“Miss Sabrina,” my doorman answered the phone.
I smiled. “Hi, Tim.”
I always smiled when I talked to Tim. He was more like an uncle than a doorman. At nearly sixty-five, he had been in this building long before I’d moved in and he’d be here long after. This place had become a part of his soul just like the outpost had imprinted on mine.
“What can I do for you today?” he asked.
“I wanted to let you know that my movers should be here within the hour. You can just send them up when they arrive.”
“I’ll see to it but are you sure that you really want to move? It’s a long way away.”
I smiled wider. “I’m sure.”
For the last two weeks, Tim had been relentlessly trying to convince me to stay in Seattle. He’d written me a note that summarized all the negatives of moving. Every time I came in or went out, he’d remind me of all the wonderful things about the city. He’d even had my favorite Thai food delivered one evening with a red circle on the attached menu showing its Washington-only locations.
“All right,” he muttered. “I’ll expect you to come back and visit.”
“You can count on it. Thanks, Tim.” I hung up and swiped through my contacts, pressing Felicity’s name next.
“Hey, hold on one sec,” she answered. In the background, baby Victoria was wailing like a banshee. A door clicked shut and Felicity sighed. “There.”
“Um, maybe you should call me back. Don’t you need to get her?”
“She’s fine. Silas is with her.”
“Is everything okay?”
“No. Yes. I don’t know.” Her voice cracked as she started crying. “We’re trying to get her to drink from a bottle so that Silas can get up with her at night too. My nipples need a break and I am just so tired. I’ve barely slept in two weeks.”
“It will get better. I promise.” I had no idea what else to say to a new mother.
She sniffled. “You’re right. I keep telling myself that too, but it’s just been a rough couple of weeks.”
“Hang in there. She’ll probably be sleeping through the night by the time she goes to college.”
“God, I hope so.” Felicity laughed and sniffled again. “How’s the packing going?”
“All done. The movers should be here soon and my car is all loaded up with the stuff I’m hauling myself, so as soon as they’re finished, I’m out of here. Good-bye Seattle.”
“It’s a long drive so please be careful and call me if you get tired. No matter what time it is, I’m sure I’ll be awake. Victoria and I can keep you company.”
“Sounds good.”
“Good luck today.”
I smiled. “Thanks. Give my girl a hug and a kiss for me.”
“I will. I’d better go rescue Silas.” The sound of Victoria’s screaming got louder as Felicity went back to the nursery.
“Okay. Bye.”
Tossing my phone on the couch, I scanned the stacks of boxes in my living room. My movers would be packing up the rest of the apartment but these boxes were all going to charity along with most of my furniture. Where I was going, I didn’t need a bed, couches or chairs.
Beau’s house already had it all.
Felicity thought my plan to show up on Beau’s doorstep tonight was romantic. I’d thought so too, at first, but now I was starting to think it was foolish and impulsive. What if he turned me away? Or worse, what if he was with another woman when I showed up?
The thought made me nauseous so I went to the kitchen to get some water.
Chugging it down, I willed myself to stay positive.
Besides, it was too late to change my plans now. For Beau, I’d take the risk. He deserved to see how far I was willing to go to keep him in my life. He deserved this grand gesture.
With nothing left to do but wait for the movers, I stood by a window and took a few moments to appreciate the city. The street below was bustling with cars and people walking by. The tower across the street was mostly office space, people working away at their desks. There would certainly be things I’d miss about Seattle, but mostly, I was glad to be going home.
Even though I’d only spent a few days in the actual town of Prescott, I knew without a doubt it was the place for me. Montana had won my heart.
Just like Beau had.
The nervous energy in my stomach swelled when a knock sounded at the door.
This was it. I’d spend the morning hours watching the movers wrap and box my belongings and then I was leaving. I’d lock up and give Tim my keys. By this time next week, this place would be home to someone new. I just hoped that during their residence here, it included far fewer traumatic moments.
I rushed to the door, forgoing a check at the peephole, and swung it open wide, smiling and ready to greet my moving crew.
But my movers weren’t on the other side of the door.
Beau was.
