Chapter 25
twenty-five
Sloane
The moment I’m placed down, it becomes a flurry of haste—both of us scrambling to remove the other’s clothes first. Gage, fueled by eagerness, tears my clothes at the seams, promising to get me new ones—but right now, I don’t need that kind of promise.
I just want to be with him—feel him all around me.
He places me on the bed and takes his time, kissing along my neck, mapping my body with his strong hands. Despite having done this before, it feels as if he’s relearning my body—discovering new things he’s dying to explore.
He slows his eagerness into a sudden patience that leaves me aching for the intensity we had earlier—not to torture me, but to memorize this moment. Because even though we’ve done this before, this time is different.
I feel it in the way he covers me with his mouth—how he seeks me out, grounding me as he gives me immense pleasure. I feel it in the way he looks up at me between my legs, meeting my gaze with heated desire. He doesn’t stop even after I’ve come undone on his tongue—not that I want him to.
He finds me and kisses me deeply, still tasting of myself on his lips. It sends a renewed need through me—one that demands we keep going.
I flip him over on his back, fueled by how he takes care of me and wanting to offer that same pleasure.
Watching his eyes screw shut as I take hold of him, working his need from him, is something I could never grow tired of.
His groans—and his hands gripping my hair as I use my mouth and tongue to tease out his need—will be a memory I replay again and again.
He hardens, threatening to let go—but Gage pulls me back to his level, that animalistic pull taking over as he flips me onto my back, reclaiming control.
He places my hands over my head and nips at my neck, gently, before covering my breasts with more bites, far less gentle.
I moan into the room as he pushes inside me, breaking that barrier at last. He thrusts deep and slow at first, finding a rhythm filled with a mix of love and pure ecstasy. I don’t want him to hold back, but our confession shifts everything—making this more passionate than hungry.
“Gage,” I whisper as he hits the spot I crave. He groans into my neck, pressing deeper and picking up his speed.
“Sloane, damn it—you’re perfect. So perfect,” he says, and chills race down my spine. I’ve never heard him say anything like that before—especially not to me.
I grip his face in my hands as he continues to thrust into me. Our breathing has gone erratic, and sweat has created a sheen across our foreheads.
“You love me?” I ask as he holds my gaze.
“Yeah, I love you. I love you so much,” he replies.
I nod, smiling through the impending climax that is just on the horizon.
“And I’m yours?”
He groans deeply as I feel myself getting closer, no doubt trapping him inside and squeezing him. “You’re mine. No one else’s,” he says, his voice dropping deeper—laced with a warning for anyone who would dare try to take me from him.
It’s hot.
And it sends me over the edge—but as much as I want to close my eyes and succumb to the pleasure, I don’t.
I keep my eyes on him, watching as he’s overtaken by his own climax—and it’s a beautiful sight.
He slides off me and gathers me into his arms as he catches his breath. “If I get to do that for the rest of my life, I think I’ll die a happy man,” he says. I laugh, kissing his chest as my fingers trace along it.
“Well, it took you long enough to realize what a good thing this could be,” I reply as he takes a deep breath, his hand covering mine, stilling it before lacing our fingers together.
“I didn’t want to admit I needed you,” he says, and I look up to meet him.
“I got so used to good things not happening to me that I thought this was just how life worked. Then you came along and challenged everything I knew, and it was terrifying to realize it wasn’t just that I wanted you—but that I needed you. ”
It’s a completely out-of-character moment for him, and yet he’s opening his soul to me.
“I need you, too.”
He shakes his head. “Nah, you don’t need me.” He pauses. “You don’t need anyone. You’re strong—independent, smart, and everything I’m not. And that’s exactly why I know I need you. I’m better because of you,” he says, and this time it’s my turn to disagree with him.
“Maybe I am all those things, but I do need you,” I tell him, placing my hand on his cheek and rubbing his stubble.
“I need you because life feels simpler with you. It may not always be easy, but being out here—when things finally started getting better—made me realize I could see myself here, happy,” I admit, without going into full detail on my plans.
He takes my hand in his, bringing it to his lips to kiss it gently.
The gesture is tender and so different from the man I first knew. Little by little, I’ve watched him grow into who he is today, and while he still has work to do, this alone is a huge step.
“I promise to find ways to keep you happy,” he says.
I smile softly. “And I promise to remind you that I’ll always be here for you when you need me most,” I reply. He smiles back and leans down to kiss me deeply.
When he pulls away, I already miss him—but at least I know I won’t have to miss him for long.
***
By morning, we’re both well-rested, but Gage decides to skip over ranch duties so we can talk about our newfound partnership.
The relationship thing isn’t the only new development in our lives—we’re both owners of this ranch now, which means we need to come together and work out real solutions to keep it flourishing.
The last thing either of us wants is to deal with the same crap every decade, just from different entities.
We need foolproof plans.
Gage sets up the horses and helps me hop on mine, supporting my ass as he does it. I’m quite sure he uses it as an excuse to touch it—forgetting, for a moment, that he can touch it whenever he wants now.
He hops up and swings his leg over with ease, and we set out for the pasture together. It’s a slow trek down the hill and out the far side—a quiet morning ride filled with peace and the relief of things finally falling into place.
“So, I know we talked about our feelings and I told you about the ranch, but you never did tell me your plans for when you come out here permanently,” he says—and the only reason we didn’t discuss it last night was that we got a little sidetracked.
“What—you don’t want me to work on the ranch?” I tease—and he looks over at me, shocked, causing me to laugh. I decide to answer before he can embarrass himself with an attempt to cover up.
“Well, the plan was, of course, to keep helping with the business side of the ranch—but I was also thinking about opening something here for environmental consulting,” I tell him.
