Epilogue

EPILOGUE

GENEVIEVE

One Month Later

“I figured I’d find you in here.” I’m sitting on my stool, an easel in front of me, and I’m finishing up on a painting I’ve been working on. Two Chicks has hired someone to look over the storefront while Sienna and I get to have more creative freedom. Still, two days off from work have me itching to do something in my creative outlet. Amos came up from the barn one day, saw me sitting on the porch, and was pissed. The weather had changed. Gone is the fall and in its place is snow. I also wasn’t wearing the best clothes for sitting out in the cold, but the scenery was too pretty to miss.

Now, he’s turned one of the spare rooms into my art room. There’s nothing in the way of furniture that can’t get paint splatters on it. There’s even new flooring on top of the wood floor. I wanted to cry when he did that. My heart hurt for the beautiful flooring, though it’s a necessity. He mentioned that next summer, he’d build an art studio wherever I wanted on the property with the best views, or we could attach an addition to the house. Did I mention we also live together now? Yep, two days after our trip back from Texas, he drove me to my apartment, along with the whole Johnson family, men and women. They helped me box up my belongings, load up the furniture I wanted, and the rest we donated to a local church who has a thrift store where the proceeds go to families who have fallen on hard times. I almost took everything out of the trucks to hand over. Mrs. Johnson saw the look on my face, told me I had a heart of gold, and we can always make sure future donations go to them. Especially our time and monetary donations. Two Chicks will one hundred percent be doing that as well.

“This is the best view in the house. I get to see the pretty landscape and watch my man work with animals and ropes.” I drop my paint brush into the container and stand up. It’s amazing that while I’m clumsy in every other part of my world, when I’m in here or working with paint, I’m centered.

“Ropes, huh?” His voice is dripping with desire. Last week, I walked down to the barn, where he was winding up a few ropes from his day. Whatever look I gave him lit a fire deep inside. One minute, we were in the walkway, the next we were in the tack room. My hands were tied above my head, my legs were wrapped around his waist, and he fucked me so hard and fast, I could have sworn I felt the earth shake.

“Amos.” My voice gives me away. You would think by the way I’m looking at my man, I didn’t have him less than twelve hours ago. But he’s wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. I’m in a tank top, no bra, a pair of loose shorts, no panties, and I’m ready to jump him.

“Strip, Genevieve.” I do as he demands, watching as he does the same. I lick my lips when his thick cock juts out from his body before lying heavy along his abdomen. My clothes drop to the floor. I’m a mess of paint. There’s no way to keep it contained when I’m in the moment, and Amos doesn’t seem to mind as he makes his way toward me.

“God, I need you.” The words tumble from my lips as his hands cup my cheeks.

“I’m going to take you, and when I slide my cock inside your pretty pussy, I’m also going to slide my ring on your finger. We’ll get married, and whenever you’re ready to toss out the birth control, I’m going to plant my babies inside you. I’m warning you now; I’m more than ten years older than you, so I’ll give you some time, but if you take too damn long, I’ll throw the fuckers out myself. Wanna have kids before I’m older than dirt.” Amos lets go of my face and drops to his knees. He drags his tongue along my slit, taking a deep breath as he does. I’m a little worried that he’s going to use his mouth with me standing up, and with my penchant for going topsy turvy at times, anything could happen.

“Amos.” I take a shuddering breath, eyes closing while I hold on to him by any means necessary.

“I love you. I love everything about you, sweetheart.” He helps guide me to the floor, where there’s a tarp to try and preserve the new floors. Amos saw when I laid it down and shook his head; there was no need to ruin the floor in the first week.

“I love you, and I’d have married you yesterday. I’ll throw my birth control pills out tonight.” We never make a huge topic about his age, but clearly, he’s been thinking about it a lot lately.

“Fuck yeah.” I’m flat on my back, feeling his hard length against me. Wetness gathers between my thighs, and he uses it to guide his way inside me. He takes my hand that is currently on its usual resting place, on Amos’ chest, where my palm feels the deep beating of his heart.

“Amos.” He kisses my knuckles, and while he’s seated inside me, I watch as he places a ring on my finger. A single solitaire, emerald shaped. It fits perfectly, just like Amos.

“Goddamn, you’re a gorgeous sight, wearing nothing but my ring with my cock buried inside your pussy.” His mouth touches mine, his forearm is propped near my head, and my thigh is hooked over his other arm. I hold on. His thrusts are powerful, his kiss is dominant, and his love is absolutely amazing. I’m going to hold on much like I’m going to hold on to Amos—forever.

