Page 94 of A Montana Secret Admirer
He hooked a finger under her chin and crooned, “Serenity, look at me.”
Her eyes opened.
“There is no such thing.”
That brought a soothing laugh from her lips. “You say that now?—”
“I’ll say thatalways. Because I’m already head over heels for you. I’m in love with you, Serenity. Madly. Deeply.Allconsuming. You’re the only one for me, and I knew it from the moment I saw you.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “You couldn’t have possibly known that.”
He shook his head. “Believe what you must, but when I saw your smile for the first time, I knew you’d be mine one day.”
“Yours?” she whispered breathlessly.
“Mine,” he confirmed. “I’m done waiting. I’m done second guessing whether I should tell you how I feel or keep it bottled up. You need to know where I stand so you can be informed when I ask you to agree to be mine… not just today or for the next month or year. I want you to be mine forever.” He gestured toward the boys who were still sitting on the couch, watching them. “All of you.”
Her lips parted in surprise. “Are you asking me to…”
“If you’re not ready right now, I understand. But if you have even a fraction of the feelings for me that I have for you, then perhaps you’d consider thinking about marrying me.”
Serenity’s eyes darted to the boys. Of course, her attention would shift to them. They were her reason for living. He couldn’t even fault her for it.
“It’s okay, Mom,” Tegan said encouragingly, and Reese couldn’t help but wonder what had brought about that particular change, but he wasn’t going to take it for granted.
“Listen to the kid,” Reese whispered, drawing closer to her ear. “Marry me, Serenity.” He hadn’t planned on proposing to her when he’d arrived. It had just… happened. But now that it was out, he couldn’t deny just how right it felt. “Say you’ll be mine.”
He could see the goosebumps lift on her soft skin at his question. And her hesitation tugged at the last threads of sanity he seemed to be grasping. He’d put his heart on the line, and it had been utterly terrifying.
Then Serenity laughed. She placed her hands on either side of his face and stared into his eyes. With more conviction than he’d ever heard her speak before, she made him the happiest man alive.
“We’re all yours.”
EPILOGUE
“The countdown isin five minutes! This is not a drill!”
Serenity watched a woman dart through the crowd at the lodge then turned to exchange a grin with Reese.
He swept her into his arms, and his low voice hummed against her skin, causing a slew of goosebumps to appear.
The lodge was hosting a huge New Year’s event. There was food, music, and dancing. It was the perfect first big date for Reese and Serenity to spend together without her boys. There were so many people here that Serenity hadn’t caught sight of anyone she’d recognized, though she knew Wendy had come, as had a lot of Reese’s cousins.
It had only been a week since he’d insisted they were meant to be together. And it wasn’t until after she’d agreed to marry him that he’d spilled the good news.
He wasn’t leaving the state any time soon.
Looking back, Serenity couldn’t believe how much she’d stood in her own way. She could see now just how much she wanted tolet go and let Reese in. Their relationship still wasn’t perfect, but they were willing to work on communicating better.
Reese was getting better at voicing his needs, and she had allowed herself to find value in prioritizing herself. It was certainly easier now that Tegan was on board with the change. Every day, she sent a prayer of thanks that everything had worked out.
“Do you know what your New Year’s resolution is going to be?” Reese murmured.
She exhaled a soft breath. “No. Do you?” She could feel his smile against her cheek.
“Yes,” Reese drawled.
“Are you going to tell me?”
