Page 22 of The Mountain Man's Christmas Bride
“When—? How—?” My breath catches in my throat; I don’t know if I should be watching him or the plans, because if I look at what’s between us, my resolve might shatter, but if I watch him, I know I’ll only get my heart broken. “What does this mean, Rhett?”
“I knew the moment I saw you that you would be my future,” he says quietly, dark eyes finding mine. “When I brought you home that night, I thought about everything you told me, everything I’d learned about you. And I—” He swallows hard, throat bobbing, eyes shining with tears. “I put this together. A home. For you.”
He points to a small building that leads off of the laundry room. “You said you wanted to get into gardening. So, I thought a greenhouse might be nice. And here—” He points to a room inthe back. “Is the primary bedroom that looks over the mountain. And there are two more rooms, as well as my office. With space to expand if you want that. Maybe even a room for fostering kittens, or other animals...”
I feel like I’ve been crying nonstop for days, but this…
This breaks me.
This man who married me to protect me, who knew nothing about me before becoming my saviour—my hope for more—keeps showing me that I can be more than just the broken girl with the broken dreams. He keeps giving me reasons to allow that dream to survive.
“What’s wrong, princess?” he asks, voice tight—uncertain.
I blow out a shaky breath and tear my eyes off the blueprints. “You...you want to build a house...for me?” I ask, voice low. I don’t know if I should feed into the hope building within me. “And you bought me a truck…” My gaze flickers to the vehicle waiting in my driveway, slowly being covered in snow. “Why?”
The word comes out broken, and this time I don’t stop the tears from falling.
“I want to be the one to give you everything you have ever wanted, and I mean that with everything I have,” he murmurs, reaching between us to cup my cheek gently. “I love you, Sage. And I don’t mean to say that to scare you. I’m saying it because I need you to know that I’m all in. I want to take care of you. I want you to live on the mountain with me, in this cabin I’ve designed. I want you safe and happy and doing all of the things you love. I want to show you how wrong you’ve been and give you the children you’ve always wanted. I wantyou.”
The cracks in my heart feel deeper somehow, though as his words settle in the air, as I search his dark eyes for any sign that what he’s telling me is a lie, I feel them start to mend. “What if I’m too broken for all of that?” I whisper. “What if I can’t giveyouwhat you need?”
“You aren’t,” he replies softly. “And even if you are, I am too. But you’ve already started piecing me back together, Sage.”
I lift a hand and rest it on his chest, over the thundering beat of his heart. God, he feels real. Right. For a moment, while the snow falls around us, we’re silent. He doesn’t rush my answer.
But it’s an answer I’ve known since he saved me from Scott.
“I love you,” I whisper. “Rhett Hayes, I love you more than I ever thought possible.”
A shaky, relieved breath falls from his lips as he brings his forehead to mine. “I love you more, Sage Hayes. My beautiful, strong wife.”
ELEVEN
RHETT
When the guys at the construction company used to tell me about their wedding days, they used to warn me about the nerves. Some of them even second guessed their choices, wondering whether they were really doing what was right for them or if they were settling.
But none of that even sits in the back of my mind as I stare at the barn set up for the wedding to my wife. Seated are family and new friends; Sage’s only family is Delilah, who is her maid of honour, and over the last couple of weeks, I’ve become pretty good friends with Axel. His help building our new cabin has been monumental, so he stands beside me, baby River in the crowd.
The entire Sterling family sits in for the family Sage doesn’t have, filling the pews. Considering she’s their go-to vet now, it’s understandable that they’re showing their support for her. And sitting with them is another man from the mountain I’ve come to know well thanks to his contributions to my company. When I spot him with his girl, Lydia Sterling, he nods.
On my side, there are people I haven’t seen or spoken to since my brother and father passed. Thanks to Sage, I actually contacted them. Reconciled with family I thought hated me.
And now I have a band of cousins who are moving to Willow Ridge, planning to help me set up a branch here. These are men who are uplifting their lives to start something new.
The music swells, making my heart pound with anticipation. The barn doors open for Delilah in her deep green dress, which matches the green suit Axel wears. As she enters, everyone stands, from the Sterling clan all the way to the town locals who have become close friends, and our family.
As small as it is, we have one.
But it’s when Sage appears that everything else around me fades.
She’s stunning in her dress, as last minute a purchase as it was. It was one of the few traditions we wanted to keep, so seeing her for the first time in it absolutely takes my breath away. The bodice is simple, hugging her curves perfectly before tapering at her waist. The skirt is simple, flowing around her legs, moving like liquid with each step she takes and trailing behind her. She looks like the first snowfall with the puffy sleeves and trailing veil fitted into her strawberry-blonde hair.
My breath lodges in my throat at the first smile she gives me. The sight of her walking down the aisle is one I need to commit to memory.
Heart racing, I take a step towards her, moving into the middle of the aisle. And her smile only grows.
If this is what forever looks like, then I don’t ever want to leave this moment. This is everything I never thought I deserved, and she is everything I never thought I could have.
