I turn my head to look at her. She's staring at the ceiling, chest heaving, legs still spread, my cum slowly leaking out of her.
"You're beautiful," I tell her.
She laughs breathlessly. "I must look like a mess."
"You do," I admit with a grin. "But you're the prettiest mess I've ever seen."
She rolls onto her side, placing one hand on my chest, resting her face on my arm. Her expression is vulnerable. Uncertain.
"What happens now?" she asks quietly.
I cover her hand with mine. "I don't know. But whatever happens, we face it together."
"Together," she repeats, like she's testing the word. Testing if it's real. "Are you sure? I'm younger. I don't have the same life experience as you. I don't know if I can—"
"I don't care about any of that." I turn to face her, needing her to see the truth in my eyes. "I care about you. About us. About building something real together."
"But I want to travel. To see the world. And you—"
"Will never leave the ranch permanently," I finish. "I know. But Nicole, Sierra's investment means we'll actually have money for the first time in years. Means I'll have help, free time, the ability to take breaks." I brush her hair back from her face. "I can't promise to leave forever. But I can promise to explore the world with you. We'll figure it out. Italy, Ireland, Japan, wherever you want to go, we'll make it happen."
Her eyes fill with tears. "You'd do that? For me?"
"I'd do anything for you." I pull her closer, tucking her against my chest. "And now that Colt's given his blessing… I still can't believe he did that, nothing's stopping us. We can take our time, figure things out as we go. But I'm not letting you go, Nicole. Not now. Not ever."
"What if I mess this up?" Her voice is small. "What if I'm not enough? What if—"
"Stop." I tilt her chin up, making her look at me. "You're more than enough. You're everything. And you're not going to messthis up because I'm not letting you. We're in this together, remember?"
She nods slowly, a smile finally breaking through the tears. "Together."
"Together," I confirm, then kiss her forehead. "Now let's get cleaned up. Then I'm making you breakfast, and we're spending the rest of the day in bed. Sound good?"
"Perfect." She grins. "But Boone?"
"Yeah?"
"Next time, I'm on top."
My cock twitches with interest despite just finishing. "Jesus, woman. You're going to be the death of me."
"Good." She kisses my chest. "But what a way to go."
I chuckle and realize this is what I've been missing. This lightness. This joy. This feeling of rightness that comes from being with someone who gets you completely.
We lie there for a few more minutes, tangled together, catching our breath. My mind is already racing ahead, thinking about how to tell the other ranch owners, how to navigate this with Colt, how to balance Nicole's dreams with my responsibilities.
But for now, none of that matters.
For now, there's just us. Together. Finally.
"Boone?" Nicole's voice breaks through my thoughts.
"Yeah, sweetheart?"
"Thank you. For being brave enough to tell me the truth. For giving us a chance."
I press a kiss to her temple. "Thank you for not running when I did. For taking a chance on an old cowboy who's completely head over heels for you."
