Page 15 of Enticed By the Mountain Man

“Exhausting. But my lawyer says it’s looking good for us. I feel slightly sick at the idea of sending my uncle to prison, but he brought it upon himself. I can’t have him trying again. And what if you were in the car with me next time?”

“You deserve to feel safe. You’re doing the right thing.”

He smiles tiredly. “Have I told you lately how amazing you are?”

“Maybe. But there are no limits on the number of times you’re allowed to say it,” I tease lightly.

I finish making the stew and serve it at the dining table.

I look at Justin sitting across from me. This beautiful, perfect man who I was weirdly blind to until a month ago. How could I have possibly remained neutral to his presence all that time?

“I amended my will today,” he says softly.

“Oh?”

“If anything happens to me, I’m leaving the company to you.”

My mouth falls open. “What?”

“You know as much as anyone else involved in the business. And I trust you to continue its legacy in the way I originally intended.”

Tears well in my eyes. “You don’t have to leave the company to me. I’d look after it anyway.”

“I want you to have it. And in fact…”

He stands and comes over to my side of the table, kneeling down and removing a small box from his pocket. “I know we’ve only been official for a month, but considering our history, it doesn’t feel rushed to me. Carrie, will you marry me?”

My heart races. Is this real?

Justin opens the box, revealing a white gold ring containing a large diamond surrounded by several smaller ones.

I stare at it, tears now streaming down my face.

“I want to share everything with you now,” he says.

I take the ring from the box and examine it. Justin gently plucks it from my grasp and holds it above my ring finger, waiting for my answer.

“Yes,” I whisper. “I would love to marry you.”

Justin smiles widely and slides the ring onto my finger. He then reaches up and presses his lips to mine. I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him deeply.

And then, because the guy is so hot and I can’t keep my hands off him, I stand and pull him to his feet. Still connected by the kiss, we make our way to his bedroom, where I push him down onto the bed and straddle him.

“I can’t wait to do this again and again for the rest of our lives,” I breathe.

“Me either,” he says.

I lean forward and kiss him again.

Life as Justin’s partner both in life and love is going to be perfect.

***