“Shut the hell up!” I yell at Jackson as he irritates me from his bedroom.

“You’re the one who’s forcing me to move out,” he retorts as he carries boxes outside to his truck.

I laugh when he walks back in and flips me off with both hands.

“I’m paying thousands of dollars for you to leave. You’ve wanted your own place for a while anyway. It’s not going to take that long to finish that house. Dad already told you that.”

Since River will be here tomorrow, I’ve been trying to get everything settled, and Jackson’s deadline to get all his shit out was yesterday. Being the asshole procrastinator he is, he waited until the very last minute to pick up the remaining boxes. This whole process hasn’t been the easiest, considering Jackson and I split the cost to have this house remodeled. So, to be fair, I paid him his half, which will help him fix up an old farmhouse on the other side of the property.

Unfortunately, he’s been giving me shit ever since Mama suggested it. I was surprised when she did, but luckily it was her idea, so Jackson caved and did what she wanted. But until the house is fixed up and remodeled, Jackson’s staying with John, who isn’t happy about the whole idea.

After a few more trips to his truck, Jackson comes back in breathing heavily. “That’s all of it.”

“Thank God.” I sigh, relieved.

He takes a few steps forward, and at first, I think he’s going to punch me, but instead, he gives me a big brotherly hug. “Better be glad I love you.”

“Don’t get all mushy on me,” I tell him, and he laughs.

He looks down at his watch. “Gotta go. John’s gonna be home, and I want to meet him at the door wearing the same clothes.”

“You’re such a prick.”

He laughs and gives me a sarcastic thumbs up. “Not many people have a twin they can fuck with. Gotta take advantage of it every chance I get.”

I shake my head, and when I hear the rumble of his truck in the distance, I let out a deep breath. The house almost looks empty without his shit all over the place, but that’ll give River a blank space to make this place her own. I just hope she accepts living with me since I haven’t officially asked her yet. I wanted to make sure she was standing in front of me when I did. If she refuses, there are a few more options, but I don’t even think about that. I promised her I’d have everything worked out by the time she returned, but this is a big step, even for me.

Not wanting to push her limits, I had an extra bedroom set from the B&B moved and set up in Jackson’s room since River decided to sell her furniture. I wish I could sleep next to her instead, but I’m not rushing things, just as she wanted. The more I thought about us while she was in Wisconsin, the more I realized she was right about taking it slow. I plan to spend all the time I can getting to know every little thing about her. I want our relationship to have a solid foundation, considering she already has my heart.

It’s almost been two weeks since River left, and today, she’s finally coming back to me for good. I wake up, feed the animals, finish my day, and clean up before heading to the airport to pick her up. It’s close to five p.m., and I’m exhausted, but just knowing she’s on her way gives me an energy boost. During the hour it takes me to drive there, I do nothing but think about her and our future. It’s all still hard for me to believe.

I sit in the chairs that line the wall and wait for her plane to land. The airport is tiny, so when I finally see a small plane slow and stop, I know she’s here. My heart pounds with happiness, and I can’t wait to hold her in my arms again. As soon as I see her, looking as pretty as ever in a pair of black leggings, a sweater, and snow boots, I stand to greet her. Almost immediately, she spots me, and a smile fills her gorgeous face.

Walking over to her, I can’t help but smile too. I’m tempted to pull her into my arms, but I remind myself of those boundaries she asked for previously. It was impossible the last time she was here, repeatedly crossing those lines, but I’m making a solid effort now. If I want us to have a chance at making this work, I know I need to keep my distance, so we can start fresh.

She wraps an arm around me for a side hug, which I gladly accept. Whatever pace she leads, I’ll follow from now on. Grabbing the carry-on bag from her hand, I walk beside her to the truck, making small talk.

“Nice boots,” I say with a laugh, buckling up. Once we’re both settled in our seats, I back out of the small parking lot.

“They’re not shit slingers, but they made sure I didn’t fall on black ice. I’m so happy to see sunshine. You have no idea.”

“Sunshine? Is that my new nickname?” I tease, and she gives me a sideways glance with a grin.

As I drive us back to the ranch, I’m able to breathe a little easier knowing she’s finally here—home.

“How was the flight?” I ask as we turn onto the old dirt road.

“Sucked. I hate those little planes. They’re horrible. Thought I would need the barf bag, but I saved myself from the embarrassment and held it back,” she admits. “Perks of being pregnant!”