“I don’t know much about that, but we do have a lot of farmers out here that could use all the help they can get,” he says, smiling up at me. “I think you’ll do amazing, little miss.”
I blush a little at his nickname for me. For so long, he used it as a way to cut me down—but somehow, it became my favorite thing. He transformed it into a term of endearment that I love.
“But, not before our ranch, though. We still wanna be the best out here,” he says, joking, though I’m sure Gage loves the idea of this ranch being the highest producing one in Bell River—hell, the entire county if it were a competition.
I roll my eyes. “Sure.”
We stop at the mesquite tree and walk the horses through the brush. The field is still fully bloomed, like nothing has changed, symbolizing a new beginning on the horizon. Its quiet comfort restores peace inside me, much like the first time I saw it.
Gage gets off his horse first, then helps me down so we can take a seat under the tree on the small hill. I press my back close to his chest as his arms circle my waist. “I think the ranch could do with some improvements,” he says as I nod in agreement.
I didn’t want to implement anything too extreme while out here, but I did notice that a lot of what the ranch uses is not only outdated—it isn’t sustainable, either.
The great thing about changing that is it saves the ranch money over time, eliminates unnecessary financial burdens, and paves the way for a clearer product on stronger land.
“Well, I do have some ideas,” I tell him, making a mental note of the list I made just in case. I never thought I’d be able to put those ideas into motion back when I made it.
At that point, Gage was constantly breathing down my neck, looking for any chance to oust me, so I made the list hoping things would get better—or, at the very least, that I could hand it to him and let him decide what to use.
“Well, I’m all ears,” he says, so I tell him.
I tell him we need to swap out the water main in the wooded area near the house with updated machinery and clear out the older one behind the house.
I mention how we can begin growing food alongside the cattle ranching, which wouldn’t just be sustainable for us—but for the rest of the town, too. It also improves the soil, creating healthier land—and healthier animals.
The last thing, at least for now, is to look into solar panels. We live in an open town that isn’t short of sunlight. It’d be good to take advantage of it, saving us money and drastically reducing our reliance on electricity.
Gage is obviously out of his depth hearing all of this—but I expected that. At this point, he trusts that I won’t steer him wrong—and I know what’s right for this place. So instead of fighting me, like he would have done in the past, he just nods.
“If you think that’s what is best, I won’t tell you any different. You know that stuff better than I do,” he replies, and I smile, looking at him proudly.
There is something so attractive about a man who recognizes your intelligence for what it is. He sighs softly. “What else is there to do before we head on back?” He asks, and then I fish folded papers out of my pocket, holding them up to him.
I think he has an idea of what they are without seeing them.
I stand up and dust my shorts off as he stands up with me. A slight breeze washes over us, and I allow myself to enjoy it for a brief moment.
I hold the papers in my hand and start ripping them to pieces. No deal.
The freeing relief I get as I turn the unlawful deal that Horizon presented me into confetti is indescribable. Having Gage here to witness me tearing it apart and then tossing it in the air as a gust of wind comes around, taking all the tiny pieces with it, is like everything is coming full circle.
It’s the newfound peace—and the beginning—we both desperately wanted, but were too afraid to chance until now.
He walks up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist as he rests his chin on my shoulder. “You know,” he begins, “Hollis Carter Ranch has a nice ring to it,” he adds as I turn to look at him, smiling even wider.
I turn in his arms and press my lips to his in a searing kiss. I never dreamed of the ranch having my name attached to it—the exact opposite, in fact—but knowing that it will be is something to celebrate.
After everything we’ve overcome, it’s easy to see how my feelings about life have changed.
When we return to the ranch and put the horses back in the barn, Gage looks over at me, and we share a look.
“I never got a chance to ask you,” he says as I close the latch, waiting for him to continue. “What do you think about marriage and kids?”
I tilt my head to the side in thought.
Is he asking because he’s thought about it?
“Why do you ask?” I reply, curiously. He turns away, suddenly shy about the question, but it’s clear he’s thought about it. Maybe he doesn’t want any of that—and just wants us to be together.
We still have time to figure that part out, but I’ve certainly thought about marriage and kids for myself.
I imagined I would have all of that by now, to be honest—mostly because of that weird expectation that if you’re not married with kids by the time you’re twenty-five, you’re washed up. But I’m also realistic. I can be patient.
“I imagined I’d never have the chance to be a father, but I always knew I wanted to do things differently than what I had,” he explains. “I guess what I’m saying is, I hope one day we can do the whole marriage and kids thing,” he admits—and again, I’m left speechless by his openness.
I can’t imagine it’s easy to share something like that—especially when you aren’t sure where the other person stands. But based on what he said, it’s clear he’s thought about kids and marriage, with me no less.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around the idea that my life is about to change. And yeah, there’s a very real chance that Gage and I are already on the path toward the future he just painted for us.
Imagining our children running around the ranch—Hank teaching them how to care for the cattle, Mason pulling pranks with them—pops into my head suddenly. And I realize the future isn’t so scary after all.
It’s actually quite beautiful.
“I want all of it,” I reply.
He meets my eyes, and suddenly, the fears I had about whether our futures align dissolve. “It will take time, of course, but I definitely want the whole thing,” I add—reminding him that we can still take things slow, that we don’t have to rush into the future.
He nods and holds his hand out to me. I take it, and we walk out of the barn together as the sun rises over the ranch, casting us in shades of purple and orange.
What a symbolic way to start my future here in Bell River—riding out to our spot, talking about what our life will look like, walking hand in hand as the sun rises on a brand-new day.
Not for nothing, but you can’t get that back in Austin.