I hope you enjoyed Amos and Genevieve’s story and will consider leaving a review. If you’d like a bonus scene of Midnight Confessions click the link below for more!

Midnight Confessions Bonus Scene

Coming next is His to Touch, Ryland and Sutton’s book and releases November 17th! P.S Clay’s story is coming in Snowed in with the Cowboy this December.

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Prologue

Ryland

One Month Earlier

“Goddamn, mother trucking son of a bitch,” I mumble beneath my breath when I see none other than Sutton Rawlins walking down the street.

“Son of a bischhh,” Case mimics me. Great, this is just fucking great. The preschool is going to have a field day with my boy if he so much as whispers the phrase I used. The only problem I’m having with nipping it in the butt is, my boy said the four word phrase without so much as a hiccup. Well besides dragging out the end of the word.

“Case, that’s not a nice word,” holding back my smile and laughter while looking in the rearview mirror at my boy is damned impossible. I use a stern voice and when his little lip wobbles, I know I made my point even though it’s tearing up my gut. “You’re not in trouble, daddy shouldn’t have said it either,” I nod, and he gives me back the same appreciation. That’s it, there’s no more discussion, holding a grudge isn’t in my nature unless it’s Case’s mom. Then I’ll hold onto the anger I have for her until the day I die. How she could abandon my sweet boy, I’ll never ask her, and I’ll never know either. Thank fuck.

“Kay, daddy,” Case turns back to the window and the reason for my harsh words to begin with. Sutton Sullivan is walking down the street, huddled into herself and the sorry excuse of jacket she has on when the weather is bitterly cold. Except she’s no longer Sutton Sullivan, she’s Sutton Rawlins and her husband is a worthless piece of shit. I’ve witnessed firsthand the way her brightness has dulled, no longer is she the happy go lucky, smiling while walking around girl. I mean damn, I’m not either but the light is gone. And Shane Rawlins is the one to blame. The local hometown football hero isn’t what everyone expected him to be and how Sutton hung her lasso to him, I’ll never understand. Then again, I haven’t been through the hell she has either. My family rallies around when shit goes sideways, Sutton hasn’t had that, ever. Her mom did the best she could, a single mom working two jobs, her dad in the wind, a lot like Case’s biological mother. I refuse to call her his mom. Sure, she did the right thing, the way she did it though. Fuck, it could have been so much worse. Sutton’s mom did the best she could with what she had, no one in town ever abandoned them and when mom noticed they needed new shoes. When the holidays were around the corner or summer came creeping up, mom would load up the family and we’d have dinner at the diner, she’d leave an extra tip. Then she’d go a step further, when no one was at the Sullivan house, mom would leave care packages for the two of them.

That’s who mom is and when Sutton’s mom, Heather passed away she stayed with Sutton until she was secure in knowing Heather’s daughter would slowly be okay. What no one expected, not even me, is her marrying Shane. He came back from college, a hometown hero of sorts, everyone thought he’d go pro, an injury ended his career early, and when he came home, he set his sights on Sutton. My world was imploding with learning about Case’s speech delay, taking it harder than necessary and closing myself off yet again.

“What do you say we give Sutton a ride home?” I ask my boy, pulling over ahead of where she’s walking.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” he chants. We’re on our way home from preschool and while the last thing I want to do is potentially see Shane. Sutton could use a break from life, the woman works more than anyone else I know and the only reason I’m aware of this fact.

Well, because my family is nothing but a bunch of nosey nellies. Our mother being number one, then working down the list are my brothers and sisters-in-law. Dad is the only one who keeps things to himself unless one of us kids and yes, we’re still considered kids by our parent. Even with us brothers varying in ages from early thirties to forties. Needless to say, I know more about Sutton than I’ve asked for and my mother makes it her mission to remind me just how pretty she is. I know exactly how beautiful Sutton is, I thought about it before, and I still think about her now. Only she’s wrapped up with the scum beneath my boot. I’m at a damn standstill until something changes.

“You good?” I ask Case as I put the truck park .

“Uh huh, I have a ssss…nack,” my boy picks up his granola bar in one hand, shaking it around. Undoubtedly, I’ll have a mess of crumbs and wrappers to pick up once we’re back home, it’d be a lost cause to deal with right now.

