He joins me on the couch, pulling my feet into his lap. His palm drags up my thigh in a rhythm that quiets everything else, the warmth and pressure anchoring me after hours of holding myself together.
“I miss Neve.” I shift closer, tucking myself against his side. “We should visit them soon.”
“We will.” His arm comes around my shoulders, anchoring me. “When they come out again, I want to show Alban what we’ve built here.”
“You gave me a reason to want tomorrow,” I say against his chest.
“You gave me the same thing. You showed me I was allowed to want impossible things. That I deserved help carrying them.”
“You always deserved it.” He tilts my face up with gentle fingers under my chin. “I just made sure you knew.”
I kiss him because words feel inadequate. His mouth opens under mine, and the kiss deepens into something hungry and claiming. His hand slides into my hair, angling my head for better access, and I make a sound that’s half gasp, half plea.
He kisses the top of my head, and his arms tighten around me. “Thank you for trusting me. For letting me stay.”
“Thank you for choosing me even before the auction.” I prop myself up on one elbow to look at him. “Then for making up your own rules when the bidding got too high.”
“Best decision I ever made.” His thumb strokes across my bottom lip. “And I’d make it again. Every time.” His hand moves through my hair, and I let my eyes close.
“I love you,” I whisper.
“I love you too.” His lips press against my temple. “Always will.”
Always. The promise roots deep in my bones, as solid as the cabin around us, as certain as the choice we made a year ago to trust this impossible thing.
I didn’t come to Lovesbury looking for love. I came looking for help moving furniture.
Instead, I found a man who taught me that strength isn’t carrying everything alone. That asking for help isn’t weakness. That being chosen can be coming home.
And in learning to let him help me, I learned to help myself. To believe I deserved space and success and love that doesn’t demand I shrink to earn it.
The shop is mine. The mentorship program is mine. This life is mine.
But I choose to share it with him. Not because I need to but because I want to.
Outside, the snow falls heavier. Inside, the fire crackles and pops. Davin’s arms tighten around me, and sleep pulls at me with his heartbeat steady under my ear.
This is home. This man. This life we’ve built.
And I’m finally, completely where I belong.
Curious about ex-firefighter Alban and pastry chef Neve’s love story and their life in Granitehart Ridge, a small town in the Shenandoah Mountains? You’ll love the Granitehart Ridge Guardians series. Get to know them in Book 1, The Mountain Man’s Sheltering Instinct: She came to the mountains to finish a cookbook. The storm gave me a reason to never let her go.Click here to claim The Mountain Man’s Sheltering Instinct.
Tilly’s story doesn’t end with running a vintage shop in Lovesbury.Six months later, she's negotiating a partnership and expansion that will put her name on a heritage center. The woman who thought she was too difficult just became irreplaceable, and she's got the contracts to prove it. Click here to gain access to Bloom After Dark, my private content vault with bonus epilogues for all my books in one place. You get lifetime access to everything.
Don’t stop here. Your next mountain man is already waiting.
Granitehart Ridge Guardians (8 books) They see the weight you’ve been carrying, step in without being asked, and make sure you’re never alone again.
The Guardians of Granitehart Ridge never stopped rescuing people.
They just changed how they do it.
High in the mountains, a team of ex-firefighters stands watch over the wilderness, the town below, and the women who arrive carrying more than anyone realizes. These men are trained responders, wired to notice what others miss. The burnout you’re hiding. The pressure you’ve normalized. The exhaustion you’ve learned to live with.
They don’t wait for permission.
They recognize a crisis, and they act.
