Somewhere over the last week, I fell into some vortex where my past no longer is looking to bite me in the ass. I keep thinking Tommy and his cronies will find me, but so far nothing bad has hunted me down.

Instead, I landed on this mountain where people say hello, watch one another's kids, and have BBQs.

I grew up with a drunk father. There were never neighborhood block parties. There were cases of Bud Light and lots of yelling. Rent was always late, the hot water usually out, and my lunch was had on the government’s dime.

But this mountain doesn't operate that way. This place is like a fucking Norman Rockwell painting. Red, white, and blue, through and through.

And to say I feel a little out of my element is no joke.

But Josie insists that I belong as much as anyone else.

"Grace and I were over at Harper's and she and Rosie wouldn't drop the topic of you," she tells me. "Then Stella showed up and started in, and next thing I know, Honor and Cherish were there. It was a lot of interrogation."

I give her a sidelong glance as I finish sanding the rails for her porch. "And you think telling me that six women were all talking about me is gonna make me want to go meet them?"

Josie grimaces. "I know. But the food will be good. Rosie makes a mean potato salad. And Cherish is bringing pies."

"I only want what you're serving, Josie," I tell her. Her cheeks redden, my compliments getting her nice and bothered. "How about we have a little nap before the barbecue."

She smirks. "You don't know the first thing about naps, mister."

Nonetheless, she comes up the front steps of her newly finished porch and I follow her inside.

"What kind of nap were you thinking?" I ask, pulling her over my shoulder and spanking her ass while carrying her up the stairs.

I don't know how long this picture-perfect moment in my life will last. Eventually, all good things come to an end. At least for me they always do. But right now, I have a pretty, little thing in my arms and I intend on keeping her to myself for as long as I can.

"A quick nap," she says. "I promised the girls we'd be there at five."

I shut the bedroom door, pinning her to the wall. She squeals in delight as I pull up her skirt and pull down my pants. Against the wall, her tight cunt sinks against my hard cock.

It's impossible to sleep when there is a woman like this in the world.

---

"You seem nervous," Josie says a while later as I park my Scout in the gravel driveway, next to a bunch of twelve passenger vans.

"I am."

"What, you've never gone home to meet the parents?" she laughs.

When I shake my head, she gives me a wry look. "Well, these friends are the easy part. If you want to keep seeing me, eventually you're gonna have to go to my dad's for dinner."

Damn, I am feeling over my head in a hundred ways right now. Josie’s friends are one thing. Her family is another. I just got out of prison, and everyone else in Josie’s life has their shit together.

Josie carries a basket of her homemade cornbread as we walk up to Buck's place. The home is beautiful but smaller than his co-owner, Jaxon's place. But all their properties are sprawling. They are practically parks in their own right, with green grass, conifer trees, and large play structures for the kids.

And there are a lot of kids. Josie tried to warn me on the way here, but I swear they are multiplying before my eyes. Two dozen kiddos are running around at all heights and speeds.

"See," Josie says smiling. "Why would anyone leave this place?"

I swallow, trying to man up and make sure I can make Josie proud. We've only spent a week together. This relationship is as new as new can get. And there is still a lot I want to share with Josie. I want to tell her who I am and what my past really looked like.

Where I've been the past five years and why.

The last thing I want to do is scare her away, but at the same time, she deserves to know everything.

Jonah meets us out front and Josie gives him a hug right away. I know there is nothing going on between the two of them, but seeing her with him makes me realize how much I care about her. How I want to be the only man for her.

"Hey, buddy," Buck says as we head to the backyard patio. Josie peels off toward the kitchen and Jonah watches me closely, as if making sure I'm not up to anything shady. He's stopped by the farmhouse a few times this week while I was there working alone, and he gave me a hand. He seems like a good guy, but he's definitely unsure about me. The line of questioning he comes up with makes me think he doubts my story.

The men are standing around the grill, watching meat cook, and the ladies are in the kitchen, laughing and pouring wine. Some of the dads are pushing their kids in swings, and everyone seems to be holding a baby.

It takes my breath away; this town. It’s one where everyone truly is looking after one another.

"Can I get you a beer?"

I nod and Buck hands me a cold one. "Homebrewed," he tells me. "We're pretty picky about our beer on this mountain."

I take a drink. "It's really good," I tell him honestly. I swear to God there aren't men like this anywhere else, at least nowhere I've been. They make their own beer, hold their babies because they want to, take care of their wives because they love them.

I swear, I have a man-crush on these guys, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. They fucking know what matters in life.

"How's it going over at Josie's?" Buck asks as he flips BBQ chicken.

"Going well. Though you should know,” I say grinning. Truth is, Buck or Jax, or one of the other guys stop by a few times a day to make sure the new guy on the crew is doing his job right. “Finished the porch today. I was looking at the kitchen and the whole thing needs to be gutted. The bones look good though. It would be great if you could spare a few minutes early next week and give me your opinion,” I tell him. He says of course straight away.

I genuinely trust his input and don't want to do anything to fuck up what I have going on right now.

I want this to last.

Josie walks out of the kitchen holding a baby with wisps of blond hair. She looks so natural as if a holding an infant was second nature. When a toddler starts fussing at her feet.

