Redeemed Cowboy (Whiskey Valley Bryant Brothers)

“Ryan!” I gasp, unable to believe this is happening this quickly.

He reaches down between us and wraps his hand around his girth. He positions himself at my center and nudges his way into my already wet channel. “Yeah, marriage, house, babies. I want it all with you.”

I sigh as I sink down on him. “I want that... all of that.”

He leans up and cups my face in his hands. “It’s yours.... I’m yours.”

I groan as his hips thrust upward. “I love you, Ryan.”

“I love you too, baby.”

Epilogue

Ryan

A few days later, everyone is home again. No one knows a thing until I’m caught by Eli kissing Mia.

“He’s at it again,” he tells King as they come up onto the porch.

I reluctantly pull away from Mia and watch as her face turns red. We’re literally caught red handed, but it’s all my fault. I can’t seem to keep my hands or my mouth off her.

King is about to get on to me, and then he spots who I’m with. “Mia!” he and Eli gasp at the same time.

I grab on to Mia’s hand. “Come on, honey. We might as well tell everyone at once.”

She smiles at me confidently. It’s amazing what love does to a person. Mia was so shy and unsure of herself, but these last few days, I’ve made sure to tell her and show her what she means to me. There’s no way she can have any question about how I feel about her. I’m still kicking myself for how long it took me to get my shit together, but it was better late than never.

We walk past King and Eli and go inside where everyone is sitting down to dinner. All at once, everyone stops talking and stares at us. I’m holding on to Mia’s hand, our fingers threaded into each other’s. I rub my finger over the ring I gave her this morning.

“There’s something we wanted to tell you all.”

Griffin and Chance are sitting across from us, staring at me. King walks around and puts his arm around Nat, while Eli sits down at the table, picks up a roll, and puts it in his mouth. “Mia and I are getting married.”

Everyone’s mouth drops at once. I know those are probably the last words they expected out of my mouth. They’re all surprised, and I can’t say I blame them. But at least they all recover quickly. My brothers all get up and congratulate me as Nat pulls Mia in for a hug. She’s showing her the ring proudly.

After getting congratulations from my brothers and an “I told you so” from Griffin, I find my way back over to Mia. I put my arm around her and pull her into me. I kiss her softly but not like I want to. Not with all my family and Eli staring at us.

“Well, this has been fun, but I need to go. Congratulations, brother. I’m really happy for you,” Griffin says as he slaps me on the back. He pulls Mia in and hugs her too. “I’m excited to have you as a sister-in-law. You’ve always been a part of the family anyway.”

Mia hugs him back, and I see her tear up at my brother’s words. “Thanks, brother. Where are you off to?”

Griffin looks over at King. “Well, I have to go to the airport in Jasper. Hailey Young is arriving tonight.”

Natalie claps excitedly. “I can’t believe she’s staying here. I’m so excited.”

Chance looks around the table. “Who’s Hailey Young?”

Natalie sits down at her seat at the table. “She’s only the best, most romantic author I’ve ever read. I have every one of her books. I’m hoping she’ll sign them while she’s here.”

Chance looks at Griffin and rolls his eyes. “Better you than me, brother.”

Griffin just grunts. “Save a plate for me. We’ll be back in a few hours.”

When my brother leaves, I hold Mia’s seat out for her. Without even talking about it, the positions at the table have all moved, and Mia’s now sitting next to me. I put my hand on her thigh and squeeze. The conversation goes on around us, but all I can think about is Mia and our future. I may have been afraid of commitment in the past, but now all I can think about is spending the rest of my life with Mia. She’s mine... now and forever.