Page 121 of Strung Along

My vision blurs as I lean in his embrace and turn my face into the collar of his jacket. His warmth is a welcome break from the wind, but it only makes me that more aware of the tears spilling down my cheeks and every shuddered exhale as I fight back a wave of sobs.

Brody doesn’t say anything else, not for a long moment, as Sky slows. I’m grateful for his silence. I’d be too overwhelmed if he tried to tell me much else. This is all so hard to understand. The man behind me is incredible. One I didn’t see coming until he was standing right in front of me with his cowboy hat, dirty boots, grease-stained fingernails, and gorgeous blue eyes.

Brody Steele was my biggest surprise but greatest blessing. The last piece to the puzzle that makes up my new life. And fuck, it’s a great life.

“Take a look around, sweetheart,” Brody whispers a few minutes later.

With a pitiful sniffle, I quickly dry my cheeks and face forward, taking in my surroundings. “Why are we at the salon?”

He leads Sky to the curb, and she stops just outside the front doors. The street is empty, nearly abandoned the way it usually is on a regular weekday. I’m sure the few people who decide to head out today will get quite a kick out of seeing Sky in Brody’s usual parking spot instead of his truck.

“I did a lot of thinkin’ in Nashville, Anna. About you and us and my career. And a fuck ton about the future.” He slides off Sky and drops to his feet. I stare down at him as he extends a hand. Taking it, I let him help me down. Once we’re face to face and on solid ground, he closes in on me, pressing me back against Sky’s solid weight. “Cherry Peak is your home. It was waitin’ for you all these years just like I was, and I want you to have everythin’ you’ve ever dreamed of here. With or without me, I want you to be the happiest you can be.”

“That sounds perfect to me, Brody. That’s all I want. I want you,” I declare on a thin exhale.

“You told me about your dreams once, and I haven’t forgotten about them. It’s only fair that if I get to live mine with you by my side, you get the same in return.”

“What are you talking about?” The question is weak, breathless as I grip his jacket in my fists to keep my fingers from shaking.

“I listed my house in Nashville for sale, and unless I’m tourin’ there, I don’t plan on goin’ back. Cherry Peak is my home, and it’s where I plan on stayin’ when I’m not in Calgary at the new Swift Edge office or on the road. I’ve already requested that you have the option to join me on tour whenever you want to, and I sure as fuck hope you do that often. There’s only one thing left now,” he says, his expression relaxed but eyes wild with excitement.

I watch as he glances behind me, at the salon, the place that took me in when I had nothing my first week in this town. With my heart in my throat, I twist, really looking at the building this time. The lack of the sign above the door has my mind moving in overdrive.

“It’s yours. All of it,” he tells me, sensing my confusion.

My jaw slacks as I spin back around and shake my head at him. “What do you mean it’s mine? Where’s Wanda?”

Brody peels my curled fingers from his jacket and takes them into his grip instead. I know I look like a shocked fool when he laughs loudly, the deep sound of it making my toes curl, even now.

“She’s headin’ to Toronto next month, sweetheart. I’ll leave the details as to why up to her to share, but this place was goin’ up for sale in her absence,” he explains. His eyes bounce between each of mine, searching them for something. “A friend warned me you might very well tell me to shove it and that Ishouldn’t have done this but that it was worth the risk. I’m havin’ a hard time tellin’ if you’re about to tell me just that.”

This time, despite my overwhelming feeling of disbelief, it’s my laugh that fills the street. I tip my head back and push up on my toes, kissing him softly just once before falling back on my heels. “I’m never going to be the woman who turns down a grand gesture, Brody. This is just the most unbelievably incredible thing anyone has ever done for me.”

He beams with pride. “Really? You mean that?”

“I do. I really, really do,” I promise. There’s no doubt in my mind that Brody is my forever. “I’ve never been more excited for anything than I am my future with you.”

One blink and I’m in his arms, safe and warm and loved. He breathes me in, and then we’re kissing, his taste exploding through me. We stand in each other’s embrace for minutes, hours, maybe. Time is nothing more than a figment of our imagination as our lips move and tongues intertwine.

I wouldn’t have believed it if someone told me three months ago that I’d be here right now. That this would be my life. But somehow, it is, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

EPILOGUE

BRODY

ONE MONTH LATER

Thistle and Thornis packed full of Cherry Peak residents. Young and old, loud and quiet, everyone mingles, indulging in the mutual excitement from a new business opening. Anna’s salon has been completely renovated inside, the walls painted a soft pink and the old furniture swapped for new colourful pieces. Wanda’s personality was so heavy in the space before Anna began making it hers, but now, a month later, you’d never know this place belonged to anyone but her.

My heart is triple its regular size as I take everyone in, witnessing their genuine awe and pride. It’s not every day we have a big party like this here, and everyone came out for it. To support Anna.

I’m instantly searching for her in the crowd, finding her tucked between Bryce, Poppy, and a woman who, while older, could be a spitting image of Anna. I start pushing through the crowd, smiling at those who turn to look at me on my way.

Poppy spots me first, wiggling her fingers and winking. I huff a laugh beneath my breath and step to Anna’s side, my armsliding around her waist on instinct. She twists in my hold to stare up at me, a perfectly elated grin tugging her lips.

“Hey, sweetheart,” I greet her for the second time tonight, kissing the top of her head.

She has her hair in a fancy twist and a deep blue dress hugging her body beneath a light-washed denim jacket. I don’t have to look at her feet to know she has her comfortable sneakers on, opting not to risk wearing a pair of heels after blistering up her heels in a new pair of cowboy boots yesterday. The memory of her with nothing but those boots on last night while I fucked her over the kitchen counter has me twitching in my jeans.

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