Page 20 of Her Mountain Man Outlaw
“I’m so glad you’re here to share this with me, sugar,” I tell her hoarsely. “Means a lot that you and Ruby get to meet.”
Sophia smiles, her pretty brown eyes glistening. “It means a lot to me, too. I’m so happy for you both. You deserve to be reunited.”
Fuck, she’s so perfect.
What did I ever do to deserve this angel?
“I love you so much,” I murmur.
“I love you too, Maddox. More than anything.”
EPILOGUE
SOPHIA
The snowstorm outside is muffled,a quiet roar encircling our cabin. It’s well below freezing out there, but in here, it’s warm and toasty. I lean back in the armchair by the fire, my hand resting lightly on Holly’s tiny back. She’s curled up on my chest, her chubby fist grasping my shirt as she sleeps.
The front door opens with a creak, Maddox stepping in out of the cold. He keeps his footsteps quiet, closing the door silently before turning to me. Despite his natural scowl, my husband’s face melts when he sees us.
“Hey, beautiful,” he murmurs, bending down to kiss me. Then, he brushes the pad of his thumb over Holly’s plump cheek, careful not to wake her. “I love walking in and seeing you two all curled up together. It’s so damn cute.”
I grin at him. “Not as cute as when she falls asleep on you.”
Nothing could have prepared me for the first time I saw our tiny baby curled up on Maddox’s giant flannel-covered chest. I was almost hyperventilating from the adorableness.
“She’s so tiny,” he says, running a hand over Holly’s back in awe. “Still can’t believe she’s ours.”
“I know…it’s surreal.”
It’s been three months since we brought Holly home from the hospital, but it feels like only yesterday. My husband spent most of my pregnancy working on our cabin, extending it to add a nursery and three more rooms at the back.
“How many babies do you think we’re having?” I asked him jokingly at the time.
“We’re gonna have a big brood, sugar. You just wait and see.”
I didn’t really believe him, but now that Holly is finally here in our arms, I already want to give her a brother or sister.
“You want something to drink, sugar?” Maddox asks now, straightening up. “Hot chocolate?”
“Thanks, that sounds good. I should really get up, though.”
“Want me to put Holly in her crib?”
I nod, pressing a soft kiss on our baby’s head. “I’ll come with you.”
Maddox lifts our daughter carefully off my chest, carrying her into the nursery. I follow, my heart melting as he sets Holly in her crib. He hushes her as she stirs, her limbs twitching. She opens her tiny rosebud mouth, and a sleepy whimper escapes. Then she relaxes, sprawled out on her back like a little starfish.
Our sweet girl.
My chest swells with so much love it almost hurts. I can’t believe we made something so precious. Maddox and I stare down at her for a few moments, watching her sleep. Then he takes my hand, brings it to his mouth and kisses it.
“She’s perfect,” he says. “Just like her mom.”
I smile at him, and with one last look at our sleeping baby, we head out of the nursery. Maddox heads into the kitchen and brings me a hot chocolate. It’s topped with marshmallows and cream, just how he always makes it. The way he used to make it for Ruby when she was a kid.
Maddox’s sister has become one of my best friends in the years since we met. She ended up marrying a mountain mancalled Ivan and moving into his cabin just a couple of miles away. Ivan is the man I used to buy firewood from before I met Maddox, and he likes to joke that he brought us together. Heck, he’s not wrong. If he hadn’t been out of firewood that night, I never would have traveled up the mountain to Maddox’s firewood stand. It was a small decision that changed my life forever.
My husband settles on the couch beside me, wrapping a protective arm around my shoulders. The years have been kind to Maddox. He’s aging like fine wine, every wrinkle and gray hair only serving to make him look more rugged and handsome. I still get butterflies when he fixes me with those icy blue eyes.
