37
I bounce along in the passenger seat as Davis drives his truck behind the ranch and into the mountains. We bump along a rutted path in the green forest. Soon, our surroundings become familiar to me.
Eden.
The small cabin sits in the middle of a clearing. Dappled sunlight falls through the aspens onto the matted grass in front of the entrance. Off in the distance, the sound of Crybaby Falls.
I quirk a brow. “Davis Montgomery, you bring me up here for another quickie?”
A hint of a smile plays on his lips. “Not yet.” He leans over to unbuckle my seatbelt below my belly.
We get out of the truck and he slides his arm around my waist. I inhale the crisp spring air, let the bright sunlight bathe my skin.
Davis takes five paces from me to stand in front of the cabin. He looks down, frowns at something, picks it up, puts it in his pocket.
Gaze lighting on me, his face softens. “What about here?” he asks, spreading his arms.
“Here for what?”
“We build our home.”
I let out a strangled laugh. “What?”
“A place to live,” Davis says. “For me, you and Squish.” His boots crunch twigs as he wanders around the space. “I see a wraparound front porch here. And back here…a kitchen. As big and as messy as you want.”
Unable to speak, I bobble-head nod. Tears warm the backs of my eyes.
As if he knows I’m a hot mess of tears, Davis smiles and keeps talking. “Bedrooms. For friends and family. And this…” He stops at the corner of the cabin, a spot that overlooks a field of wildflowers. “This is our son’s room.”
My heart cracks open. Absolutely shatters.
I marvel as I stare at him in the late afternoon light. Handsome and hard, but soft and kind. I get to love this man. I can imagine me and Davis in the mornings, waking with the sun, a big eat-in kitchen with skylights, and a playroom for our son.
“What about the lodge?” I ask, my heart hammering.
“I’ll still be at the ranch. We’ll just have our own space.” His eyes trace over my face as he comes back to me. His hands go to the curve of my hips, my stomach. “What do you think, Koty?” Davis’s gruff voice betrays his nerves. “Do you like it? Could you make a home here?”
I slide my hands up his chest and smile. “Wherever you are is home, Davis. You just tell me where to plant roots.”
With a grin, Davis pulls me in for a mind-scrambling kiss.
A wave of joy blooms over me. The world is my oyster and I get to decide where to go from here.
And I choose Davis. A beautiful home with a man who never raises his voice or his hand.
A man who loves a child he didn’t make and has healed trauma he didn’t create.
This man is a miracle. He is my miracle.
Because of him, I found my voice again. Aiden can’t silence me. I can kiss Davis with wild abandon. I can laugh with my sister. Spend time with my father. Love my child. And I do love him. The biggest rope-the-moon love in the world, and for once I understand my mother.
I don’t forget or forgive, but I understand.
“We’ll build it as soon as we can.” Davis glances around the forest. “We might have to raise the baby in the lodge for a few months, but we’ll get it done.” He curses, and I swear I can see the long list of to-dos running through his laser-sharp brain. “I need to babyproof.”
I laugh, then kiss his scruffy cheek. “You’re going to be a wonderful father, Davis.”
He closes his eyes. “Koty—”
I hold on tighter to him. “Thank you for keeping me safe all these nights. Thank you for loving me. And him.”
A muscle in his jaw jerks. He looks down at my belly. Palms it. “We’ll make it official,” he says, his voice thick with emotion. “After he’s born.”
I nod. “Yes,” I whisper.
My son and I will live the great life we deserve with Davis Montgomery.
I cup his cheek, feeling the scratchy stubble beneath. “I love you,” I say, wrapping my arms around his neck and beaming up at him. “And I know I’ll love being your wife.”
“I love you, Cupcake,” Davis growls, his eyes misty.
I poke his chest. “Tonight, we tell my father.” Nerves crash over me, and I look at the ring glittering on my finger. “And I have to tell him I want The Corner Store.”
His big fingers fiddle with the dog tag around my neck. “You got this, Dakota.”
I laugh. “Am I crazy for taking on a bakery and having a baby?”
He chuckles. “No, because I’ll be right here with you.”
He kisses me again, then takes me by the hand. Halfway back to the truck, I stop and turn around. I survey the forest. Stare up at the bright spring sky. I used to think it overwhelming and frightening. But not anymore.
It’s wide and open, like my future.
I hold my stomach. Squish kicks.
A rustling has me looking off to the right. I see the flicker of the wolf’s tail and I smile.
Go , I think. Be free.
Because I am.