Page 36 of A Montana Secret Admirer (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #4)

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

The time to give Serenity space was over.

And perhaps that was where most of Reese’s problems had begun. He’d been so worried about Serenity’s needs that he’d refused to acknowledge his own.

Not only that, but he had started to see how detrimental some of Serenity’s behaviors had been. She was the kind of person who needed a little push every once in a while.

It was true. They hadn’t known each other long, but he’d gotten to know her well over the last several months. And now, more than, ever he wanted to claim her as his own. Reese needed her in his life like he needed air to breathe.

The duffle bag he’d brought with him rested untouched on the edge of his bed.

A vase of lotus flowers was on his dresser.

They weren’t the ones from the pond, since it was iced over, but thankfully, the floral shop had them in stock.

He fully intended to make sure he looked every bit the part of a man in love.

His fingers shook slightly as he knotted the tie at his throat. There were moments in life when one had to stand back and let the cards fall where they may.

And there were moments in life like this one where one had to charge forward and take what he wanted without letting go.

Reese studied his reflection, his eyes sweeping over the dark, double-breasted suit. The tie was a pattern of soft creams and greens, which seemed to accentuate the flecks of green in his eyes. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was making a mistake in his decision.

What if Serenity pulled away from him even more?

No. He wasn’t going to think that way. She needed to know he was all in. She needed that little push so she could take the leap of faith.

Reese gave himself a sharp nod, whether to give himself a boost of confidence or to remind himself he’d made his decision and there was no backing out, he didn’t know.

Turning, he grabbed the flowers off the dresser and headed for the door.

Serenity hadn’t given him her address, and while he’d messaged Jane about it, he hadn’t heard back from her, either. She’d have a harder time ignoring him when she was standing in front of him.

Reese could hear his mother speaking with Leo in the kitchen when he came down the stairs, but he wasn’t ready to have a conversation with them at the moment. If he got caught there, he might never get out to see Serenity.

Inching toward the front door, Reese could only hear the pulse roaring in his ears as he made his escape. He’d only gotten in a few hours ago, and he’d told his mother he planned on taking a nap.

It was the only excuse he could come up with to ensure he was left alone.

With the front door closed quietly behind him, Reese traipsed through the snow toward his aunt and uncle’s house. Noah and Jane would be moving out in the spring when their house was complete. Until then, Reese would be able to corner Jane and get her to spill the information he needed.

His shoes crunched against the snow path that had already been worn between the homes where his cousins had lived for the last couple of years. When he reached Noah’s house, he kicked off the snow from his shoes, took a deep breath, and knocked.

A couple minutes later, Noah answered the door.

He frowned initially, then smiled. “Hey… Reese. I didn’t know you were back yet.

” Noah’s eyes dipped to the flowers, and something crossed his expression that Reese couldn’t decipher.

He shifted then leaned against the doorjamb. “You expecting to see someone?”

Reese gave his cousin a flat look. “Are you trying to tell me something? Is she here?”

“Who?”

“Don’t give me that. You and Jane have both avoided answering me when I’ve asked for her address. If I had her mom’s number, I would have asked her.”

“You might want to go straight to the source, have you considered that?” Noah smirked, and if Reese wasn’t so nervous, he would have been furious with his cousin for stringing him along.

“I need to see her. You can understand that, right? Besides, you out of everyone should be willing to help me because you’re the one who ensured I don’t have to go back.”

Noah’s grin broadened.

“What?” a voice nearly shrieked from inside the house. Moments later, Jane materialized in the doorway. “You’re not going back? Why? What happened? Did Serenity say something?” Then she gave her husband a half-hearted shove. “Did you know about this?”

Noah grimaced.

“You did! Didn’t you? Noah! You should have told me.” Her bright brown eyes landed on Reese again. “Well? Answer the questions.”

“You first. I want her address. I have to see her.”

Jane shook her head, her arms folded. “Nope. I’m not going to tell you anything until I know what happened.”

Reese sighed. “The program is making changes to how they reach people. They’re looking for people who can complete it remotely. It’s not some new concept. Lots of colleges do the same thing.”

