CHAPTER SIX
. . .
The early morning sun filtered through the bedroom windows. Layla stretched lazily; her body deliciously sore in all the right places from the previous night’s activities. Beside her, Finn stirred, his arm tightening around her waist as he nuzzled into the crook of her neck.
“Morning, beautiful,” he rumbled, his voice still thick with sleep.
Layla hummed in contentment, turning in his embrace to brush a kiss over his stubbled chin. “Morning, handsome.”
Finn’s fingers danced up the bare skin of her spine, igniting sparks of desire low in her belly. Layla arched into his touch, relishing the solid heat of him pressed against her.
“As much as I’d love to stay here in bed with you all day,” Finn murmured, his lips grazing her ear, “I have something else in mind for us today.”
Layla leaned back to study his face, one of her hands traveling over the hard muscular planes of his body. “Oh? And what might that be?”
He gave a low growl, moving into her touch. “How would you feel about hiking with me up the mountain? There’s something I want to show you.”
“A hike?” Layla arched a brow, fighting a smile. “And here I thought you intended to keep me naked and in your bed all day.”
Finn’s gaze darkened, his fingers flexing on her hip. “Don’t tempt me, woman. But trust me, this will be worth it.”
And really, how could she resist that face? Those eyes? With an exaggerated sigh of disappointment, Layla threw back the covers.
“Alright, mountain man. Lead the way.”
An hour later, they set off up the trail leading from Finn’s cabin, his pack filled with camera equipment and some supplies for the day. The morning air held a slight chill, but Layla knew the exertion of the hike would soon have her blood pumping.
Finn’s large hand enveloped hers as if reading her thoughts, his calloused palm warm and comforting against her own. “Cold?”
Layla shook her head, a smile playing about her lips. “Not with my own personal furnace beside me.”
“Glad to be of service.” Finn lifted their joined hands, brushing a kiss over her knuckles. The simple gesture, so sweet and unguarded, had Layla’s heart stumbling in her chest.
As they climbed steadily higher, the trail narrowing and growing rockier underfoot, they fell into companionable conversation. Finn finally opened up a little about his military service. He briefly shared about his last mission. She didn’t push him, knowing that, too, would happen when he was ready. Layla spoke of her mother’s plan for her. “She always had this vision for my life, you know?” Layla huffed as they navigated a particularly steep section of the trail. “The perfect house, the perfect husband, the perfect society life.”
She shook her head ruefully. “Joke’s on her, I guess. Turns out her perfect daughter is more at home traipsing through the woods than attending garden parties.”
Finn’s hand tightened around hers, his thumb rubbing soothing circles over her knuckles. “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with knowing your own mind, with wanting something different than what others expect of you.”
His words, spoken with such quiet conviction, settled deep in Layla’s chest. She thought of Finn, of the strength it must have taken to have to walk away from the life he’d had.
“You’re one to talk,” she teased gently, bumping her shoulder against his. “The big bad military man, living off the land like a mountain monk.”
Finn chuckled, but there was an edge to it, a tightness around his eyes that had Layla instantly regretting her glib remark. She opened her mouth to apologize, but Finn was already speaking.
“After my last tour, I just...I couldn’t go back to that life. Couldn’t pretend to be the same man who’d left, you know?” He blew out a heavy breath, his gaze fixed ahead on the trail. “I’d seen too much, done too much. The things we had to do over there, the things I saw...”
He trailed off, jaw working as he visibly struggled for words. Layla’s breath seized at the raw anguish evident in every line of his rugged face. Acting on instinct, she tugged him to a stop, turning to face him fully.
Layla forced Finn to meet her eyes. The pain she saw swimming there made her eyes sting with unshed tears.
“I’m so sorry, Finn. I shouldn’t have said that, not so callously.”
Finn’s large hands came up to cover hers, his thumb stroking over the delicate skin of her wrist. “It’s okay, Layla. You couldn’t know.”