My smile dropped and I gaped at him, using the door to balance my swaying feet.
“Hi.” One hand was in his jeans pocket and the other was holding a small black bag. His jeans were newer, not the faded and worn pairs he usually wore and he’d traded his normal plain T-shirt for a deep green button down with rolled up sleeves.
He was breathtaking.
This rugged, sexy mountain man was every one of my lost hopes and forgotten dreams come true.
The shock of seeing him finally wore off and I found my voice. “Hello.” I wanted to scream and jump into his arms, to kiss his face a million times, but first, I wanted to know why he was here. “Would you like to come in?”
“No.” He shook his head and dropped his bag so his hand could stroke his beard. “I want to say a few things before I come in.”
“Okay.” The excitement I’d felt a moment ago was now tied in an anxious knot.
He sucked in a long breath before launching right into his speech. “When you left, you said you didn’t belong.”
“Beau, I—”
“Please, let me get this out.”
I nodded and whispered, “Okay.”
“You belong right here.” He held out his arms, making a circle in the space between them. “You belong with me. Right here. No matter where we live, whether it’s Montana, Seattle or Timbuktu, this is where you belong.”
My breath hitched and my heart started racing. Was this really happening? He’d really come for me?
He’d come for me.
He was willing to give up his home, the town he loved and being close to his family, Coby, just to be with me. Any doubts I’d had over the past two weeks vanished. Henry had been right. This man loved me completely.
I opened my mouth to tell him that I was moving to Prescott but the stairwell door flew open with a loud bang and I flinched.
“Oh, Sabrina,” my neighbor sneered. I’d nicknamed him The SOB in 5-1-3. “Don’t tell me we’re back to having federal agents roam our hall.” He eyed Beau up and down.
I shook my head. “No. No federal agents. Excuse us, we’ll go inside.”
I wouldn’t miss this guy when I moved.
“Should I expect to hear gunshots later?”
Asshole.
I wasn’t the only one who thought that was a rude question. Beau did his jungle growl and turned to loom over my young, arrogant neighbor. SOB’s face paled when he realized he’d gone too far.
With clenched fists, Beau ordered, “Go.”
SOB scurried to his door down one from mine, fumbling with the keys as he cowered away from Beau.
The second his door clicked shut, I started giggling. SOB had completely ruined our moment but I did love how Beau was first and foremost my protector. “Come inside.” I reached out to tug Beau’s hand.
He grabbed his bag, then walked past me and down the hall. I dragged in a huge whiff of his amazing pine smell as I closed the door and followed him inside. When I got to the living room, he was staring at the boxes stacked on my couch with his hands planted on his hips. “What’s all this?”
“I’m moving. Those are the boxes going to charity along with my furniture.”
“You’re moving?”
“Yep. The movers should be here soon.”
He ran a hand over his beard as he walked to the windows on the far side of my apartment. “Where are you going?” he asked the glass.
The smile I’d been fighting let loose. “Montana.”
Beau spun around, his eyes wide.
“You kind of stole my sunshine here, Goliath. I was going to show up at your house tonight and ask if you felt like having some company.”
A sexy grin replaced the shock on his face. “Does that mean you’re smitten with me, Shortcake?”
I shrugged. “You’re just okay.”
“Yeah,” he whispered. “You’re just okay too.”
I smiled. “You need to come over here.”
“You come here.”
“Meet in the middle?”
He nodded and I took a running leap as he bolted across the room to catch me. My legs wrapped around his waist and my arms banded around his neck as our lips crashed together.
Our mouths and tongues moved frantically but neither of us could get enough. We were desperate to get as close as possible and erase the distance of this past month.
I squeezed my thighs, pulling my center closer to Beau’s waist, hoping for some friction to dull the throbbing ache under my jeans. He groaned as his big hands jerked my hips even closer, positioning me lower so his erection was pressed right against my core.
I tore my mouth away from his lips and trailed them up his jaw. “Bedroom,” I panted against his ear before running my tongue along his earlobe and then down the muscled cords of his neck.
Beau didn’t waste any time hauling me to the bedroom. All of my bedding had been folded up in the corner and the mattress was bare, but thankfully, the bed itself was still intact.