“I can only imagine.” I grab her hand as I park the truck in front of my house. She turns and looks at me with wide eyes.

“Where are we?” she asks.

I look at her and kiss her knuckles before I speak. “We’re home.”

River’s mouth falls open, and I smile. She gets out of the truck, and I interlock my fingers with hers as we walk up the steps that lead to the modest farmhouse. Before we walk in, I stop her at the door.

“You can say no, but first let me just say this. I thought maybe living together would make the most sense for us, seeing that you’re having a baby and all. That way we can raise him or her together and see where things go between us. If that’s moving too fast, just let me know. But I did kick Jackson out, so you can have his room.”

“Seriously?” she asks.

I nod and open the door, hoping that’s a good reaction. She walks in and looks around, the smile on her face not faltering.

“Give me the grand tour, please,” she says, reaching for my hand. I take it and never want to let it go. Her skin brushing against mine feels like home as we walk through the house.

“This is my bedroom.” I open the door, and she steps inside, sucking in a deep breath.

“So this is where the magic happens?” She turns and looks at me with an arched brow.

“Only if you want it to.”

She licks her lips as I eye her. I notice her breathing harder but decide to just tease her until she can’t handle it anymore. Pulling her out of the room, I walk her around the rest of the house. “Here’s the kitchen, a bathroom…”

When I open the door to Jackson’s old room, her eyes light up. All the bedroom furniture is set up how I imagined she’d want it. “And here’s your room.”

She walks to the bed and her hand smooths the handmade quilt my grandmother made. “I can’t believe you did all this for me.”

“I’d do anything for you, River.”

She bites her bottom lip, and I’m so tempted to lay her down on that bed and break it in properly. She doesn’t even know how beautiful she is right now, and I want nothing more than to tell her as she looks up at me with seduction in her eyes. I remember that look in Key West and know it oh so damn well.

“There’s more,” I say, breaking the silence before I strip her clothes off and make sweet love to her. She follows me as I take her to the room where we kept our pool table, but now it’s empty except for an old rocking chair. “This is the baby’s room. I didn’t paint or anything because I thought maybe we could do it together.”

“Wow.” Her eyes light up. “It’s perfect,” she whispers, walking around the empty space. “Thank you for doing this. I honestly didn’t expect any of it.”

Once River explores the space, she comes back to me and wraps her arms around my waist, pulling me close to her. I inhale the scent of her hair, and I want her so damn bad it almost hurts. Eventually, she takes a step back, creating space between us.

“So, you’re okay with this arrangement?” I finally ask. “Sharing a house and setting up a nursery together?”

“Yeah, definitely.” She nods, taking it all in. “It’ll be like we’re…roommates,” she adds with a grin. “However, the last roommate I had slept with my ex-boyfriend, so hopefully you’ll be better than her,” she teases.

“I can promise you I won’t be sleeping with anyone’s boyfriend,” I joke with her. “But don’t walk around nude because I don’t know if I’ll be able to hold myself back. And if you’d like to save a horse and ride a cowboy instead, you just let me know,” I tell her with a wink.

Her breath hitches and blush hits her cheeks. It’s so damn cute when I catch her off guard. After shaking off my words, she finally speaks and changes the subject.

“You have a really nice house.”

“It’s our house now.”

“Why are you so perfect?” she asks.

“Trust me, I’m not.” I shrug. “But you make me want to be.”

“See, that’s what I’m talking about. You always have something sweet to say.”

I chuckle, giving her a smirk. “Do I?”

“You know you do!” She laughs and playfully slaps my chest. “You’ve got this charm thing down to a science.”

I can tell she’s happy being here. All the stress from traveling has already melted away, and it’s easy being here with her like this.

We’re still standing in the baby’s room, and she takes a step back and looks it over again. “We should paint it a neutral color like yellow. When the sun rises and sets, it will make the room glow even more when the windows are open.”

“Whatever you want, sweetheart,” I say, placing my hand on her shoulder. Right now, I know what true happiness is. There’s no other place in the world I’d rather be than with River, and when she turns and looks at me with a sweet smile on her face, I know she feels the same way.

“Are you hungry?” I ask, knowing she’s bound to be after traveling. It’s nearly six thirty.

“Did you hear my stomach roar?” She giggles.

“Nope. But come on, we’ll go to Mama’s.”