“But I want to,” she insisted, holding his gaze intently. “I want to know you, Finn. The good, the bad, all of it.”
Something flickered in Finn’s expression, vulnerable and achingly hopeful, before he leaned down to capture her lips in a searing kiss. Layla sighed into the contact, sinking into the solid strength of his embrace.
When they finally broke apart, both breathing heavily, Finn rested his forehead against hers. “You’re something else, Layla Goldilocks. You know that?”
Layla grinned, swiping playfully at his chest. “You’re not so bad yourself, mountain man.”
With another hard kiss to her smiling mouth, Finn laced his fingers back through hers and set off again. They continued in comfortable silence, the only sounds the crunch of their boots against the dirt and the distant cry of a hawk flying overhead.
Layla couldn’t help but steal glances at Finn’s chiseled profile, admiring the way the dappled sunlight through the trees played over the angles and planes of his handsome face. The worst of the storm had passed sometime during the night, just as he’d said it would. She couldn’t decide if she was relieved or not.
God, how was it possible to feel so much for someone in such a short amount of time? To ache at the very thought of leaving his side?
Because that was the reality, wasn’t it? This thing between them, this soul-deep connection, was born of stolen moments out of time. But Layla had a life waiting for her back in the city, responsibilities and expectations that couldn’t be shirked. As much as she longed to just say ‘screw it’ and hide away in Finn’s strong arms forever, she knew it wasn’t possible.
As perceptive as ever, Finn seemed to sense her thoughts’ melancholy turn. He pulled her closer to his side, dropping a kiss to the top of her head.
“Almost there,” he murmured. “Just up ahead.”
They crested a small rise, and Layla’s smiled at the sight spread out before them. A small, grassy plateau dotted with early summer wildflowers stretched to the edge of a sheer granite cliff face. But what lay just beyond was what she knew Finn had brought her to see.
There, not fifty yards away, was a family of wolves. His wolves. Two adults. One with a dark pelt the other a light grey, almost silver. They lounged on a rocky outcropping while two pups tumbled and played.
“Oh my God,” Layla breathed, hardly daring to move lest she shatter the magical scene. “Finn, they’re incredible.”
Pride and quiet satisfaction shone on Finn’s face as he removed his ever-present camera from around his neck. “I wanted you to see them. To share this with you.”
Tears pricked the backs of Layla’s eyes at the simple sincerity of his words, at the weight of offering her this glimpse into a world so personal to him. Blinking rapidly, she followed Finn’s lead and crouched behind a scrubby juniper bush, never taking her eyes from the wolf family.
They simply watched for long, wonderstruck moments. Finn occasionally lifted his camera to snap a photo when one of the animals paused in a shaft of sunlight, and the pups’ antics proved too adorable to resist.
Layla didn’t think she’d ever tire of seeing Finn like this - in his element. Seeing the reverence for the untamed beauty around them. Her heart swelled, full to bursting with the unfamiliar rush of emotion.
Was this what falling in love felt like? Falling, straight from head to heart to core? It frightened her a bit how badly she wanted to just embrace it, propriety and reality be damned. But her mother’s small, insistent voice of duty and expectation held her back.
All too soon, Finn gently touched her elbow, an apology already forming on his full lips. “We should probably start heading back. I’m afraid the rain will start again and I don’t want you getting caught in it.”
Layla tamped down on the keen sting of disappointment, knowing he was right but loath to burst the magical little bubble they’d created together on this mountainside. Finn understood her reluctance. He didn’t want the day to end either. Tucking a flyaway strand of hair behind her ear, he dipped to brush a soft, lingering kiss over her mouth.
“I know, Goldilocks. I’m not ready for it to end either.” He gave her another kiss, this one deeper. “But, if we go back to the cabin, I’ll make good on my promise.”
“Oh? What promise was that?” She smiled up at him, her breath catching as he pulled her to him, his body already hard.
“That I’ll keep you in my bed.”
“All day?”
