Page 78 of Wilde Hearts

“For the rest of my life, I’m going to wake up every single day and thank God for you, Ensley.”

Smiling, she reached up and kissed me softly. “Damn right, you are.”

Laughing, I shook my head as I took a step back. “Should we just head over to my parents’ place?”

“No time like the present.”

I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her. “Thank you for doing this with me.”

Her hands covered mine. “From now on, we’re in this together.”

“Together,” I softly repeated.

The drive to my parents’ house wasn’t long. They didn’t own a ranch as big as the Wildes’, but it still was enough time for me to go through the barrage of different emotions I was feeling.

“How many times have you wanted to turn around?” Ensley asked.

“Can you read minds now?”

She chuckled. “I can only imagine what you’re thinking. One second, I think this is the right thing to do, then the next, I’m wondering if now is a good time to do this.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “I could hardly sleep last night. I don’t know how my parents are going to react when I tell them I think it’s time to clean out Grady’s room.”

Placing her hand on my leg, she gave it a light squeeze. “You’re doing the right thing, Colt. I feel it in my soul.”

I stole a glance at her, and when our eyes met, she smiled…and a calmness I hadn’t felt in a very long time swept over me.

“Right now, I’m feeling like there isn’t anything I can’t do as long as I have you by my side.”

She huffed. “How did you make it the last ten years?”

“I honestly don’t know. Most of the time, I felt numb. I kept a smile on my face to hide my broken heart, but for years I felt like a shell. Moving through life simply to move.”

When she didn’t say anything, I looked at her once more. She was staring out the front window.

“That’s the perfect way to describe my last ten years, as well,” she said quietly.

I parked and turned the truck off. I glanced up at the sky and said, “Cold weather is moving in tomorrow. Today could be the last nice day for a while.”

Ensley leaned forward and looked out the windshield. “Yep, it’s going to be a beautiful day.” She leaned back and looked at me. “Are you ready?”

I exhaled. “As ready as I’m going to be.”

“I’ll be right there with you, Colt.”

Tears pricked the back of my eyes. I didn’t deserve this woman’s love and compassion, but I was going to be greedy and take it.

“Let’s go.”

We got out of the truck and walked up the steps of the front porch, hand in hand. Before we even had a chance to reach the top step, the door flew open and my mother stood there. Her eyes swept over us—noting our hands—and a huge grin appeared on her face. She may have been in her upper fifties, but my mother was still a beautiful woman, and right now, her soft brown eyes sparkled as she wiped her hands on her apron.

“Do my eyes deceive me?” she asked, holding her arms open to Ensley.

“What is it you think you see?” Ensley asked with a chuckle, before walking into my mother’s embrace.

She hugged her, then pushed Ensley out to arm’s length and said, “A reconciliation of sorts?”

Laughing, Ensley conceded, “Of sorts.”