Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 123171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
I love the nights when Josie, Everly, and I sit around the living room, playing a game or watching a movie together. And getting up and eating breakfast together—as a family—just feels natural. So much so that Josie and I have been talking about our future together in more detail than I think either one of us expected this soon, but I see no reason to wait.
I’ve fallen completely head over heels in love with Josie and I want her to be my wife, and I want Everly to legally be my daughter. It’s with her blessing that I ask her mom to marry me. She helped me pick out the ring and has been dying for this day ever since I first asked her if she’d want me to be part of the family.
“Are you sure she’s going to just go riding with you without getting suspicious?” Rory asks, looking through the kitchen into the living room. Dean is distracting Josie with blueprints of a new barn we talked about building.
“I’ve purposely taken up her riding time for the last week,” Everly says, sounding almost guilty. “And the weather has been shit—”
I give her a look, knowing Josie doesn’t like it when she swears.
“Sorry, crappy,” she corrects, rolling her eyes. “We haven’t been able to ride in a while. She won’t suspect a thing.”
“Okay.” Rory looks at the clock. “We’ll leave in like five minutes. The horses are already brushed, and your tack is out, so say you get out on the trail in like fifteen. That’s twenty minutes, and you’ll need, what, another thirty to propose, take the horses to your barn and go inside for a little celebration. I’ll have everyone come to your place in an hour.”
“Maybe a little longer than that,” I say with a wince, all too aware that Everly is sitting next to me.
“Why would you need—ohhh, that kind of celebration.” Rory wiggles her eyebrows and Everly clamps her hands over her ears.
“I don’t want to know. I don’t want to know,” she repeats, and Rory and I both laugh. It was Everly’s idea to have her grandparents come into town to celebrate the engagement. She’s convinced her mom is going to say yes, and while I don’t doubt Josie’s love, I’d be lying to say I wasn’t nervous.
“Ready?” Rory asks Everly, getting to her feet.
Everly springs up, shaking her hands with excitement. Both she and her mom fit right in with my family. Rory and Everly hang out anytime Rory is in town, usually going out to lunch. Chloe and Josie have become pretty close as well. We’ve gone up to Chicago to stay with Sam and Chloe a few times since this summer, and Chloe loves having someone in the family she can ride with.
I never believed in fate before, but I do now. Because everything that happened before led me right here, to the most incredible woman and a pretty fucking amazing kid.
“Mom,” Everly calls. “Do you care if I go with Rory into town to pick out something for dessert tonight? The stores close early since it’s a holiday tonight.”
“I’ll drive,” Dean offers. “It’s a little slick out there.”
“Uh, sure,” Josie looks at my sister. “You don’t care if she tags along?”
“Not at all. She says I’m cool.” Rory gives Everly a wink. Josie smiles, just as happy as I am that she and Everly mesh so well with the rest of the Harris crew.
“Then sure. Behave yourself.” She gives Everly a kiss goodbye and walks everyone to the door. “We have the house to ourselves,” she says, turning around quite literally as soon as the door shuts. “Whatever should we do?”
Going for a trail ride won’t be suspicious but turning down sex will be.
“I actually was going to suggest we go for a ride. You’ve said all winter how you wanted to ride in the snow.”
Josie’s eyes light up and she enthusiastically nods. “Ohh, yes!” I let out a small sigh of relief. She’s too excited to suspect anything. She hurries into her room to change into winter riding clothes, and then we both bundle up and go to the barn. Baldur and Odin were adopted back in the fall, and we have a home lined up for Idun, the old gray mare Josie got from the auction in May. Loki has been added to the permanent residents here, and Freya is staying until she has her baby.
I saddle up Bailey and Josie, of course, rides Loki. She’s worked hard over the last few months with him, and when she felt like she was hitting a wall with his training, she took him to Poppy’s for a few weeks to use the heated indoor arena so they could push through working in the cold.
He’s been back now just for the holidays, and I’ll forever be proud to see Josie ask for help like that when it comes to the horses. We both want what’s best for them, after all.