The word forever was on the tip of Finn’s tongue but he knew it wasn’t the time. Not quite yet. “And all night.” His mouth came down on hers, hard and hungry. She tasted so damn good he knew he’d never get his fill of her.
After a moment, Finn pulled back just far enough to rest his forehead against hers. There was a hint of ruefulness in his half-smile. “What do you say? We can come back tomorrow, maybe spend the night in the great outdoors?
“Mmm,” Layla thought a moment. “Could we do more of a glamping experience? Maybe an air mattress and raid your junk food stash?”
Finn laughed. The first genuine laugh he’d had in a while. “Yeah, I think I can make that happen.”
“Then I think that sounds just about perfect, mountain man.”
They started back down the mountain, taking their time. Finn showed her a few special spots where he’d captured the images of other wildlife. He couldn’t wait to get her back to the cabin and make love to her again. He wanted her so badly. His body burned for her.
But as they neared his cabin, those instincts that had saved his ass a time or two in the military rose fast and furious. He stopped abruptly.
“Hey, now, don’t you have brake lights, big man?” Layla laughed as she almost ran into his broad back. She put her hands out to steady herself, feeling the tense muscles of his back. “Finn? What is it?”
Her first thought was that maybe that big male wolf had followed them. She looked around in alarm but saw nothing.
“We’ve got company.” His voice was low and harsh.
“What?” She stilled, and when she did, she could hear the approaching vehicle. They were still too far away to see the road leading to his cabin.
“Come on.” He grabbed her hand and started to move again. Layla held on tight, following him. He came to another abrupt stop in a few more yards. Now, the road was visible.
Dread coiled in her chest. “That’s my mother’s car.”
Finn stood still as a statue, all sorts of scenarios running through his mind. The one at the forefront was him picking Layla up and carrying her back up the mountain where they would never find her.
She was his.
He’d known the moment he’d seen her in his shower, her curves on full display.
Damn, but he loved this woman. His hand tightened around hers. She squeezed it back. He turned toward her. “We can go back up the mountain and wait until they leave.”
Layla’s mouth curved into a small smile. She placed her hand on his jaw, feeling the muscles tick there. “Thank you for offering, but it’s time I faced the music.”
Finn gave that slight huff of a laugh that she’d come to know so well. “Well, as long as it’s not the wedding march.”
Layla’s stomach churned as they made their way to his cabin. As they neared, Layla caught bits and pieces of what seemed like a heated conversation between her mother and Randall. She had to smile then. It looked as if Randall was losing the argument.
“Stay behind me, Layla.” Finn approached the couple first.
“Who the hell are you?” her mother demanded. “Where’s my daughter.”
Layla’s brow rose. She rarely heard her mother curse.
“I’m right here, Mom.” Layla stepped out from behind Finn. “What are you doing here?”
“What am I—Layla, have you lost your mind?” Her mother threw up her hands. “Running off on your wedding day? Staying with some…some mountain man?”
“Mother,” Layla began when she was interrupted by Randy stepping forward.
“Get your things,” he ordered, his expression sneering as he looked at her dressed in Finn’s oversized flannel shirt. “This behavior will not be tolerated when we are married.”
“Tolerated,” Layla began before Finn gently pushed her back behind him. He crossed his arms, biceps flexing impressively. Randy took a step back.
The older woman recognized the stubborn set of her daughter’s jaw and attempted to defuse the situation. “Sweetie, we can forget this ever happened.”
Layla shook her head. “I’m not ready to go home yet, Mom. I will. But not just now.”
Her mother looked from her to Finn and then shook her head. “Layla, please, be reasonable. You have your whole life waiting for you. A good man who loves you.”
Layla barked a humorless laugh. “Randy doesn’t love me. He loves the idea of me. Of who he thinks he can turn me into.”
Her mother pressed her lips together. “I just want you to be happy.”
Randy made a disgusted noise. “This is ridiculous. Layla, get your things. We’re leaving.”
