With a laugh filled to the brim with relief, Grady slid the solitaire diamond onto Maren’s finger and bounded to his feet just as Maren jumped from hers and wrapped her legs around Grady’s waist to smother his lips with a kiss.
Remy nickered his approval.
“Is that a yes?” Grady pulled back, eyes searching. “You’ll marry me?”
“Grady Cutter, I would’ve said yes to you the day we met if you would’ve asked me.”
With a disbelieving chuckle, he said, “Well, that would’ve made for a really, really long engagement.”
“Yeah, and I don’t think I want one of those,” Maren amended. She curled her hands into the hair that stuck out from under his hat and kissed him again. “I’d be fine to head on over to the courthouse tomorrow, if it’s all the same to you.”
“I wanna do this right, Mare. The whole thing. We don’t need a big, fancy wedding, but I want the church and the first dance and the reception with people who love and care about us there to witness it.” He slunk his lips closer to her ear when he whispered, “And then I want you.”
Maren nodded a little too eagerly. “Yes.” She pushed her mouth against his again and kissed him like it was the last one she’d ever get. “Yes to all of that.”
Epilogue
Grady
The resident rooster didn’t get the memo that newlyweds didn’t get much in the way of sleep. Scrubbing his eyes with a fist, Grady rolled over on the mattress, ready to press his pillow over his ears so he could get a few more minutes of shuteye, when the sight of Maren’s still sleeping body just inches away jolted every part of him awake.
He still couldn’t believe this life. It was like getting to unwrap the best Christmas present every morning of every day, and he had a hunch that newness and unbridled excitement would never quite wear off.
They’d left the hayloft window open, and the morning song of the barred rock rooster trilled up and into the barn loft like ivy climbing a wall. The entire ranch was theirs—Kiley and Colton had moved into Peg’s neighboring apartment three weeks earlier—but even with all of those available acres, this was their favorite place to be, hands down.
Grady allowed his eyes the liberty of leisurely trailing over Maren’s soft outline, knowing the sweet promise of just what was underneath that thin cotton sheet. In their short thirteen days of marriage, he’d become as familiar with her as he was the entire Cutter Ranch. And he knew every square inch of that precious land like the back of his hand. The same hand that was currently working its way over to rest on the curve of Maren’s hip. He tugged gently, rolling her onto her back as she stirred, eyes fluttering open and a lazy smile spreading onto her mouth.
“Mornin’.” She let out a little grunt as she stretched. “How’d you sleep?”
“Like I just worked a dozen consecutive rodeos.”
She laughed. “I’m worn out, too.”
Grady frowned at that. “Well, that’s not what I was hoping to hear.”
With a playful smirk, Maren moved the distance to press her body flush against his. “Oh, don’t get me wrong.” She peppered light, barely-there kisses all along his jaw before meeting his mouth in an unhurried kiss. “I’m definitely not too tired, if you know what I mean.”
That was all the invitation he needed. Hauling his body over in one swift move, their hungry, wanting eyes locked, and Grady felt tied to Maren in a way that was almost spiritual. Every part of her, from her heart to her body—even a piece of her very soul—was his to explore, cherish, and treasure. He would never take that gift, and that responsibility, lightly. It was as though he was created for her and she for him, and when they made love, that unbreakable truth wound tightly around them, guided them, and pushed them to places of pure bliss that Grady never knew could exist between a man and a woman.
From the first touch to the last winded breath and stutter of his thundering heart, Grady adored Maren with all he had. The open gaze of unconditional love as she looked up from under eyelids at half mast was a snapshot Grady would engrain in his heart forever. He thought he knew love before, but this was an entirely new level of that commitment and he reveled in the fact that throughout the entirety of their marriage, they would continue climbing these new heights together.
It sure was a sweet, sweet life.
“I don’t ever want to leave this bed,” Grady murmured against Maren’s flushed, warm skin.
She turned around in the circle of his arms and cupped his face in her hands. “We don’t have a choice. We’ve got horses to load up and a rodeo to get to.”
Grady smacked his mouth, yawning. “Oh, I’m sure the bronc riders can handle things on their own this time. They don’t really need me.”
“Yes.” She thumbed the stubble growing along his jawline. “They really do need you.” She snuggled closer, legs tangling and arms woven around his back. “You protect everything that sets foot—or hoof—in that arena, Grady. You’re irreplaceable.”
He feigned flattery. “I wouldn’t go that far. There are lots of pickup men out there.”
“But there’s only one Grady Cutter.”
Smiling at that, Grady flipped Maren onto her back and nuzzled against her neck, ready for another round of their morning’s activities.
“I’m serious, Grady.” She pushed against him, but not in protest. “We can’t stay in bed all day.”
He looked around the loft. “The only other option is that stack of straw bales over there, and I can assure you, it won’t be nearly as comfortable as this mattress.”
Giggling and giving him a good swat, Maren shook her head as she bit her bottom lip. “You are insatiable, cowboy.”
“When it comes to you, Mare, always. I can’t help myself.”
“Well, then who am I to disappoint?” she teased.
“You could never, ever disappoint me.” Lowering his mouth, Grady took hers in a kiss that made the room spin as though the whole barn had been picked up in a wayward cyclone. “I’ve waited my entire life to call you mine. And now you’re my wife. My wife. How on earth did I get so lucky?”
“I think it was a little bit of luck, a whole lot of fate, and an equal amount of faith.”
“I like those ingredients.” He spoke against her collarbone as his mouth continued its deliberately slow exploration. “You know what else I like?”
“Hmm?” Maren crooned as her eyes slipped softly shut. “What’s that?”
“Breakfast. For some strange reason, I’m famished.” He winked.
Maren let out a laugh so loud even the rooster stopped mid-crow. “That’s one thing you know I’m terrible at, Grady.”
Wobbling his head, Grady agreed, “Well, I suppose you can’t be great at everything. Even still, you’re better than me. If I remember correctly, you’ve won every food competition we’ve ever had.” He brushed her hair from her face and left his hand on her cheek. “We’ll figure out the whole cooking thing together,” he teased. “Just like we’ve figured out everything else.”