A cheer broke out in the bookstore, and we looked up, startled.
It turned out we had an audience tonight.
All the women from the Mountain Man Romance Book Club had filtered into the bookstore and listened to every word.
Ivy was fanning herself dramatically, and Vanessa had a grin so wide she looked a little manic.
Mina was standing there with a knowing smile on her face, realizing she’d just lost her roommate.
But I couldn’t focus on them right now.
All of my attention was on Shelly-Rae Anderson, right here in my arms. I held on tight, my chin resting on top of her curls as my heart finally started to beat at a pace that felt right.
Shelly pulled back and looked up at me, her pretty lips trembling into a smile. Then she kissed me with everything she had, her hands gripping the front of my flannel as if she’d never let me go again.
Now it was just me and my Shelly Bear.
Together for life.
Epilogue
Shelly
One year later.
A sunbeam spilled in through the window, landing on the stack of romance novels on my nightstand that Amos pretended to judge.
But I knew he secretly skimmed the pages when he thought I wasn’t looking. The only reason I knew was because sometimes my bookmarks were rearranged, and there was a day not too long ago where I caught him in the act.
He was still trying to figure out what made women tick. Although lately, he was mostly just interested in what mademetick.
And maybe his mom… and his sister… and those three nieces of his.
And our friends, too.
He was a secret softie. I’d known it all along.
But he was still a showman when we went out.
Amos kept things lively here on Red Oak Mountain. And I loved that about him.
Despite that, he didn’t seem compelled to relive his freedom days. He hadn’t been kidding when he said he could be happy with one pussy for life. I just happened to own the one that he lovedbest.
I lay still for a moment, one hand resting on the growing curve of my belly.
We were three months pregnant.
There was a ring on my finger that had gotten snug in the last week, and I had a husband who kissed my stomach every single morning before he kissed my lips.
He was going to be the best dad ever.
I may have been crazy about him for years. But it turned out Amos was crazy about me the whole time, too.
So when wefinallygot together, we dove straight into the deep end.
We married a week after he walked into Bookish.
Neither of us saw a reason to wait, and our friends Becky and Leland had a last-minute cancellation at their wedding hall.
