Mason dismounts and wraps his reins around a tree branch. “The squirrels are pretty fancy in these parts, but they swore they wouldn’t mind sharing.” He cracks a toe-curling smile. “Want help getting down?”
“I got it,” I lie. I’m shaking so hard that even Sprinkles whips her head around to see if I’m okay.
Don’t judge me, Sprinkles! He’s everything, and I’m freaking out over how badly I want this. “Yep. Fine.”
“Ginnie, you look like you’re going to throw up.” Mason takes Sprinkles’s lead and ties her up next to Max.
“I—I—just…” I exhale. Time to be honest. “I want us to work out, I do. But if this doesn’t happen for a second time, I’m not sure I can deal with it, Mason. I made a promise to Russ to be whole and sane and, most importantly, a good mom. I don’t want to break that promise and have sex with you for a few months only to find out that we can’t work because we want different things, or you don’t want me, or I don’t want you, or—”
“Ginnie.” He grabs me by the shoulders and looks down at me.
“Yes?” I blink up at him, breathing hard.
“Do you want to spend the rest of your life with a man who loves you more than anything and who will do anything to support your every dream?”
I nod.
“Do you want me more than you’ve ever wanted anyone?”
I nod.
“Then there’s nothing to worry about. I feel exactly the same.” He lowers his voice. “I cannot imagine my life without you. And as hard as the journey was, my only regret is that I took so long to get here.” He drops to one knee.
Ohmygod. What’s he doing?
Mason takes my hand and slides a silver ring from his pocket. No case. Just him, the ring, and the sincerest look I’ve ever seen. “Please, Ginnie. I made my wish, and now it’s up to you to make it come true.”
I stare deeply into those warm blue eyes. Then I look at the ring with a big gold sparkly thing on top. “Is that a miniature glass mosaic of genie lamp?”
“What else do you give a woman who doesn’t want diamonds?”
“Jesus, I so fucking love you.” He stands, and we kiss. Hard. I don’t even know where the ring goes, because my focus is on getting his shirt up and over his head. Next I’m reaching for his jeans and those classic-sexy buttons. They open with a string of pops while he’s stripping off my leggings, tennis shoes, and infamously hideous summer dress.
He pauses and looks me over. “God, Ginnie. You’re so beautiful.”
I hold my hand to his stubbly cheek, gazing into his hypnotic eyes. As difficult as it is to admit, we’ve both ended up in a much better place. Had things stayed the way they were with Marus, I would have had to watch him suffer through life and struggle to fight his past. So while our breakup hurt, badly, what I got in return is this incredible man. Strong. Sexy. Whole. Ready to love me and be there for his son. “Yes. I will marry you.”
His lips are on mine, and I forget every ache, pain, and moment of sadness from this past year. The heat, love, and need for him overpower everything.
He lays me down on the blanket, our lips never parting. He raises my arms over my head, and I feel my body already pulsing. I want him so badly. Now and forever.
He breaks away and looks me in the eyes. “I love you, Ginnie.”
“I love you, too, Mason.”
He thrust and steals my breath. It’s not gentle, but it’s not a fuck either. It’s just a need to be together.
Chapter Thirty-Four
“I can’t imagine ever topping that,” I say, walking Sprinkles by her lead. Mason and Max are both walking to my side. I’ve been ridden too hard to ride back.
“That was truly some phenomenal lovemaking.” Even Mason looks like he could use a nap, and we didn’t even bother with the champagne. It’s in his saddlebag. Not all of our energy was spent on sex, though.
We fucked hard. He put that ring on my finger. Then we talked. We both realized that if we’re going to make this work, we need to put all of our cards on the table.
Best place to start? I finally asked him about Rebecca and her stories. I knew none of it was true, but I wanted to know why. Why did she hate him so much? The answer blew me away. She was syphoning off money from the family business, and their parents just wouldn’t believe Mason, no matter how much proof he showed them.
So Mason did take control of the family company, but only because he was dealing with a bunch of naïve, entitled people, and the business would eventually go under if he didn’t. So he made the choice to get things back in shape and sell the company off. At least then his parents would have enough money to live comfortably in their old age. Rebecca would be put on a monthly allowance.