Page 77 of Single Mom's Mountain Men
Surprise flashes on his face. "Seriously?"
"Seriously. If you promise to go slow."
"Scout’s honor."
I smile as I approach him. "You were never a boy’s scout, were you?"
"No, I was not." He winks and then helps me climb on.
But true to his word he does ride slowly. Still, there's some leftover terror that spikes as we begin winding up the mountain. I start out by clutching him tightly, burying my face in his back, but then eventually as we continue at that stable speed, I pull my face away to look, beginning to relax a little and starting to enjoy myself.
And what a sight it is.
We're on the edge of the mountain, on a narrow road overlooking stretches of green that melt into the sky that's now a kaleidoscope of blue, red, and orange. I stare at it for so long, because I can't believe it's real, I can't believe a sight like this really exists.
I could have lived my whole life without seeing this. If I'd never come here, I never would have seen such a beautiful scene.
And there’s just something about being on a bike, ascending a mountain, watching the sun rise that makes it allfeel tiny but also so profound at the same time. Nothing matters, but everything also matters.
And my problems are nothing in the grand scheme of things. I am just wind, breath and life.
I feel free.
I stretch out my arms, that feeling building inside me.
Then finally, a laugh bursts out.
CHAPTER 26
Wes
As Patty laughs behind me, a bird soars in my chest.
She’s having fun, the thought hits me with wonder. I don’t know what I expected asking Patty to come bike riding with me, but I didn’t expect her to loosen up this quickly and get into it. I actually thought she would be terrified at first, which is why I’ve been going slow and taking the bends nice and gently without gooning around like I usually do. Heck, I’m even going slower than Charlie usually does, being extra careful because I don’t want to hurt her accidentally or ruin this experience for her.
Oh, what Charlie would say if he could see me now.
So it took having a woman like Patty on your bike for you to finally take your life seriously?
Yes. That’s exactly what it took. I've never taken any other woman riding before. Maybe because instinctively, it's always felt like an intimate experience, something I would only share with that one person who owns my heart and soul.
And it turns out that person is Patty.
And as she continues to laugh behind me and hold her hands out to the sky, holding on just by the grip of herthighs, I just wish I could see her face. I want to know the expression that accompanies that happy sound of relief like she’s finally letting herself breathe for the first time. I want to kiss her grinning lips and taste her joy myself.
I just want her, and I want to make her happy for an eternity.
You know what that means right?A silky voice echoes in my mind.That means entanglements, stability, and all the things you've avoided for your whole life.
Except the idea of spending my life with one woman no longer seems as scary and restrictive as it once did. Instead, it feels natural, like a comforting conclusion of one stage of life and advance into another.
That's how you know it's love, my father once told me when I asked how he fell in love with my mother.When you find the right woman and you no longer want to tomcat around, when all you want to do is build a house for her and your children, and work every day to see her happy, that's how you know.
As we continue to climb she laughs again and this time I join in with a chuckle.
"Having fun?" I ask, and I feel her nod against my back. The air flutters her hair all around my face and her scent envelops me. With her hands back tight around my waist, I feel surrounded by her, my heart bursting with a brand new emotion I’ve never experienced before.
Love.
