Page 21 of The Mountain Man's Bride

“Once upon a time there was a—”

“Grumpy, growly mountain man,” Miles fills in proudly. He knows this story by heart just like Angel does.

“Shh, not you. Daddy should tell it.” Angel sticks out her tongue at her brother.

Crew continues on, “And he was driving up the mountain.”

She interrupts, “In a snowstorm that was cold and bitter, right, Daddy? Right? See, I know it too, Miles.”

“But there was a wreck. A black limo had an accident,” I add, grinning at Crew when he reaches for my hand and squeezes it.

He continues the story, “Inside the limo was the world’s most beautiful woman. She was—”

“The pixie queen!” Miles nearly shouts.

Our sleeping little ones stir but quickly settle again.

Crew sends Miles a look. “Indoor voice, son.” He’s forever having to remind Miles not to shout. Not that it’s his fault. Our boy has an endless supply of energy and it’s not easy being cooped up in the cabin during long winter months.

Angel grins up at Crew. She adores her father. Just like I do, she looks at him and sees her hero, her protector, and her biggest fan. “Then the grumpy, growly mountain man took the pixie queen home with him. And they lived happily ever after. Right? That’s my favorite part, Daddy.”

Miles frowns. “Dad, you said there was an extended cut.”

I smother a chuckle at the look on Crew’s face.

“That’s for when you’re older,” he gruffly insists.

“But I want to hear it now!” Our son protests.

I decide to have pity on my poor husband. “It involves lots of cuddling and kissing. Do you want to hear all about the kissy faces your dad and I made with each other?”

“Yuck,” Miles complains.

Crew clears his throat. “It’s time for bed, kids. Remember you have to get to sleep early tonight so we can build the snow fort tomorrow.”

At his words, they race off to the bathroom to brush their teeth, arguing with each other over who is going to build a better snow fort.

I raise an eyebrow. “You told him there was an extended cut?”

“I mutter one thing under my breath,” he says as he gathers our four-year-old up in his arms. “Don’t move, mama. I got the kiddos tonight.”

After he’s put the older three to bed, Crew comes back for the baby. He puts her in the nursery, returning to the living room with the baby monitor.

“All settled?” I ask.

“Yep, teeth brushed, prayers said, and water drank.”

“Then there’s just one more person to put to bed,” I tease.

He scoops me into his arms effortlessly and I snuggle into his embrace. It doesn’t matter that I’ve been through four pregnancies and watched my body change in a million different ways, he’s still delighted by it. He still loves every curve and spends his nights worshipping them.

“I’m glad the mountain man found the pixie queen,” I tell him when he places me gently on the bed.

He stares down at me, his gaze filled with a depth of love and affection that only grows every day. “Me too, sweetheart. I’ll never know what I did right to get you and our four beautiful gifts but I’m grateful for my family.”

He joins me on the bed, and I take his hand, sliding it over my stomach. “Five gifts now, Daddy.”

He gives me a grin before pressing a gentle kiss to my lips. “Our lives just keep getting better.”

I shiver under his touch. “Now, make love to your horny wife.”

Crew loves my body over and over again until I’m so exhausted I can barely keep my eyes open. The past eight years have been nothing short of a fairytale. Every day here in our mountain cabin, we’re living our happily ever after.