When her eyes meet mine, my heart does a flip-flop in my chest. I’m constantly at war with myself, telling the devil on my shoulder that I can’t kiss her or make love to her, and bending her over the couch and fucking her senseless ain’t gonna happen anytime soon. My body remembers Key West like it was yesterday, and I wish we could fall into the same step we were in before we left. I want to go from zero to sixty in five seconds with River, and just being around her for this short amount of time is a constant reminder of where we are right now—taking it slow. This is already proving to be harder than I ever imagined, but Mama raised a perfect gentleman, and when she wants me, she’ll let me know—hopefully.

We walk to the truck and drive down the old country road until my parents' house is in view. Once I’ve parked and we get out, I lead her up the porch, but she stops me before we walk inside.

“I’m nervous,” River says.

“Don’t be, darlin’. Mama’s expecting us.” I open the door for her. As soon as River walks in, my cousin Benita jumps out of her chair and says hello. Her face lights up when she sees me following behind. She runs up to River and gives her a big hug like they’re longtime friends.

“I’m Benita! It’s so nice to finally meet the pretty lady who’s been stealing my cousin’s heart. I’m so excited for you guys! I heard the news last week.” Benita glances over at me as she hugs River. I relax because when Benita is around, everyone seems to be in a good mood. Her energy is always high, and she’s loud and doesn’t give a shit about anything. I seriously love her like my sister.

“I didn’t know you were gonna be here,” I whisper, giving her a hug.

“Well, my mama wanted me to drop off some dishes that were left at church last Sunday when they had their ladies luncheon. Also, I came to sneak some pictures from your dad for the party this weekend. Mama put me up to it by saying I was Aunt Rose’s favorite, so she’d never suspect anything. She still has no idea about the party,” Benita whispers, pulling a handful of pictures from her coat pocket.

River turns and looks at me, giving me a big smile when Mama yells for Benita and pulls her away from the conversation. We walk toward the kitchen, and I lean forward and whisper loud enough for her to hear. “You’re beautiful.”

She turns, and I can see how nervous she is.

“Everything is going to be okay,” I tell her, placing my hand on the small of her back, trying to give her a dash of confidence considering our last visit didn’t go over so well.

When we enter, I see Mama already set the table and has burgers cooking on the stove.

“Hey, son,” Mama says to me, then smiles at River. “How was your flight, dear?”

Mama’s in an extra good mood tonight, but I think that’s because Benita’s here sprinkling her happiness everywhere.

“It was fine, minus the fact that I nearly take up two seats now. Glad to be back in Texas, though, with no snow,” River says, real friendly like.

Mama pulls french fries from the pan and places them on a plate with a paper towel to soak up the excess grease. She adds cheese to the burgers, sets out buns, and works around the kitchen like a natural.

“Hi, Mr. Bishop,” River says to my father as he sits at the table.

“Hey there, River. How are you?”

“Great, thank you,” River tells him as she sits across from him at the table. Benita begins to talk River’s head off about the area and how she wished she could make snow angels at least once in her life. She has us all rolling with laughter because the way she words stuff sometimes is so over the top. Benita’s busy talking about babies and everything else when John, Jackson, and Evan all come rushing in one after another.

“You’re late!” Mama scolds. They all sit down, and Jackson starts blaming John.

Dad whistles real loud, stopping everyone from talking over each other, and all I can do is laugh. It’s always like this when we get together and has been for as long as I can remember.

I look over at River, giving her a look that says welcome to being a Bishop!

“So, River,” Evan speaks up first, “I heard you saved Dylan’s life in Key West.” I swear to God I’m going to punch Dylan in the mouth for telling Evan anything about Key West.

Mama’s eyes dart toward River, and I can tell she’s curious and even a little impressed.

“Yeah, I guess so,” River says quietly, and I know she doesn’t want the attention. “He nearly drowned. Apparently, he wasn’t a good swimmer, so when I saw Alex pull him out of the water, I knew something was wrong.”

“Why in the hell was he in the water?” Jackson asks.

“Because he’s an idiot,” John tells him.

“We were paddleboarding,” I clarify. “He just went too far and fell off.”

“Oh, so you were both being idiots.” Jackson laughs, and I roll my eyes at him.

“Well, he would’ve drowned if River wouldn’t have been there to give him CPR. I think it was the moment I fell in love with her.” I grab her hand, and she tenses but continues to smile. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that in front of everyone, but it slipped out, and it’s the truth. It was the moment that I knew she was unselfish, caring, and an angel. It was the first real moment that brought us together.