Finn stepped forward, putting himself right in Randy’s face. “No, you listen.” His voice was low and deadly. “Layla is mine. Do you understand that? I want all of her. Her beautiful curves, her sass. Her snark. Her uncompromising, stubborn attitude. Even,” he turned and looked at Layla. “Even if I have to share my sour cream and onion potato chips.”
“Oh, Finn.” Layla launched herself into Finn’s arms. “Do you mean that? Because I love you. I really do.”
Finn closed his arms around her, holding her as tight as he could. “I know, baby. I love you, too. You are more than I deserve.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she promised. “You’re stuck with me now, mountain man.”
Finn’s lips curved up in the beautiful smile he had. “Promise?”
“Promise,” Layla leaned in to kiss him, sealing the vow with lips and tongue. “No more running for either of us. We do this together, come what may. Deal?”
Finn’s answer was a kiss, long and slow and achingly sweet. It tasted like hope and new beginnings.
Like forever.
“Um, I hate to break this up…” A soft voice interrupted them along with the slam of a car door. Her mother stood there but Randall had gone to the car where he sat sulking like a teenager.
Layla blinked back tears as her mother stepped forward to pull her into a hug. “Be happy, baby girl,” she whispered fiercely.
Layla laughed, hugging her back. “I will. I promise.
Her mother turned to Finn, jabbing a finger at him. “You take care of my girl, you got that?”
Finn nodded solemnly. “With everything I have.”
With a final nod, Layla’s mother turned on her heel. She opened the car door and looked back at them over her shoulder. Her gaze me Finn’s. “Be good to my daughter. All I ever wanted was for her to be happy.”
Finn and Layla watched as she got into her car and drove away. Layla turned to Finn, a somewhat dazed expression on her face. “Did that really just happen.”
Finn nodded his head. “Apparently, your mother is full of surprises.”
“That makes two of you. Did you mean what you said?”
Finn’s gaze went molten, his hands pulling her back into his arms. “Yes, Layla Bryant, aka Goldilocks, I meant every word. You. Are. Mine. Forever.”
EPILOGUE
Months later
The muted click of Layla’s heels echoed through the airy gallery space as she flitted from photograph to photograph, making minute adjustments. Each image showcased a slice of mountain life - towering evergreens weighted with snow, a majestic bull elk caught in a shaft of golden light, mist rising off a still pond at dawn.
She had opened another gallery a month after she’d moved to the mountain, moved in with Finn. It had taken a little more heart-to-heart conversations, but he’d finally agreed to allow her to show his pictures. He’d also let her look at the brilliant pictures he’d taken during his time in the military. The warzones, natural disasters. The people.
Strong arms wrapped around her from behind, hands coming to rest on the swell of her belly. “You’ve outdone yourself,” Finn murmured, pressing a kiss just below her ear.
She leaned back against him with a contented hum. “Thank you. But I’m only showcasing the real talent.”
She turned in his arms, looping her own around his neck. At eight months pregnant, it was a bit of a stretch. “You are also an incredible partner. A loving husband. And soon to be the world’s most amazing father.”
Finn’s whole face softened as he gazed down at her. “I can’t wait to meet our little one.” His hand drifted over her stomach in a reverent caress.
“The best decision I ever made was hiking up all that satin and tulle and running up your mountain. You are my home, Finn. My heart.”
“And you are mine.” He captured her lips in a tender kiss, pouring all his love and devotion into it. “You about ready to head home?”
Home. Their home. His cozy cabin in the woods. A place where Layla woke up every morning wrapped in Finn’s arms and went to sleep every night with his heartbeat in her ear.
It was everything she’d never dared to dream of—and so much more. The runaway bride and the mountain man. Who would have thought?
Impulsively, Layla threw her arms around Finn’s neck and buried her face in his throat. He smelled like he had that first day—like pine and earth, comfort and safety.
“More than.” She hugged him tight. “Take me home, Finn.”
As they drove home, Layla thought she’d never been more grateful for the thunderstorm, sour cream and onion potato ships, and one fateful dash up the mountain.