Page 163 of Stuck with my Mountain Daddies

“Don’t let fear make your choices for you.”

I carried those words with me all the way back to the truck.

Later that night, I stood in the kitchen at the Wolfe cabin, absently swirling a spoon through a mug of peppermint tea. My phone buzzed on the counter. Unknown number.

I almost didn’t answer.

I wish I hadn’t.

“Riley Brooks?” the voice said, too bright, too polished. “This is Amber Reyes from Vision7 Media. I know it’s been a minutesince we last touched base, but I wanted to say weloveyour brand. And now, with all the press swirling around your name, well…”

I gripped the counter.

“I’m calling with an offer,” she continued, like this was the most casual thing in the world. “It’s big, Riley. Think brand relaunch, think exclusive sponsorship deals, think your own unscripted docuseries. You, the baby, the scandal. America eats this stuff up. We’re talking prime slots. High budget. You’d be set for life.”

I stared out the window.

Snowflakes drifted gently over the porch where Beckett and Garrett were stacking firewood in the dark, their laughter faint through the glass. Asher walked by, saw me inside, and gave the barest nod.

Amber kept talking, oblivious. “We can fly you out to Hollywood in the new year. No pressure, but this is the kind of moment that turns everything around.”

“I’ll think about it,” I said quietly.

“Oh, Riley, this is everything you’ve ever wanted.”

She wasn’t wrong.

But as I ended the call and set the phone down, something twisted in my chest. Because once, thathadbeen true.

But now?

I looked down at my belly, at the little life growing inside me, and then back out the window to the men who’d become something I never thought I’d have.

A home.

I had a choice to make.

And this time, it was going to be mine.

CHAPTER FORTY

Garrett

There werethree things I hated: small talk, cameras, and pretending like everything was fine when it damn well wasn’t.

And yet, here I was, shirt tucked, beard trimmed, surrounded by fairy lights and folding chairs, acting like this was the sort of thing I did all the time.

And in the middle of it, thereshewas.

Riley.

She stood across the rec center, laughing with Lucy and Sadie, one hand unconsciously resting against her belly.

My kid.

Our kid.

No matter how much chaos the world tried to throw at us, that single truth had become my anchor.

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