Page 82 of The CEO and the Mountain Man

“I…” He bit at his lips. Miguel rubbed his back. “I realized that this was kind of a form of therapy for me.”

His eyes flicked to mine, as if to see if I understood.

“I get that,” I said, adding certainty to my voice, even though I was far from certain. “It’s clear as day, your progress from the earliest, darkest days till now.”

“And if it can be therapy for me,” he said, straightening, almost as if preparing for a battle, “then maybe it could be therapy for other people too.”

I’d started scrolling through the gallery again as he spoke, but his words stopped me in my tracks. I looked up from the screen to find him locked in on my reaction.

“Art therapy?” I asked, as if feeling the first rays of dawn. “Do you want to be an art therapist?”

A fat tear rolled down his cheek. He nodded. “I wanna be an art therapist. I wanna help people the way that art helped me.” He sniffed, huffing out a laugh. “And bonus, I don’t have to starve.”

“You were never going to have to starve,” I insisted. “But … not many people are willing to take their pain and use it to help other people like this.”

“That’s not true,” he said. “Look at Miguel. Look at Beau. They both had shitty families. And they make sure that teenagers feel seen and heard, and even loved. All sorts of people take theirpain and do wonderful things with it.” He took his phone from my hands. “I just wanna be one of those people.”

I pulled him down and kissed his forehead. “Then you are already one of those people. You amaze me.”

Miguel closed the distance, kissing River’s temple. Proud. Less than two weeks, and he wasproudof my son.

I could’ve reasonably told River that following his heart all the way out to Colorado was short-sighted. Illogical.

But River’s brilliant smile through tears? Six months ago, I didn’t even know he’d ever be able to smile like that again. I’d have given any body part you asked of me in exchange for the brilliant smile lighting up his face at that moment.

Somehow, the Art Institute had becomemydream instead of his. His dreams had changed, and they were leading him out of the darkness. I’d be damned if I wasn’t going to support him in finding the light again.

River looked to Beau, then back to me. He raised a brow.

I followed his line of sight and saw the man who’d changed so many things for me. And he was sad. Sad because he knew he was about to lose me.

River crossed his arms. A dare.

Well …shit.

Maybe it was the morphine, but I had a feeling I was about to turn my life upside down.

Chapter 24

Beau

Seeing Clark fight through his fears to listen to his son was a privilege. A privilege that was breaking my heart. River was going to get his happily ever after, but this man, I was pretty sure I’d just fallen in love with, was not mine to keep.

Right on cue, Clark spoke.

“River and Miguel, can you give me and Beau a few moments?”

Miguel’s eyes ping-ponged between Clark and me. He nodded, understanding. “Of course.” Grabbing the walking stick, he asked, “River, do you want to go with me to get a coffee downstairs?”

River took the stick, and Miguel slid his arm around River’s waist. With a short goodbye, they left us.

My heart sank. This was happening all too fast. I thought I had more time, but the accident ruined even that.

I stared at the hospital linoleum. Might as well get it over with.

“Clark, you don’t have to say it. I know this was just a vacation fling, and it doesn’t mean anything and…”

“Will you shut up?”