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And as I’m emptying myself inside her, her cunt squeezes the last of the cum out, making pleasure and agony draw together in a dangerous peak.

Jesus, I’m sensitive.

My body is twitching uncontrollably, but I never want to stop being inside this girl.

“I love you.” She repeats the phrase again and again against my lips, and I don’t doubt her or her commitment to me and to us for a second.

At first, it hurt that she needed to think about whether or not she wanted to be with me long-term. But now, I’m grateful she took the time because it means she considered the decision and made the one that will make her happy.

And it wasn’t me she was unsure about, not really. Now it will be my mission to make Montana home for her. She’s sacrificing so much for me, and I’ll do everything in my power to make her the happiest she’s ever been and will protect her with my own life.

“I love you, babe. So fucking much, you have no idea. But I’ll spend the rest of my days showing you. I’m so glad you’re coming home with me. Fuck, I was terrified to lose you again.”

“Never,” she promises. “You’re stuck with me forever, cowboy.”

And now, it’s just a matter of crushing the threat at home to keep her safe.

Chapter 31

Ashley

Iexpectedtobefull of trepidation as the plane left California and headed to Montana, but I wasn’t. Instead, I’m choosing to be hopeful that Gavin and I will always find a way forward together.

I can’t let other people’s opinions influence the course of my life. They can hate me, they can wish that I wasn’t in the state, and they can hope Gavin and I break up. But we’re both committed to seeing where this road takes us.

We’re in a weird place where our relationship is both new and established. You can’t erase history and it helps with the foundation, but we’re adults now. We’ve changed and have a lot of learning and growing to do as a couple.

Marriage is the least of my worries and while my heart still aches to be a mom, everything will happen in its own time. We’re going to create a future together, and I’ve never been with a man who is so goddamn devoted to my happiness.

Without Gavin, I wouldn’t ever choose to live in Montana again. Small towns are great when you’re part of the fabric of the community, but are ostracizing and lonely when you’re not. But I’ll have my man, I have some friends, and things will only get better.

I’ll commit to the place to have the man I love. And if I wasn’t convinced we’d have an amazing life together, then I wouldn’t have agreed to go back.

We left Gavin’s truck in the long-term parking lot at the airport, and he’s dragging both of our suitcases while talking to Bobby on Bluetooth. I keep trying to take one of them, but he shakes his head.

“I normally wouldn’t ask, but I need the experienced manpower,” he says.

Based on Gavin’s half of the conversation, I understand that he’s asking Bobby to arrange private security on the ranch to protect both me and the animals.

I hate that anyone is taking on an additional expense for me, but I also appreciate the safeguard. Gavin doesn’t see me as a burden, and I have to believe him when he says that I’m who he wants to be with forever.

“As soon as possible,” Gavin replies to whatever Bobby is saying. “It will just be until I can figure out what the fuck is going on and who is behind it. For now, I need the extra guns and around-the-clock surveillance. It’s going to kill me if anything happens to Mom and Dad.”

It would kill me, too.

Everyone is taking on a risk for me, and I just can’t imagine that I’m worth it.

But Gavin is slowly convincing me that I am. And the more I reflect, the more that I realize I wouldn’t be happy in California or Italy or any other place that I consider exotic just because it’s new to me.

You can’t run away from the demons that live in your head. And on top of that mental angst, I’d have to live with the knowledge that I let Gavin go again because I couldn’t believe that I was worth loving. Worth defending. Worth being his partner.

He loves me. I love him. And, sometimes, thatisenough.

We’ve reached the truck and Gavin puts our suitcases into the truck bed, which is protected by a cover. And then he kisses me and lifts me into the passenger seat.

“Thanks, man,” Gavin says to Bobby. “I love you, too, and we’ll see you soon. Tell Savanna that as much as we’d love to have her on the ranch sooner, she should wait and fly out with you. Hopefully, everything will be resolved by then, and she can add some extra time to her stay after you head back to the city. I’ll watch over her like she’s mine. Okay. Yeah. Bye, man.”

“I feel terrible,” I say, when Gavin joins me in the truck. “Now, I’m preventing Savanna from getting to spend time with her family.”