Page 38

Mel

Six Months Later

I set my brush down and stretched my cramping fingers, admiring the golden light falling across the canvas. The mountains in the distance were starting to take shape on my canvas, their majestic peaks capturing the late afternoon sun in shades of purple and gold I never could have imagined before seeing them in person.

Six months. That’s how long I’d been living this dream—my dream—right here on Ethan’s ranch. Our ranch now, technically, though I still caught myself thinking of it as his at times.

The wooden porch creaked behind me.

“Still at it, huh?” Ethan’s deep voice sent warmth spreading through my chest, even before his arms wrapped around my waist. The solid weight of him against my back felt like home in a way no place ever had before.

“The light’s perfect right now.” I leaned back against him, letting my head rest against his shoulder. “I couldn’t waste it. ”

He pressed a kiss to my temple, his stubble rough against my skin. “You’ve been out here for three hours.”

“Has it been that long?”

“Mhmm.” His chin rested on my shoulder as he studied my painting. “This might be your best one yet.”

I twisted to look at him. “You say that about every painting.”

“And I mean it every time.” His eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled—one of the thousand little details I’d memorized about him in the months since Tommy.

Since I’d finally found the courage to choose my own path.

Ethan released me and settled into the Adirondack chair beside my easel, stretching his long legs in front of him. He looked more relaxed than I’d ever seen him in those early days—the constant tension in his shoulders notably absent, his expression open.

“How was your call with Nova?” he asked, eyes on the real mountains mirrored in my painting.

“Good.” I dipped my brush in water, cleaning it methodically. “Really good, actually. She’s thriving with Jessica managing things.”

“And she’s not making Jessica’s life a living hell?”

I laughed, remembering my own fears when I’d hired my replacement. “Surprisingly, no. Turns out Nova responds well to someone who doesn’t let her get away with anything. Jessica told her to stop being a diva last week, and Nova actually apologized.”

“Sounds like a miracle.”

“More like growth.” I set down my brush. “Almost losing me scared her.”

A shadow crossed Ethan’s face. Even now, six months later, memories of those terrifying days could darken his mood in an instant. He’d nearly died trying to save me, but he got more upset at the thought of my being taken in the first place .

“Hey.” I moved to perch on the arm of his chair, sliding my fingers through his. “We’re okay. All of us.”

He nodded, pulling me onto his lap in a smooth motion that still caught me by surprise. “Better than okay.”

I settled against him, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath my palm. “Nova’s actually excited about the benefit concert for stalking victims.”

Ethan’s arms tightened around me. “That’s good. That money might help someone else before things get as bad as they did with Tommy.”

Even after all this time, his name still sent ice through my veins. After everything that had happened on that boat, I’d feared the nightmares would never stop. But they had, gradually, with time and therapy and Ethan’s unwavering presence beside me.

The official story had been that Tommy’s boat had suffered a catastrophic malfunction, resulting in a rapid decrease in vessel buoyancy. Fortunately for me, a Citadel team had been doing some recreational deep-sea night fishing , enabling my successful rescue. But despite the team’s harrowing efforts, they’d been unable to save Tommy, who had appeared to go down with the ship.

It was a mouthful, but it had passed muster.

“Logan sent his final report today,” Ethan said, changing the subject as if sensing my discomfort. “The Dubai operation went perfectly. Not a single hiccup.”

“That’s the third successful mission he’s led, right?”

“Fourth.” Pride colored Ethan’s voice. “He’s ready to take over the international division permanently.”

This was new—Ethan willingly delegating control of the most dangerous missions. Before me, he’d been the one volunteering for every high-risk assignment, using the adrenaline to outrun his demons .

“So you’ll stay on the North American continent for the foreseeable future?” I kept my tone casual, though we both knew it was anything but.

“That’s the plan.” He ran his hand up and down my spine, a soothing gesture that had become as familiar as breathing. “Ty can handle the routine executive protection. Jace is running cyberintelligence from Denver. And I’ll manage the overall operation from right here.”

“Right here,” I repeated, unable to keep the wonder from my voice. “In Colorado.”

“On this ranch.” He met my eyes, something intense and unreadable in his gaze. “With you.”