“Alright, sit tight. I won’t be but a minute,” I reach behind the front seat, knuckles out and waiting for Case to bump them. I’m out the door, closing it behind me to keep the truck warm. I barely have enough time to walk around the hood of my truck, pull my jacket together to help cut the brutal wind that’s settling in with the changing seasons when I see Sutton.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I whisper under my breath. Sutton’s head is down, hair falling down from her usually messy bun she has on top of her head, jeans ripped at the knees and look like they’ve been washed a million times over. They’re practically threadbare and her jacket isn’t much better, thin and definitely not heavy enough to ward off the chill.

“Sutton,” her head lifts up. She might be standing in front of me, but Sutton is too damn far away all the same.

“Ryland.” The rasp of her voice leaving her lips, has me ready to do more than give her a ride home. She has me questioning every sensible thought I’ve got rolling through my head right now. The biggest one being, Sutton is shacked up with Shane Sullivan.

Sutton

“Come on, I’ll give you a ride,” Ryland Johnson states. He doesn’t ask, there’s no hi, not a hello, and definitely not a how are you in sight. My mouth drops open, morphing into what I’m sure is a what the hell is happening here. Everyone knows Ry only has for one person and that’s his son, Case. He’s also the highlight of my day when Mrs. Johnson comes in on the rare occasions for her grandson to eat a hot fudge sundae with a side of fries. I swear he wears more than what makes it in his mouth. Seeing him childlike, happy and content with a family that loves him, it makes me yearn for more out of this life.

“I’m good, I can walk,” a gust of wind chooses that moment to slice through my clothes, gnawing away at my body. It’s not easy refraining from allowing your body to shiver. I’m due for a new jacket and a new pair of shoes for this winter, the only problem being is money is tight and come January it’ll be even tighter. I’m almost done with the schooling I need to better myself. I just have to see myself through the finish line and while it’s taking me twice as long, I’m doing it, for me.

“I wasn’t asking,” All of the Johnson brothers and their mother won’t back down. This is a battle I won’t win, still I can hold out and make myself not seem like such a pushover.

“Ryland, this isn’t a great idea,” it really isn’t. My home life is complete and total shit but there isn’t much you can do when you work for the diner during the day and a nighttime job as a medical transcriptionist at home to pay the bills.

“You gonna take my jacket?”

“You know I can’t,” we’re at a standoff and if I concede. He wins and I lose, but I also lose another battle too, one that’s at home. Where there’s someone who will play twenty-one questions when he has no reason or right to.

“Can’t or won’t, Sutton.” Ryland doesn’t wait for an answer, instead he wraps his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into his side, and I’m surrounded by everything him . Leather, spicy nutmeg, and undertones of cinnamon. I’m warm for the first time since stepping outside of the diner, I’m not freezing.

“Ryland,” I say his name this time with a warning.

“A ride won’t hurt you, Case wants to say hello anyways,” I’m ushered to the passenger side of his truck. Ryland only lets me go to open the door and keeps a hand on my lower back as I climb on up. I’m instantly met with the blast of heat and my hands go in front of the vent.

“Sutty!” A little voice from the backseat squeals and is followed up with a “Howwww…dy!” I turn around to greet him all while Ryland closes my door and rounds toward his side.

“Hey Case, my man. What do you have there?” I spin around, wanting to see him with my own eyes. It’s been about a week since he’s been in the diner and he’s such a joy to be around.

“Ssss,” he says with a stutter. I wait patiently, Ryland does too as he watches our interaction, “Nack!” One thing about Case, he has one octave, and an inside voice isn’t one of them.

“Looks good,” Case looks from me, back to his snack. He seems to be contemplating if he’ll share it with me.

“Ready?” Ryland interrupts the moment and this time I breathe a sigh of relief. The bar in his hand looks smushed to crumbles.

“Yeah,” I turn back around, lock my seatbelt into place and we head down the street. My usual twenty-minute walk is going to be cut in half, which means I have ten minutes to prepare for the inevitable.

“Thanks for the ride,” I tell the quiet cab of the truck, Ryland makes a humming noise and nodding.

“You welcome!” Case states, making me smile with his enthusiasm. In a different world, a ride like this could be my everyday occurrence, that was if I hadn’t screwed myself over with Shane. Now, I’m starting over, later in life, and the only way I’ll ever get ahead is if I keep my head down with my eye on the prize. Girls like me, we weren’t meant to have men like Ryland Johnson or a son like Case Johnson and doesn’t that just suck.

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