She groans, swatting at my chest. “Soooo corny.”
“True,” I counter, kissing the top of her head as we walk.
She smiles to herself. And in that quiet stretch of sidewalk, with her tucked against me, I know I don’t need candlelight or fancy dinners.
Just her. Always her.
We reach the truck, and I open the door for her, steadying her hand as she climbs in. She glances at me, soft and playful all at once.
“You’re not so bad at this husband thing, cowboy.”
I grin, shutting the door behind her. “Not bad, huh? Guess I’ll keep practicin’.”
As I round the hood to climb in on my side, I already know, practice or not, loving her will always be the easiest thing I’ve ever done.
CHAPTER 8
Catalina
We’re tangled in bed, with my head on Carter’s chest, his arm heavy and warm around me. His steady heartbeat under my ear, a slow rhythm that always calms me, no matter what chaos we’ve been through.
The night is dim, with only the glow from the lamp in the corner, and shadows stretching across the walls. His fingers are tracing idle circles along my back, but every stroke makes me melt deeper into him.
I shift against him just enough to really look at him. His eyes are closed, lashes fanned over his cheekbones like he’s pretending to be asleep.
His face is unfairly beautiful. His sharp jaw, stubborn and sculpted, the kind that makes people turn twice when he enters a room. His beard is thick beneath my fingertips—his hair, dark and messy from my hands tugging through it earlier.
But tonight, something new catches my eye, a few strands of silver glimmer through the dark in his beard. There’s more at his temple, hidden until now, and I swear my heart tightens.
Most people would panic at gray hair. Not me. Not when it’s him. It makes him look... I don’t know. Wilder. More settled. Like time is leaving love notes on his skin.
I brush my thumb against his beard. “Carter?” I whisper.
“Mhm?”
“Do you ever think about…” My throat tightens, but I push it out anyway. “About having kids with me?”
His chest rumbles under me as he exhales, a sound somewhere between a sigh and a laugh. “Darlin’, I think about it all the time.”
I tilt my head up, searching his face. He’s not smiling, not teasing. His blue eyes are soft in the low light, steady on mine.
“You do?” My voice cracks, betraying just how much the answer matters.
He nods, brushing a strand of hair off my cheek. “Baby, you’d be the best mama.”
A laugh bubbles out of me, but my chest aches. “You really think so?”
“I know so,” he says, as his thumb strokes my jaw. “I picture it sometimes—little bow in her hair, or some boy runnin’ around the ranch tryin’ to keep up with you. Drives me half crazy, how much I want that with you.”
My eyes sting, tears threatening to escape, and I press my face back into his chest before he can see. He chuckles, kissing the top of my head.
I lie there for a long beat, listening to his heart under my ear, my throat thick. His words keep circling in my head.
Little bow in her hair… some boy running around the ranch.
It spills out before I can stop it. “I want that too.”
Carter’s hand stills on my back. “Yeah?” His voice is low, cautious, like he’s afraid to push me.
