Font Size
Line Height

Page 57 of Beneath the Mountain Sky (McBride Brother Lumberjacks #1)

She releases her hold on me and steps away, allowing me to turn and close the truck door. With a grin, she starts to head toward the house. But I catch her hand with my free one.

“No.” I incline my head toward the workshop. “This way.”

“Okaaaay…” The way she drags out the word gives away her confusion, but she turns to follow me that way instead of back to the cabin.

I re-settle my hand on Niall’s back as we make our way across the clearing to where I do all my carving work. My stomach churns as I pull open the sliding door, the nerves getting the better of me again.

Willow’s gift stands in the center of the space, draped with a white cloth.

Her brows fly up. “What’s this?”

“Part of your gift.”

She grins. “Why am I getting a gift?”

“I need a reason to get my wife something?”

She laughs lightly, the sound so carefree that it lifts away any reservations I have. Just knowing that she can sound like that, that she can feel that way after everything she’s been through, assures me that she’ll love what I’ve done for her.

“You can get me as many gifts as you like. I’m just wondering why.”

Shit.

I don’t want to ruin the mood by answering the question, but she deserves to know.

Why now?

Months and months have passed.

And it’s been done for a while.

But I waited until today for a reason.

I swallow the reasons not to be honest with her as I make my way over to the white cloth. “Because tonight marks the anniversary of our last great day together before I fucked everything up.”

Her smile falters as she freezes and watches me grip the fabric in my hand, while using the other to hold Niall to my chest, his tiny body, even now, easily fitting in my massive palm.

“It is something I’ve been wanting to do for you for a long time. I would have if you hadn’t left. But you’ve been busy with Niall. And if you’re not up for it, I understand?—”

“What are you talking about?”

I tug on the fabric, and it falls away, exposing the massive carving I painstakingly created for her.

A honeybee.

Willow’s breath catches, and her hand flies over her mouth. “Oh, my God. Killian, it’s beautiful.” She walks up to it and reaches out, running her fingers over the wings reverently. “How did you do this without me knowing?”

I grin as I walk over to join her, adjusting my hold slightly as Niall shifts in his sleep, tired from all the excitement of the festival earlier today. “I came out and worked on it when you were in town with Raven.”

“When you should’ve been at work?”

Smirking, I waggle my eyebrows. “One of the perks of being the boss.”

“Didn’t that piss off your brothers?”

I shake my head. “No. They knew what I was doing.”

Willow slowly trails her fingers over every inch of it, all five and a half feet, stepping around it to see the intricate work and the stain I applied to the natural wood, to make the black and golden stripes simmer.

“Where are we going to put it, though?” She makes her way fully around it and raises a brow at me. “I mean, I love it, but on the porch?”

The fact that she still hasn’t guessed, still hasn’t caught on, makes me fight a grin. “Where are the rest of the carvings?”

Several people have purchased pieces for their homes, but the vast majority stand on Main Street in front of the businesses.

A fact she’s well aware of.

She looks even more confused now. “On Main Street…”

“In front of each of the businesses, right?” I step up to her, staring down into her gray eyes that no longer look so stormy, that are now calm, content, filled with the steely resolve of a woman who finally has what she wants and will do anything to protect it and never let it go.

“I thought it was time you finally opened your own shop. I bought the newspaper building for you to do just that. This will sit out front.”

“What?” Her jaw drops, and her body starts trembling. “Killian…”

“I thought Raven could use the upstairs as her office, so she doesn’t have to sit in the bakery, unless she really needs some new gossip.”

That draws a grin across her face, but she still looks unsure.

I grip her chin and brush my thumb along her jaw.

“Why do you look like you’re not happy about this, Honeybee?

Too much pressure? Do you not want to do it?

Too busy up here with Niall? I thought you could just bring him in with you.

We could convert one of the back rooms into a little nursery for him so he could nap during the day and?—”

She pushes up on her feet and crushes her lips to mine before I can continue to list all the things I was prepared to do to make this work.

Her arms snake around my neck and tangle in my hair as she kisses me hard, almost frantically.

I return it, unsure of exactly what’s happening.

And by the time she pulls away and presses her forehead to mine, she’s laughing.

“You’re a good man, Killian McBride.” She pulls away and grins up at me. “And I love this and the store. I just don’t know that I’m ready for it.”

“You are. You’re going to make a fortune on those tourists. I’m just sorry we couldn’t get it open in time for the festival this year. But next year, I already know what your bestseller is going to be.”

“Oh?” She raises a brow. “What would that be?”

I lean in, feathering my lips across hers again. “That one you made that smells like me. You can call it McBride Mountain Lumberjack.”

She barks out a laugh loud enough that it startles Niall awake, and he issues an annoyed wail.

Despite his distress, we both laugh, and she slowly pulls him from my arms and settles him to her chest, rocking him gently and trying to get him back to sleep. “I’m sorry, kiddo.”

She looks so beautiful like this, holding our son.

So happy.

It finally matches the way I always imagined things would be.

And I may not be a perfect father, not even close, but I refuse to fail her or Niall.

Nothing will ever threaten anyone I love again.

Never.

This is McBride Mountain, and I’ll protect anything and everything on it with my life until the day it ends.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed Beneath the Mountain Sky.

Ad If ads affect your reading experience, click here to remove ads on this page.