“But there are specific courses that require you to be in person, right? You can’t just leave?—”

Reese shot a look toward Noah. “You want to field this one? I just want to get Serenity’s address so I can tell her the good news.”

Jane’s eyes dipped to the flowers, and her eyes widened. He wasn’t sure if she had connected him with the secret admirer or not. Serenity had to have told her, right? His secret wasn’t so secret anymore.

“So? You guys gonna help me? Or what? I have to make a long drive, and my mom is going to rip me a new one if she finds out that I’m missing on Christmas Eve.”

Jane and Noah exchanged glances, and Reese’s eyes narrowed at the movement.

“What’s happened?” he demanded.

Noah was a steel trap. He had to be with the people he had to work with. But Jane? She was an open book. She chewed on her lower lip and fidgeted just enough to give him a clue that she would be the one to break first.

“Jane,” Reese drawled. “Her address, please.”

“You might as well tell him?—”

“I can’t. She’s my sister. She’ll never forgive me,” Jane insisted. “Serenity was very clear that she wasn’t ready to see him face to face.”

“ He’s right here. Stop talking about me like I’m not in front of you. And you can’t tell me that she wouldn’t change her mind now that I’m staying.” Unless that was just an excuse. Reese swallowed the nervous lump in his throat. “I just… need to see her. Please.”

Jane glanced toward her husband, who sighed. “She’s not in Billings. She’s actually living in Rocky Ridge.”

Stunned didn’t begin to describe how he felt in this moment. “She’s here ?”

“Noah!” Jane hissed, though there was less venom in it than there probably should have been.

“Not at Sagebrush, obviously,” Noah murmured, ignoring his wife’s comment. “She moved to town after you left. She’s got an apartment and a new job.”

“She didn’t…” Reese frowned. “She didn’t tell me.”

Jane moved forward. “She didn’t want you to think she’d decided to move here for you. And she didn’t want her choices to affect yours when it came to that training program. You know how she can be. She doesn’t want to step on toes or be resented.”

“Resent her for what?” Reese shook his head, his thoughts spinning.

“She chose to move here? Why wouldn’t she tell me?

” He shook his head again and ran a hand through his hair.

Jane had already answered that, but there had to be more.

If he allowed it to, his fears would overwhelm him. Reese wasn’t going to let that happen.

He lifted his eyes and stared at Jane firmly. “Address.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ll text it to you. But you can’t tell her I gave it to you. Blame it on him.” She thumbed at her husband.

“Hey,” Noah balked, “I heard you on the phone with her. You wanted them to talk it out just as much as me.”

Reese let his eyes bounce from one to the other and back. He shifted from one foot to the other and fought the desire to snap at them. She was here, within reach. In less than ten minutes, he’d be able to see her and tell her exactly how he felt.

Jane disappeared after their playful bickering, and seconds later, his phone buzzed.

“Thanks,” he called over his shoulder as he hurried back to his house. Leo had been taking care of his truck in his absence, making sure to run it every so often.

His nerves were practically frayed by the time he made it to the antique shop.

Lights were on in the windows above the shop, indicating she was likely home.

He carefully released the vase of flowers from the seatbelt at his side, then hurried toward the side of the building where a stairwell was almost hidden from view.

Taking two stairs at a time, Reese attempted to ease his racing heart by telling himself that he had nothing to be worried about. He knew how he felt about Serenity and how she felt about him. But the second he skidded to a stop at her door, he lost his nerve.

On the other side of that door was the love of his life.

And consequently, she was the one person who had told him he wasn’t who she wanted to see.

Reese closed his eyes briefly, took a deep breath, and raised his fist.

Before he could make contact, the door swung open, and a gasp ricocheted into the cold air. “Reese? What are you doing here?”

“Reese?” A boy’s voice came from behind, laced with excitement. Then Tegan’s head popped into view from behind his mother. He grinned. “I knew you’d come back.”

Laughter exploded from Reese’s chest. “Of course I came back.” His eyes lifted to Serenity. “Don’t get mad at your sister. She didn’t tell me you were here.”

She blinked, and he got the feeling that she hadn’t remembered that she’d told her sister not to reveal her secret.

“It was Noah,” he explained.

