag that hangs in the center of the barn.

I know Bryce is trouble wrapped into a beautiful package. I know a lot of people turn away from darkness, but honestly, it’s his darkness that pulled me in. We both have something inside of us that was made from hard times. It’s inked into our souls, never fading no matter how weathered. And it’s what makes us work. We understand one another.

His eyes look from mine to my lips. I put the baby monitor down beside us. “Did you have a good workout?” I ask softly.

“Yeah,” he replies, his voice deep and chill-inducing. He kisses me, gently at first, just our lips touching as we breathe each other in. “How’s our baby?”

“Dreaming,” I reply. I move my hand to his neck, feeling his pulse beat under my finger as I run it over the freckle there. He grows hard, and I move my hips.

“Do you want me?” he asks.

“Always,” I reply, unashamed at how much.

When I first saw this man, I felt my world shift.

When I caught his smile, I felt my heart beat, and

when I saw his soul, I felt mine awaken. Because it knew. Finally…we were home.

The end…

Epilogue

(Five years later)

Kathrine

“Rylee, come on,” I say as she runs and spins her dress.

“Mama, my dress is so pretty, look,” she says in her cute little voice.

“I see, but you don’t need to lag behind.”

She shrugs and catches up to us. I look over at Claire who grins. “She’s just like you.”

I roll my eyes. “Too much like me.” Rylee is growing quickly. She’s a free spirit and has her daddy wrapped around her finger. Teenage years are going to be hell. Thank God we’ve got a while.

I smile up at my husband as I walk beside Claire and Austin with our two little ones in front of us. Rylee reaches out and shoves Axel.

“Mama, Ry hit me,” he says, looking back at Claire.

“Rylee, what have I told you about hitting?” I scold her just as Bryce swoops her up. She giggles.

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