He planted a knee on the edge of the bed and threw me down in the middle of the mattress. His fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt while I started stripping. My clothes, bra and panties came off with reckless speed and were scattered across the floor by the time Beau managed to shed his shirt.
I sat up and reached for the button on his jeans while he tugged off the T-shirt he’d been wearing under his button-down. My hand dove inside his boxers and wrapped around his thick cock, my thumb circling the tip to spread the drop at its end around the head. I ached to have him inside.
Beau stopped undressing for a moment to suck in a sharp breath and mutter, “Fuck.” I only stroked him twice before he pulled my hand away. “I’m going to have trouble making this last as it is, angel. If you keep drooling over my cock while you’re sitting there naked, this will be over before it starts.”
I smiled. “We don’t have much time anyway. The movers are coming.”
“They can wait outside.” He stepped out of his jeans and laid them carefully beside me on the bed before kicking off his boxers. His long fingers trailed up the inside of my thighs as he came down on top of me, his light touch leaving a trail of goose bumps on my skin.
My hips bucked and I gasped when his thumb strummed my clit twice. When two of his fingers slid inside my wetness, I closed my eyes as he rocked them in and out. It was amazing but it wasn’t enough. “I need you inside.”
He dipped his fingers one last time before positioning the broad head of his cock. “Your wish.” With his elbows bracketing my face, his hands dove into the masses of my hair splayed behind me on the mattress.
With a slow and deliberate push, he buried his huge cock, connecting us so completely I knew we’d never drift apart again.
“I love you,” I whispered.
His smiling eyes locked with mine as his hips kept thrusting. “I love you too.”
Beau’s strokes sped up and my empty bedroom filled with the sound of our bodies colliding. One of his hands left my hair and came down to my breast, rolling a nipple and sending a whole new wave of heat to my core.
“Yes,” I moaned.
“Say that again,” he whispered in my ear as his cock kept stroking and his hand kept working my nipple.
“Yes.”
He kissed my neck, thrusting deep once more but then stopped.
“What?” I panted. “Did you hear something? Is it the movers?”
He didn’t answer me; instead he lifted up and leaned over to rifle through his jeans pocket.
I listened for noise but the apartment was silent. “Beau?”
He still didn’t answer. Seriously? What was so important that he stopped fucking me? If he came back with his phone, I was going to kill him.
“Beau!” I smacked him on the arm, causing him to chuckle. “This isn’t funny.” I tipped my hips up as a silent reminder that he had much more important things to be doing right now than messing around with his pants.
“I’m glad you said yes.” His torso came back to mine and he grinned. His right hand reached for my left and slid a cold metal band past my knuckle until it rested perfectly at the base of my ring finger.
“Wha—”
He interrupted me by slamming his mouth down on mine and kissing me deeply. I didn’t kiss him back, I just lay there, stunned.
Did he just propose? I ripped my lips away from his and turned my head to the side. He had my wrist pinned, a diamond ring sparkling brightly against my skin.
“Oh my god,” I gasped as I stared at the ring. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry so I did both, hiccupping sobs as a wide smile split my face. Blinking away tears, I turned my head, needing Beau’s eyes. They were waiting for me, bright and full of love.
“I love you, Sabrina,” he whispered. “Be my wife?”
I nodded, unable to speak because I was crying again.
Beau swiped my tears away with his thumbs as he peppered kisses on my nose, chin and cheeks. When I finally got ahold of my emotions, I lifted up to kiss his lips. My legs wrapped around the back of his thighs and pulled him closer, burying his cock as deep as it could go.
He smiled against my mouth before sliding his tongue inside. Our kiss started out sweet but quickly turned hot as Beau’s long strokes resumed. My body ignited again and my legs started to tremble. Beau started going faster, pounding hard and deep, until he gave me an intense orgasm. I was so consumed with the explosion, I vaguely registered Beau telling me he was coming too.
My entire body went limp as he slid out, letting me go to collapse by my side. When my racing heartbeat and labored breathing started to subside, I lifted my left hand in front of my face.