"Auntie Josie, I need to go potty!"

She kneels down and says something to him, before calling for Cherish. "I'm gonna take your little one to the bathroom, okay?"

A woman with long blond hair thanks her, and takes the baby from Josie's arms. It's like an orchestrated dance and they all know the moves, never tripping over anyone else's feet. It's fucking beautiful.

Other women bring out bowls of food and platters of fruit. Kids clamber to the picnic tables and the dads all pitch in to get the kids’ plates.

I step back watching the scene unfold, not really knowing my place. Eventually though, Josie returns from the bathroom and the adults begin going through the assembly line to fill our own plates with food.

Sitting down with Josie, we find ourselves directly across from Jaxon and Harper.

"So, how are you liking the area?" Harper asks warmly as she dices watermelon for the little one beside her. Jaxon plays with the ends of her hair, and it’s obvious he can’t keep his hands off his wife.

"The trees, fresh air, the mountains--it's all gorgeous."

Josie reaches under the table and squeezes my hand. "I think I should take him on the East Summit hike this weekend."

"A hike?" I turn to her with raised eyes. "I didn't know you were into that."

"It's gorgeous," she promises. "And I like getting outside when I can."

"It's true," Harper agrees. "Last year, Josie helped with the garden up here."

"You garden too? Man, this community feels a little too good to be true," I admit, spreading butter on my cornbread.

"Is it overwhelming?" Jax asks, picking up a toddler, and sitting him down on his knee.

"Not in a bad way, but man, there is a lot going on."

"Well, Josie is amazing with the kids," Harper says. "She's been so helpful, even when she was going through hard times with her granddad."

"That's what I'm noticing," I tell them.

"And what are your plans, Beau?" Harper asks.

I look over at Josie for guidance, but she just looks at me with interest. Guess I'm taking a stab at this one solo. I look around the table and notice Jonah watching me out of the corner of his eye as he cuts up chicken into tiny pieces on the plate of the toddler next to him.

I thought I'd be in the hot seat tonight and I was right.

"I like the work I'm doing now. I wouldn't mind continuing it."

"Neither would I," Josie says.

I want to tell her so much before her emotions get too wrapped up in me. But as she laces her fingers through mine, I know in my gut that it's already too late.

I should have told her more by now.

Instead, I've told her nothing. Left out the information that's might change the way she sees me. I know it has only been a week, but sometimes a week is longer than five years. Sometimes one week can change your entire life.

"And how is James's trailer working?" Jax asks.

"Real good," I say, glancing over at Josie and noticing the way the word trailer makes her blush. Truth is, I haven't spent all that much time in it.

"So, you're gonna be starting demo on Josie's kitchen?" a woman down the table asks. Josie tried to prep me on her friends earlier and I think this one is Stella.

"Yep. Buck is going to come over in the next few days and help with the assessment, but looks like there isn't any reason to begin gutting the place," I tell her.

"If you need any help, Josie, picking out colors or finding cabinets, I know a lot of great vendors for reasonable prices," Stella says.

"That would be awesome," Josie says. "I'm grateful that my dad is paying to get the place put together right, but I still want to be smart about the renovations. I know there is a ton of other work that needs to be done. The bathrooms are a mess, there is wallpaper in the bedrooms and the wood floors need to be refinished."

"How many bedrooms are there?" Harper asks.

"Four," Josie says.

"Wow, that's a lot of space," Stella says. She has a twinkle in her eye as she adds, "How are you planning on filling all those rooms?"

Josie's blushes even harder and Wilder elbows his wife. "Aww, give them some time to figure things out."

“You’re right. Sorry.” Stella frowns apologetically before pulling her husband’s mouth to her own, giving him a kiss.

Jonah rolls his eyes at the pair before replying with a scowl. "Yeah. It's only been a week. Let's not assume this is going to go down like the rest of your guys' courtships."

James sits beside him and runs a hand over his beard. "Hey, let's keep it cool, man."

Josie shoots Jonah dagger eyes, and then Harper chimes in, "Well, Josie always says she isn't looking for a long engagement, for what it's worth."

Jaxon meets my gaze and mouths an "I'm sorry."

"It's true," Rosie pipes up from down the table. "She told me once she'd rather have the engagement and wedding in one fell swoop. Heck, didn’t you say that you wondered why people even got engaged at all? That there’s no point in waiting to start the rest of your life."

I look over at Josie whose cheeks are bright red. "Okay, new topic, please!" She laughs, but I can tell she's uncomfortable.

"Hey, it's okay to know what you want," I say, running my hand over her back. "I think that's pretty sweet. And you're right, Josie, if you know, why wait?"

I look over at Jonah who doesn't seem so convinced. His eyes are fixed on me with a scowl. And later, as everyone is cleaning up dinner, I see Josie drag him by the arm away from the crowd.

I try not to worry about what he is doing or saying to her or what she is saying to him.

I need to tell Josie the truth, so she can decide what man she really wants. I told the men I work for, but they agreed it is my story to tell.

But my time is running out, I can feel it. And I know I'm the man for her. I just need to make sure she knows that too.