Still, she didn’t move. And that was when his nerves got the better of him. He shoved the flowers at her. What he was about to do, he didn’t have any experience in. He’d always been willing to let her take the lead.

Now?

He was taking what he wanted.

Serenity accepted the flowers, that deer in the headlights look still plastered on her face.

“I had to see you,” he whispered. “Can I come in?”

Before she had a chance to turn him down, Tegan grabbed his hand and dragged him forward. Serenity jumped out of the way, her eyes now locked on the flowers in her hand.

“We missed you,” Tegan insisted, pulling him toward the couch. “A lot.”

Jessi materialized next, hustling toward them and ultimately flinging himself into Reese’s arms. That drew another laugh from Reese’s throat.

“If I had known I was this missed, I would have come home sooner.”

The room felt like it had grown even quieter. There was a stillness that he wasn’t prepared for. Reese’s eyes found Serenity’s where she still stood by the now closed door.

“I hope it’s okay I came.”

“She missed you, too,” Tegan murmured. “She’s just surprised.”

“I can tell,” Reese murmured, carefully extricating himself from Jessi and placing him on the couch at his side. Then he got to his feet. “I don’t have to stay if you don’t want me to. Say the word, and I’ll go out that door. But that would be a shame because I have something I need to say.”

He moved across the floor slowly, as if treating her like a skittish foal. Thankfully, Serenity didn’t retreat. Her eyes shone with emotion, and if he wasn’t mistaken, her lips twitched into a nervous smile.

“Actually, we were planning on going to Sagebrush. We thought…”

When she didn’t complete her statement, Tegan filled in the blanks. “We wanted to see you. Mom promised.”

Reese chuckled but kept his eyes on the beauty before him. “Great minds think alike.” He stopped in front of her. It had been four months since he’d seen her in person, if not a little more. He itched to pull her into his arms.

And that was why he was here, wasn’t it?

So he did just that as soon as he removed the flowers from her hands and placed them on a nearby table.

Reese slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her close. She gasped again, her focus solely on him and his name on her lips. “Why didn’t you want me to see you?”

“It… I thought… it would be too hard,” she whispered.

“Why?”

She closed her eyes and exhaled. “I think I might be too attached to you.”

He hooked a finger under her chin and crooned, “Serenity, look at me.”

Her eyes opened.

“There is no such thing.”

That brought a soothing laugh from her lips. “You say that now?—”

“I’ll say that always . Because I’m already head over heels for you. I’m in love with you, Serenity. Madly. Deeply. All consuming. You’re the only one for me, and I knew it from the moment I saw you.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “You couldn’t have possibly known that.”

He shook his head. “Believe what you must, but when I saw your smile for the first time, I knew you’d be mine one day.”

“Yours?” she whispered breathlessly.

“Mine,” he confirmed. “I’m done waiting.

I’m done second guessing whether I should tell you how I feel or keep it bottled up.

You need to know where I stand so you can be informed when I ask you to agree to be mine…

not just today or for the next month or year.

I want you to be mine forever.” He gestured toward the boys who were still sitting on the couch, watching them. “All of you.”

Her lips parted in surprise. “Are you asking me to…”

“If you’re not ready right now, I understand. But if you have even a fraction of the feelings for me that I have for you, then perhaps you’d consider thinking about marrying me.”

Serenity’s eyes darted to the boys. Of course, her attention would shift to them. They were her reason for living. He couldn’t even fault her for it.

“It’s okay, Mom,” Tegan said encouragingly, and Reese couldn’t help but wonder what had brought about that particular change, but he wasn’t going to take it for granted.

“Listen to the kid,” Reese whispered, drawing closer to her ear. “Marry me, Serenity.” He hadn’t planned on proposing to her when he’d arrived. It had just… happened. But now that it was out, he couldn’t deny just how right it felt. “Say you’ll be mine.”

He could see the goosebumps lift on her soft skin at his question. And her hesitation tugged at the last threads of sanity he seemed to be grasping. He’d put his heart on the line, and it had been utterly terrifying.

Then Serenity laughed. She placed her hands on either side of his face and stared into his eyes. With more conviction than he’d ever heard her speak before, she made him the happiest man alive.

“We’re all yours.”