19. Jaxson

Hunter adjusted his stance and squeezed the trigger again as his eyes focused on the target downrange. I watched him for a moment, admiring his skill and precision.

The gunshots echoed in the shooting range, followed by the familiar smell of gunpowder. The sound of empty shells clattered on the concrete floor.

“Nice shot,” I said, raising my voice to be heard over the noise.

Hunter lowered his weapon and turned to me with a grin. “Thanks, Jaxson. You’re up.”

I stepped forward, joining the line of other shooters. With my pistol in hand, I took a calming breath and focused on the target ahead. Hunter stood next to me, his steady presence giving me a sense of camaraderie I hadn’t expected.

Despite only recently meeting Rhys’ brother, I had already formed a bond with him. Our shared love for sports and similar taste in music made it easy to connect. And as he was in law enforcement, there was a mutual understanding between us that added to our growing friendship.

As we fired off our rounds, I couldn’t help but feel grateful for this unexpected connection with Hunter. Moving away from my team to live in Asheville—not that I regretted it for a second—was more difficult than I realized.

After a few more rounds, we decided to take a break. We walked over to the benches and sat down, sipping water and wiping the sweat from our brows.

“I have to say, Hunter, I never thought I’d enjoy coming to the shooting range so much. It’s a great way to blow off steam.”

The shooting range had never been my idea of a way to relax. It was more like work. But as it turned out, it wasn’t bad, actually.

Hunter nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. “Yeah, it is. And it’s nice to have someone to do it with. Gabe tags along sometimes, and even Rhys. But a new brother is always a bonus.”

Being included made me smile. “Thanks. I feel the same way. It’s funny how quickly everything changes. I went from being alone to having, well, all of you. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

“Good, because my baby brother has never been so happy.” Hunter’s expression grew serious. “Speaking of changes, how are you handling everything? Rhys, Emilia, and the little one on the way? That’s a lot to take on.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “It’s overwhelming sometimes, but I love them all so much. More than ever, I feel this need to protect them, to make sure they’re secure. I never imagined this would be my life, and I’m grateful.”

Hunter smiled, clapping me on the shoulder. “You’re doing great, Jaxson. And you’ve got us. We’re family now.”

As we gathered our things to leave, Hunter mentioned something that stuck with me. “Finding your mate just makes everything slot right into place. Trust me. I know.”

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Mate, huh? That’s an interesting way to put it.”

Hunter chuckled. There was something in his eyes, but was there and gone before I could really pin it down. “Yeah, I guess it is. It just means partner. Maybe it’s fanciful, but when you meet that person, it’s like finding the other half of your soul. It just makes sense.”

“You’ll get no arguments from me on that,” I said.

We left the range and parted ways, promising to do this again soon. As I drove home, Hunter’s words about mates lingered in my mind. I wasn’t sure I’d ever thought of Rhys as my soul mate, but it was as good a word as any for the love of my life. He was the best thing to ever happen to me. Somehow, it resonated with me. I realized that Rhys was my mate in every sense of the word. He completed me, and together we were stronger.

When I walked through the front door, the familiar sounds of home greeted me. I followed the sound of Emilia’s baby language to the kitchen. Rhys was humming to himself as he prepared dinner. The sight of him, his movements graceful and his smile bright, filled me with a sense of peace and belonging.

“Hey, you’re back!” Rhys said, his eyes lighting up when he saw me. “How was the range?”

“Great,” I said, crossing the room to kiss him. “Hunter’s a good shot. And a great guy. I really enjoyed spending time with him.”

Rhys beamed. “I’m glad to hear that. I hoped you two would hit it off. I know you’re going to fit right in with all of my family.”

“Well, with no help from you,” I teased, as I always did. We’d had most of them over for dinner, and I knew his brothers and their husbands were great

Although I’d yet to meet his parents since they were apparently off on their extended trip celebrating their 40thanniversary. I could definitely see Rhys and me making it forty years together, and I was looking forward to it.

I leaned down and stole another kiss from Rhys. The sensation of his lips on mine grounded me like nothing ever had. There was no doubt in my mind I would fulfil Leanne and Jayson’s request. What I feared life here in Asheville, Montana, would look like was nothing like I’d imagined; it was so much better. My future had once looked bleak and lonely, but now I had a family of my own.

“How’s the party planning coming?”

Rhys spent the day coordinating things for his parents” anniversary party with Kian, Sage, and Cooper.

Rhys eagerly shared their plans for the big party with all their family and friends, which I learned meant the whole town, when they returned from their trip. “It’ll be a great way for you to meet everyone,” he adds, sensing my apprehension. His confidence in his family’s love for me eased my nerves.

As the kitchen filled with the mouthwatering aroma of herbs and spices, I glanced at Emilia in her high chair. Her chubby fingers gripped onto the frozen teething ring Rhys had ordered. She was drooling like no one”s business. As I watched her, a wave of bittersweet emotion washed over me.

It made me happy knowing my daughter would never be alone now that she had so many of her cousins around her and a new sibling on the way. At the same time, it also reminded me that this life here in this small town was meant for Leanne and Jayson, not for me.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.

“How much my life has changed since moving here.”

At first, Rhys smiled, but then his brow pulls together with a look of concern on his face. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. But I think I’m ready to tell you now,” he said, his voice gentle but resolute.

Even though I’ve wanted to know, a small panicked voice inside me screamed, “Don’t,” because right now, everything was perfect. But I also knew that perfection was so often an illusion, a fragile bubble that could burst with a single word.

I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest. “Okay,” I managed to say, my voice barely a whisper.

“After dinner,” he said, almost like he thought better of it too.

The whoosh of relief that hit me should have been my first warning, and the knot in my stomach the second.

A part of me wanted to tell him not to bother, because it was fine. We were fine. Everything was wonderful and I didn’t have to know.

But my mind had imagined all sorts of scenarios, none of them good. And maybe finding out wouldn”t be as bad as I imagined. Maybe the not knowing was worse.

So why didn’t I believe any of that?

“Okay. After dinner,” I repeated.