“Wow.” I was mesmerized by the jewel on my finger. Set in a thin, white-gold band was a square-cut diamond. The ring was simple but exquisite. Exactly what I would have picked out for myself.
“Do you like it?” Beau asked, propping himself up on his side.
“It’s beautiful.” I turned my head to give him a kiss but the second my lips touched his, a knock pounded on the door.
“Ahh! The movers are here and I’m naked!” I scrambled off the bed, scooping up clothes and nearly tripping as I rushed to the bathroom to clean up. By the time I emerged, Beau had gotten dressed, sans the button-down, and was showing the crew around my living room.
“Hi.” I waved and shook hands with the foreman, who immediately started walking me through the moving process and introducing me to his team.
“We should be done before lunch, ma’am,” the foreman said as his crew dispersed to bring in flattened boxes and tissue-paper rolls from the hallway.
“Sounds great. Thank you.”
Beau tucked me into his side as we stood in the living room and watched the movers get started.
“Shit!” I planted my face in his chest. “The bedroom smells like sex.”
He started laughing and hugged me tighter.
“It’s not funny,” I hissed, which only made him laugh louder.
Still laughing, he called to the foreman. “Do you need us to stay or can we step out for a while?”
“We’re all good here. You just need to sign off on everything once it’s packed.”
“Come on, Shortcake.” Beau steered me down the hall. “Let’s take a walk.”
Hand in hand, we rode down the elevator, waved at Tim as we passed the front desk, then walked outside. The mid-morning air was fresh and cool as we strolled down the sidewalk. The diamond on my finger glittered in the sun and I kept twirling it with my thumb to see it sparkle.
“We’re getting married.” I’d probably keep saying that all day until it really sank in.
Beau smiled. “Damn straight.”
Everything had happened so fast this morning I realized there was still a lot to talk about. There were things I needed to say.
I took a deep breath and started with an apology. “I’m sorry I pushed you away when you came here last month.” I never should have told him to leave.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to come back.” There was regret in his voice too. “I tried to get back sooner but it took longer than I thought to wrap up stuff in Prescott. I had to train a guy to take over the search-and-rescue team and find someone else to take my job, and I wanted to spend some time with Coby before I left.”
“You quit your job?”
He nodded. “Yeah. But I think they’ll let me have it back.”
I smiled and rested my head on his arm, glad he was here now even if it had taken him a while to get back. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
“Whenever I thought about you, I sent you these good thoughts.”
“Yeah?” he asked. “Like what?”
“Just little things. I’d wish you a good day at work or a nice dinner. I’d ask you to give Boone a hug for me.”
He grumbled. “Don’t get me started on that damn dog. You’ve ruined him. He’s been moping for eight months.”
“Really?” I smiled. “He missed me?”
“Almost as much as I did.” He bent and kissed the top of my hair. “I meant what I said earlier, Sabrina. I’ve thought about it a lot. I don’t care where we live. As long as we’re together, I’ll be happy.”
“Me too.” It meant the world to me that he’d make that kind of sacrifice but it didn’t change my decision. “I choose Montana. I want to take Boone for walks down the street by our house. I want your family to invade our privacy and I want to become Coby’s favorite aunt. I want to take our kids camping at the outpost. Just promise me I’ll never have to shovel snow.”
“You’re sure?”
I looked up to him and nodded. “I’m sure.” I’d have no regrets about trading my busy, whirlwind lifestyle for a simple country life.
After walking for a bit, we started making our way back and I started making a mental list of everyone I wanted to call on the drive to Prescott. We had a lot of exciting news to share. My family and Felicity would be over the moon when they learned about our engagement.
I was sure Mom would want me to tell her how Beau had proposed in detail, at least twice.
My feet stopped dead as realization dawned.
“What?” Beau asked when my hand slipped out of his. “Are you okay?”
I shook my head. “What are we going to tell my parents when they ask how you proposed? Or our kids? We can’t tell them the real story. It will scar them for life!”
He stepped into my space and smiled. “You’re the storyteller, I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
Maybe I could tell them that he surprised me. Just keep it vague. That would work, right?
Right.