The Sweetest Taboo (A Modern Vintage Romance)

Chapter 35

Icouldn”t move. I heard her say future wife and daughter, and the joy that burst inside me had frozen me on the spot as I stood on the porch of the main house.

One of the ranch hands had told me that Ace and Isha had gone into the main house, and when I saw Caitlyn”s SUV, I panicked. I never expected that Isha would handle my sister-in-law quite so well.

Future wife and daughter! Fucking hell. I”d just hit the goddamn jackpot.

I walked in after the initial shock tempered. I came up behind Isha and put my hands on her shoulders, and dropped a kiss on her hair.

”Caitlyn,” I murmured.

I sat down next to Isha, took her cup from her, and sniffed. I took a sip of her drink, and handed it back to her.

The three of us were on one couch while Caitlyn was standing. It was us against her. I liked it. I also liked that Ace and Isha were a united front.

”I don”t want my kids spending time with her—”

”My daughter,” I interrupted her. I felt Isha stiffen, and I squeezed her shoulder, letting her know that I”d heard, and I was happy as fuck.

”Really?” Caitlyn”s eyes flared with fire.

”Yeah.”

”This will not end well, Rowan.” Caitlyn narrowed her eyes.

”It”s going to end just fine,” he remarked.

”I”ll make my father pull out of the land deal,” she threatened.

”Hurts him more than it does me. He”s gettin” ready to retire. And the land ain”t worth that much since I already bought his herd and the land that had any value. What”s left…he can keep…if he can afford the property taxes.” I stretched out lazily, holding Isha.

How lucky could a man get? I had a family. I had with me the woman who had my whole heart and a baby girl who owned my soul.

”Ace?” Caitlyn turned to her husband.

”Caitlyn, let”s talk through lawyers and figure this out.” He got up and went to stand in front of his soon-to-be ex-wife.

”You want a divorce?” she asked shakily.

”Don”t you?”

”No.”

”Yes, you do. I”ll make it worth your while.”

”What”s that supposed to mean?”

”That means I”ll pay whatever you want, Caitlyn,” Rowan interjected. ”As long as you don”t mess with the girls.”

”They”re my daughters,” she sneered.

”And I can prove to any judge that Rowan, the nanny, and hell, even I have put those girls to bed more often than you have. While you”ve been traveling, we”ve been raising the girls.” Ace didn”t sound angry, just calm and resigned. I felt bad for the guy, but I was happy he”d be rid of Caitlyn”s poison.

”This is Montana, Caitlyn, you think I don”t have every fucking judge here on speed dial and owing me favors?” I warned.

”This isn”t over,” she yelled as she marched out of the house.

”It kind of is,” Ace breathed.

Isha and I walked back to my place in silence. I wanted to say five hundred things to her, but I didn”t want to rush her. There was no hurry. They were mine, my girls.

We stepped into the house, and pulled her into my arms, kissed her like I hadn”t fucked her into the mattress just a few hours ago.

”Future wife?” I asked when I was able to let go of her mouth.

”Ah…I got carried away. She pissed me off.”

”So, you didn”t mean it?”

”I…well, you have to ask, Rowan.”

I smiled. ”Yeah?”

”Yes.”

I kissed her nose. ”I will.”

She swallowed. ”So….” She extricated herself from me and went to stand by the lit fireplace. ”Ah…I”ll sell my place, and since housing is cheaper here, maybe…I….”

I turned her around to face me. ”You”re living with me. You and Flora. How could you think otherwise?”

”I didn”t, but I can’t just ask you if we can move in with you.”

”Why the fuck not? I set up this house so you could.”

She sighed. ”I”ll have to figure out a job and…I don”t know how long that”ll take. I have savings and—”

”I have a few billion…I mean, a lot of it is not liquid, but I have plenty of that, too. We”ll be fine.”

”I can”t live off you.”

”Sure, you can.”

”Rowan.”

”I need you to think about two things while I figure out how best to propose to you. That should give you a few weeks to get used to the idea.”

”Good lord, you can be so bloody patronizing.”

I kissed her again, feeling like the king of the fucking world. Holy fuck, Isha was mine.Flora was mine.

”I”d like to get married next summer, and I want to do it here on the ranch,” I informed her.

”We”ll see,” she muttered.

”And once we”re married, I”d like to adopt Flora.”

Her mouth went slack, and her eyes filled with tears. ”You can”t say things like that.”

”Why?”

”Because…bloody hell, Rowan, because….” She banged her head against my chest gently. Finally, she looked up, tears streaming down her face. ”Because it makes me love you more.”

”Then I”ll keep saying things like that.”

”You promise?”

I smiled at the love of my life and said, ”Yeah, baby, I do.”