Strong Enough (Meet Me in Montana 4)

Brock let a wide grin spread across his face. “What do you need us to do?”

I felt my body relax. “Tell our mothers we eloped.”

“Oh, hell no!” Ty said as he threw up his hands. “Tell the moms? Are you insane?”

Brock slowly shook his head as he looked at Ty. “We’re gonna need Mom’s help with this one.”

Ty stared at his brother. “We? Why we? He’s your best friend?”

Brock’s brow rose. “He’s your future business partner.”

Ty laughed. “Best friend trumps business partner.”

“You could always get Kaylee to do it. She’s not afraid of anything,” I interjected.

Ty and Brock exchanged a look.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Ty said, “That might work, but she’s going to be mad, as well. And probably pissed you didn’t tell her yourself. But she might get a kick out of telling the moms.”

“They all need something to do. I’m sure planning a reception would keep their minds occupied,” I said.

“And no one likes to be more of a boss than Kaylee,” Brock added.

Ty nodded. “This might work. Yeah, I think it will work.”

I looked between both men. “I need to get back to Merit; our flight leaves in a few hours.”

Brock pushed off the side of the desk where he had been leaning. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure it all out. Go get married, enjoy the time together, and don’t worry about anything here.”

I reached for Brock’s hand, and he gave it a shake and then pulled me in for a quick hug. “I’m glad you finally found love, Dirk. No one deserves it more than you.”

With a quick slap on his back, I felt my throat tighten slightly. “Thanks, Brock.”

We stepped apart, and I looked at Ty. “Tell Kaylee I’m sorry I didn’t tell her myself.”

He smiled. “I’m sure once the initial anger wears off, she’ll forgive you.”

I slapped my hands together. “Well, I’m off to tie the knot!”

“Dirk, if you pace any more, you’re going to wear a rut in my wood deck,” Doug mused as he leaned back in a chair and smirked.

I forced a smile at my friend. When I’d called Doug and asked if I could rent his house in Lake Tahoe if he wasn’t using it, he laughed and told me it was mine to use for as long as I wanted. When I told him I was getting married, he went silent for a good full minute—then asked if I was drunk.

When I told him the shortened version of the story, he told me he was booking a flight the next morning. He needed to be present to watch history go down.

The moment Merit walked out onto the deck after we’d arrived, she’d cried. “It’s so beautiful and perfect,” she gushed.

I’d pulled her into my arms and kissed her before I whispered how much I loved her. Then I’d held her in my arms as we gazed out over the turquoise water. I never thought anything could be more beautiful than the mountains of Montana, but Lake Tahoe gave it a run for its money. The mountains seemed to be held between the blue waters and blue sky. I’d always thought the view was stunning when I came here before to visit Doug, but with Merit in my arms, it was a thousand times more beautiful.

“Dude, I still cannot believe you’re getting married. You…” Doug said with a slow shake of his head. “Does she know how many women you’ve…”

“Fucked?” I said. I couldn’t use any other word, because that was exactly what every single one of them had been. I hadn’t made love to any of them. With more than half of them, I’d never even bothered to ask what their names were.

“Okay, I was going to be a little more sensitive, but it looks like you’re getting straight to the point.”

“She knows I have a colorful history when it comes to women.”

He smiled. “Why this one?”

“Because she’s the reason I had such a colorful past. Partly. I slept with all those women thinking it would put her out of my mind, but it never really worked.”

He nodded. “Oh Lord, I’ve been there and done that. Why did we think sleeping with other women would erase the ones burned in our hearts?”

I shrugged. “Too afraid to admit there was actually one to burn into our hearts.”

He grinned. “Exactly. Men: we are a beastly bunch.”

I looked at him thoughtfully. “You’re happy now, right? Now that you’re married to Jill?”

Doug didn’t even have to answer; I saw it in his eyes. “I’ve never been happier. She saved my life the day she showed back up in it. I’d be lost without her.”

I went back to pacing.

“Is Merit the reason you quit?” he asked. I knew it was a question that had been burning inside of him since he found out.

“Partly. I took the rest of the year off after my father died because my head wasn’t in it, and I needed to be home. But when Merit told me she was pregnant, that changed everything.”