My heartbeat quickened. We’d been living together since returning from New Orleans, but we’d never explicitly discussed the future beyond vague references to seeing where things go . I’d been content with that, too grateful for my newfound freedom and the chance to explore my feelings for Ethan without pressure.

“Is that what you want?” I asked, needing to hear him say it.

“More than anything.” He shifted, reaching into his pocket. “Which is why I’ve been carrying this around for weeks, waiting for the right moment.”

My breath caught as he pulled out a small velvet box.

“I had this whole speech planned,” he said, his voice rougher than usual. “Something about how you walked into my life and turned everything upside down.”

“I think you crashed into my life, actually.” My voice trembled. “With all your security protocols and inappropriate footwear comments.”

The reminder of our rocky first meeting made him smile. “Fair point.”

He opened the box. Inside nestled a ring unlike any I’d expected—not a traditional diamond, but a sapphire the exact blue-gray of his eyes, set in a simple band of twisted gold .

“I know it’s not conventional,” he said, suddenly looking uncertain. “But neither are we. And when I saw it, I thought of your paintings—the way you capture the mountains and sky in colors most people wouldn’t think of.”

I couldn’t speak, tears blurring my vision.

“Mel.” He took my hand, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. “I’ve spent my entire adult life feeling like I needed to keep moving. Like if I stayed still too long, everything I was trying to outrun would catch up to me.”

He slid the ring free from its velvet nest.

“Then I met you, and for the first time, I wanted to stay still. To build something real and lasting instead of just passing through.” His eyes never left mine. “You’re my home, Mel. The place I want to come back to, always.”

A tear slipped down my cheek, but I didn’t wipe it away. “I used to think needing someone was a weakness. That it made me less somehow.”

“And now?”

“Now, I know better.” I touched his face, feeling the strong line of his jaw beneath my fingertips. “Needing you, loving you—it’s the strongest I’ve ever been.”

Something shifted in his expression, a vulnerability few people ever got to see. “Is that a yes?”

“It’s a yes,” I whispered. “It’s always been a yes.”

He slid the ring onto my finger, where it caught the fading sunlight and scattered it in blue-gold sparks across his face. Then he kissed me, a kiss that tasted of promise and possibility and the future we were building together.

When we finally broke apart, the sun had dipped lower, painting the mountains in deeper purples and reds.

“Should I call my parents?” Ethan asked, his forehead resting against mine. “Or do you want to drive over and tell them in person?”

“In person.” I couldn’t stop looking at the ring, still amazed that this was my life now. “Your mom will want to hug us both for at least ten minutes.”

He laughed. “Probably longer. She’s been pestering me about when I was going to stop dragging my feet and make an honest woman of you for months.”

“That sounds like Margaret.” I smiled, thinking of how quickly his parents had welcomed me into their family. How Margaret had taken me under her wing, teaching me ranch life with the same patient kindness she showed everyone. How Doug had become the father figure I’d never had.

“What about Nova?” Ethan asked. “Do you want to wait and tell her when she visits next week?”

“No, I’ll call her tonight.” I twisted the ring, watching the light play across its surface. “She’ll be thrilled. She’s been dropping hints about being my maid of honor since our first month together.”

“I’m surprised she hasn’t already planned the whole wedding.”

“Oh, I’m sure she has Pinterest boards dedicated to it. But she knows better than to push.” I traced the line of his collarbone through his shirt. “After everything, she’s learned to respect boundaries.”

I missed my sister, but not much of the rest. No more hotel rooms, no more tour buses, no more living someone else’s dream. Just this—the ranch, the mountains, the man I loved, and the life we were building together.

And hopefully, a few kids in the future.

At the door, I paused for one last look at the sunset painting the horizon in brilliant colors no camera could ever truly capture. My easel stood silently on the porch, the half-finished canvas a testament to how far I’d come from the woman who’d once only painted dreams she never thought she’d live.

“I love you,” I said, the words simple but profound.

Ethan’s arm slipped around my waist, pulling me close as we stepped inside the house—our house, our home, our future stretching before us like the endless Colorado sky.

“I love you too,” he replied. “Always.”

The door closed behind us, but I knew I’d be back at that easel tomorrow. Only now, I wasn’t painting dreams anymore.

I was painting my reality.

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