She’s beautiful in the kind of way that ruins a man—soft where life’s been hard on me, fierce where I didn’t know I needed fire.
Obsession.
Need.
Want.
Affection.
All of it’s tangled up inside me, no clear edges between them.I should be afraid of that.
Instead, I feel steady.Grounded.
She shifts, murmurs my name in her sleep, and something inside me settles like a promise.
Tomorrow, there’ll be questions.
About what we are, about how this fits into the mess waiting outside these walls.
But right now, in this moment, it’s just her breath, my heartbeat, and the certainty that I’d fight every mile of road between here and hell to keep her safe.
I press a kiss to her hair and let out a long, quiet breath.
“You’re mine, Lil Bit.I got you,” I whisper.
Not a claim.A vow.
Morning slides in easy, gold light through the kitchen windows and the smell of Angie’s biscuits drifting through the house.
She’s already at the stove, hair twisted up in a messy bun, humming something old and cheerful as she flips bacon in the skillet.
The table’s full.
Benji and Micah sit shoulder to shoulder, wolfing down eggs like they haven’t eaten in a week.
Diego’s reading something on his phone, and Alex is pretending to be awake while Angie refills everyone’s coffee and slaps her nephew on the forehead.
And then there’s Bit.
She’s perched on one of the stools, hair a little wild from sleep, wearing one of my flannel shirts over her jeans.
She fits in like she’s always been here—laughing at Diego’s bad jokes, passing the butter, talking to Angie like they’ve been friends for years.
No awkward edges.No hesitation.Just right.
Watching her slide into the rhythm of this place so easy makes something tight in my chest loosen.
For months I’ve been building this ranch—fences, barns, routines—but this morning is the first time it actually feels like a home.
Alex leans back in his chair, mouth full of biscuit.
“You wanna feed the orphaned calves again, Bit?They’ve been bawlin’ for their bottles all morning.”
Before she can answer, I cut in.
“Actually, we got some errands to run.You all can hold down the fort.”
Bit’s gaze snaps to mine.