Benita lets out a big awwww, and the room fills with conversation again. After we’re finished with dinner, Benita and River help Mama pick up all the plates and wash them. I can already tell they’re going to be friends, which makes me so damn happy because Benita lives close and can relate to the mom stuff.

“You didn’t bring the twins tonight?” I ask Benita about her toddler boys, Reagan and Beau. “Haven’t seen them in a while.”

“Nah, left them home with Aaron for a bit. It was his turn to chase them around the house.” She laughs.

“Twins?” River gasps, glancing at me. “And you said Courtney’s having triplets, right?”

“Yep.”

“You sure you’re only having one?” Benita teases. “Multiples run in the family.”

River’s eyes go wide, and even though Benita’s joking around, it’s always a possibility that one of us Bishop boys could have twins. My money’s on Jackson, though. After the shit he puts us through, he deserves five sets of twins.

When River starts yawning, I know it’s time to go. She’s had an emotional jam-packed day, and I’m sure she’s exhausted. Just as I stand to tell everyone we’re leaving, Benita stands and says she better get home and rescue Aaron before he loses his mind. Taking it as our cue to leave, we all split at the same time, exchanging hugs and goodbyes.

Once outside, the cool air touches my cheeks, and River turns to me. “Is that really when you fell in love with me?”

I lick my lower lip, thinking back to our time together. “There’s a handful of moments when I knew I was falling for you. Moments I didn’t want to admit to myself at first.”

She smiles as I lead her back to the truck. “Is this real life?” she finally whispers as I open the door for her. She climbs in and buckles up.

“As real as it’ll ever be,” I tell her, backing out of the driveway.

As we drive home, I remind River about the details of Mama’s birthday. “You came back just in time. It’s this Saturday. Benita and Mama’s sisters planned the whole thing, but everyone’s coming since it’s a big one. Benita’s a sweetheart and would do anything for anyone, but party planning is right up her alley. The twins slowed her down, but now that they’re older, she’s back at it.”

“I honestly can’t imagine carrying two babies.”

I nod and laugh. “We’re lucky, considering everyone’s popping out multiples in the family.”

Pretending to wipe sweat from her forehead, she giggles. “Dodged a bullet there.”

“Well, there’s always next time.” I wink.

“Funny,” she deadpans.

“You sure we’re only having one baby though, right?” I ask because stranger things have happened.

“I’m positive. I think. Now you’ve got me stressed that there could be two babies in the oven.”

I chuckle loudly. “Guess we should book an appointment with the doctor soon.”

“Shut up.” She laughs. “Seriously.”

“Okay, okay.” I grin.

“That reminds me, though. I’ll need to find a doctor here.”

“Shouldn’t be too hard considering there are only two baby doctors at the hospital. I can ask Evan for a referral.”

“That’s okay. I can call. Or give me Evan’s number and I can talk to him myself. I’m sure the last thing you want to discuss is mucus plugs and stretch marks.”

I glance at her and see her biting down on her lip to prevent a laugh from escaping.

“I bet Benita would love to have you around as she decorates the church for the party.” I slyly change the subject. “I can text her and ask if you’d like.”

“That actually sounds like a lot of fun. I really like her already. She’s nice, and I can tell she’s got a kind heart. I really like everyone, actually. I don’t know how your parents handled all you boys, though.”

I can barely contain my smile. “We were a handful; that’s for sure. You’ll have a good time tomorrow, and I’m sure Benita will enjoy hanging out with someone who’s under fifty.” I laugh.

We park and walk inside, and I notice she’s yawning more frequently.

“You should go to bed,” I suggest, sweetly.

“You’re right. I’m exhausted.” She smiles with a cute, sleepy look on her face. “Come tuck me in, cowboy.”

She walks to her room, and I follow behind her. I watch her hips sway, and all the things I want to do hit me with full force. I want her so badly, I have to adjust myself and force my eyes to the ceiling instead. When she turns around, I pretend I’m just fine. I lean against the doorway and watch as she climbs into bed.

“Alex,” she says, “thank you again for everything.”

Walking toward her, I brush my fingers across her cheek, stopping myself before my lips meet hers. “Thank you for everything. Good night, darlin’.”

After I turn off the light, it takes everything I have to walk to my room. All I want to do is crawl into bed with her and hold her.

As I lie in bed, the only thing on my mind is River and how even after three months of being apart, she consumes my mind as if no time had passed at all. Even after everything we’ve been through, she still has no idea what she continues to do to me. That’s going to have to change, but after I get rid of these boundaries.