River's End (River's End Series, #1)(97)

And only then, did they start to feed the horses, side-by-side, together.





Epilogue


“Jack, wake up. You have to get up now.”

Jack sat up with a curse as his head smacked into the overhanging cabinets. He rubbed his head as he eyed Erin through blurry eyes. He glanced at the clock. It was barely after three in the damn morning. He groaned. “This bed is to damned small. I have a perfectly good one in my house. Now you want me to stumble across the ranch in middle of the night?”

“No, I’m not kidding you. I need to leave and you need to get back to the house.”

“I’ll get up in a little while.”

“Last time you said that you slept through until six and Charlie was already up. Please, Jack. It’s important.”

He grumbled and sighed as he flipped the covers back and swung his legs around. He put a hand out to grab hers and bring her closer. “Can we please just use my bed? Why do I have to keep sneaking around my own damn house? Or sleep on a bed better suited a doll.”

She rolled her eyes as she patted his cheek. “Plenty of people sleep in trailers. And yes, we are not going to start parading around the house for Charlie to witness.”

Who knew Erin would become the police for propriety. She would only stay in his room, if the boys weren’t in the house. Or once in awhile he convinced her to sneak in late and leave early.

She turned to finish slipping her bikini top on. He eyed her bare, slim back with appreciation. “You want a lifejacket to go over that? That would work, you know. You’d be wearing the swimsuit, be in the bikini theme, but I’d be so much happier.”

She frowned at him. “No. We’ve been through this. I make a lot in tips, it’s starting to finally add up.”

He hated imagining why she made so much in tips. He really wanted her to not work there. Just stay here. There was plenty to do on the ranch at any moment. He wasn’t even kidding or making up anything. But she would not quit the job, nor move into the ranch house with him, or even let on they slept together. Though everyone knew they did. Who did she think they were kidding? They stared at each other all goofy-eyed all the time. Any idiot could see they were in love with each other.

He stood up. He had six inches of room. He really wished she’d give up a little of her near obsession with the stupid trailer. She loved it to a degree that was almost insulting. She almost liked it more than him.

But he knew it was about a lot more than that. It was about having something to call her own. Her confidence in him, in her place in his life and on the ranch was precarious at best. She truly believed it was simply going to disappear. He’d sold her the truck and trailer out right by tricking her to give him a dollar, which he then handed over the title to both with a bill of sale. They were hers. She had been insistent she could not take them. But she’d finally relented. Strangely, there was nothing else he could give her, or provide for her, she’d want more.

He shook his head to wake up. She stepped down into the living room and started her coffee maker. He pushed his legs into his jeans and followed her shirtless. Her eyes strayed to his torso and stayed for longer than a second. She unbelievably blushed when she accidentally caught his gaze. It still made him grin like a fool. After the things they did last night, how could she still blush from simply gazing at him? But she did. She was sweet, and quiet, and finally, here at the ranch she got to simply be who she was.

He stepped forward and grabbed her waist and brought her to him. He nuzzled her neck. “You know what the date is today, don’t you?”

“February 28th.”

“Yes, and you know what that means?”

She frowned and shook her head. “What?”

“Six months. Today is six months to the day.”

She stilled. He hadn’t mentioned that August conversation since it happened. He’d simply started dating her and wooing her with a vengeance that he’d previously tried to make her leave. There had been a few fights in between it all. Charlie had been a major stumbling block for them. He was not okay with Erin in Jack’s life. Jack had tried to explain to Erin that his son could not determine who he dated, but she’d have none of that. She did everything she could to not upset him. Including, making Jack sleep in her freaking trailer more than his poor back could handle. He now constantly had all kinds of aches from her intolerable bed.

Her breath hitched. She dropped her gaze down below his eye sight. “Yes, I guess it is.”

“So, I’m still here. Now, when I tell you I love you, do I get to be believed? Did I prove it yet? Convince you yet? Do my penance?”

She slowly lifted her face to his. “Are you sure?”

Her voice was soft and breathy and still she didn’t believe he could love her. He touched her chin and cupped her face. “I’m sure. Are you?”

A small smile touched her lips. “Yes. I like being with you.”

He lifted up one side of his mouth in a half grin. “Yeah, well I like you too. I love you. Can I say it now? Will you finally let me say what it is so freaking obvious between us? Everyone but you knows it.”

Her brow tilted down. “I know how I feel.”

“Well, how’s that?”

She blushed again. “I love you.”

He lifted her up and twirled her around. “Will you let us just be together now? For real? No more testing. No more just seeing? Just be the couple we so obviously are.”