Page 64 of Mountain Grump Protector

As if they can sense her, the three oldest come charging into the shop. “Auntie Lilly!”

They run straight into her arms, and Lilly starts to laugh as they all start talking at once.

Once more, I wipe my hands on a rag as I cross the floor to them. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Of course.” Lilly doesn’t hesitate. “We’re going to have fun, aren’t we, kids?”

They all start shrieking and laughing. I can only shake my head. I know how crazy it can get when we watch Luke and Lilly’s kids, or any of the other kids on the mountain. And since we’ve all at least four, to say it gets crazy is an understatement.

“I got this,” Lilly tells me, and I believe her. “I’ll bring them back in the morning. Now go get me the baby so we can get going. Everyone’s waiting.”

Less than two hours later, the kids have been safely sent to Luke and Lilly’s place, I’m showered and sitting at the bar in the Rusty Nail, nursing a glass of whiskey.

Sometimes, I can barely remember the man who used to sit in this exact same spot, drinking the exact type of whiskey, feeling sorry for himself. That man is long gone, and it’s all because of…

There she is now.

When the door opens, and Willow sets foot into the bar, it’s like time stands still. She’s still every bit as gorgeous as the day I met her.

Her beautiful red hair falls over one shoulder, and she’s wearing the green dress I casually mentioned was my favorite a few weeks ago. I’m not surprised she remembers. Willow notices everything. Especially when it comes to the people she loves.

And I’m lucky enough to be one of those people. A fact I never take for granted.

It’s only been a few hours since I’ve seen her, but still, something deep inside me settles as her gaze lands on me, and a slow smile spreads across her face.

I stand before she reaches me.

“Look at you,” she says with a wink.

“Look at me, what?”

“All cleaned up.” She raises a brow. “Not a speck of grease in sight.”

“Darling, it’s our anniversary.” I give her a spin. “I even put on the clean jeans for you.”

She laughs, and I take her hand so I can lead her to the back of the room and the dart board.

The Rusty Nail has cleaned up over the years and is hardly recognizable as the dingy place it once was. Now, there’s actually some sunlight streaming through the windows, the floors have been scrubbed, and they serve the best cheeseburger around. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s finally a place where you don’t need to worry about a game of darts determining your future.

Except tonight.

“Happy meet-a-versary, darling.” I pour Willow a glass of wine from the bottle I have waiting for us and hand it to her before pouring one for myself. “It’s been ten years since you walked through those doors and changed everything.”

“For the better, obviously.” She raises a brow.

“Obviously.”

We clink glasses. “Are you ready for this?”

“I think the question is, are you ready?” She gives me a sassy smile and sets down her glass, exchanging it for the handful of darts that wait for us, just like they do every anniversary. “The stakes are pretty high this year.”

“Is that right?”

“Oh yeah.” She swings her hips as she takes her position and turns to look over her shoulder. “Closest to the bullseye, gets anything they want tonight.”

Fuck. Me.

My cock is instantly hard.