“So you’re going to hire people?”
“In a nutshell,” I tell her as my hands go to her lower back where I rub at her gently. “For each enterprise, we’re going to put a business manager and CFO in place, and they’ll report to Woolf and me. And we’ve talked Bob into coming on board with us full time to act as our personal attorney and advisor. He knows more about my dad’s business holdings and the way they operate than anyone does. Woolf is going to run the ranch himself though. That’s where his passion is and he’s got a good grasp on it.”
“What about you? What’s your role?” she asks, and I don’t miss a slight tone of fear in her voice.
“I’m going to help Woolf oversee things, but if you’ll still have me, I’m going to do it remotely from here. When I get things settled down, I’m going to open the bike shop. But I think… for the first year or so, I’m going to have to travel back and forth quite a bit. Live there part of the time.”
Casey starts worrying at her lower lip, lowering her eyes shyly. When she finally raises them, I see a hint of determination though. “And what about us? Will this be a long-distance type thing?”
I smile at her, leaning forward to give her a quick kiss. “Did you not hear the part where I said I’m not going another three minutes without you by my side?”
She nods, her eyes hopeful yet still guarded. “Spell it out for me.”
“It means I want you by my side, whether it’s here in Nags Head or in Wyoming. I’m not going to be separated from you, and if you don’t want to live in Wyoming, then I’ll just tell Woolf he’s going to have to go it alone from the start. I mean it, Casey… you are far more important to me than the Jennings fortune. I’m not giving you up.”
“I’ll go,” she says quickly and throws her arms around my neck, hugging me tight. “Wherever you go, I’m there.”
“It’s only temporary,” I assure her as I squeeze her to me. “Our real home will be here.”
“Doesn’t matter,” she says softly with her lips near my ear. “As long as I’m with you.”
“God, I love you so much,” I tell her and don’t give her a chance to reciprocate because I kiss her hard and deep, sealing her promise to stay by my side.
She pushes back on me, causing my lips to falter. When I stare into her earnest eyes, she says, “I love you, Tenn. And I am so thankful for you because I would have never known this feeling if it weren’t for you. You’ve taught me so much… shown me so much. My eyes have never been as wide open as they are right now, and my heart has never felt this damn good in my entire life. You are my everything, and I would follow you to the ends of the earth.”
My throat turns dry and something pricks at my eyes, but I manage to croak out. “Baby… going to make you so fucking happy.”
She gives me that bright, Casey Markham smile, and leans in to press her lips against my neck.
“Going to marry you too,” I tell her boldly, expecting that might shock the shit out of her. Instead, I can feel her smile against my skin.
“And I wouldn’t be averse to knocking you up quickly with a kid or two,” I press forward, and she actually moans against my neck.
Fucking moans over me telling her I want to impregnate her.
“We’d make some pretty babies,” I murmur as my hand comes up to cup the back of her head and hold her against me tighter.
“I’ve been told that recently,” she whispers as her tongue comes out to taste me right at my jaw line. “But we have to be married first.”
“Say the word and I’m there. We can hop a plane to Vegas right now and throw your birth control pills away.”
Casey giggles and leans back to look at me. She gives a serious shake of her head. “The ranch. I want to get married on the bank of Snake River… your favorite place in the world.”
“Second favorite,” I remind her. “You’re my favorite place.”
“And I only want our family and close friends there,” she continues. “And we have to work on getting custody of Zoey. She has to be with us permanently, okay?”
I tilt my head, overwhelmed by the capacity of her heart. “Sure, baby. We’ll get started on that real soon.”
“And Tenn?” she says with sparkling eyes and joy practically pouring off her.
“Yeah, baby?”
“It’s going to be physically impossible for you to make me any happier than I am right at this moment,” she says assuredly, linking her fingers through mine. “You’ve given this girl more than she could have ever hoped for.”
“Oh, Goldie,” I tell her in a low warning voice. “I’m just going to have to prove you wrong about that.”
“Bring it on, baby,” she says before leaning in to kiss me. “Bring it on.”
Epilogue
Tenn
Mention marriage and babies to Casey Markham just once, and it’s all over.
Four weeks to the day since I mentioned wanting to marry her while we sat out on the beach facing the Atlantic Ocean, and I’m now about half an hour from making it a reality.
While I had to get on a plane the very next day and get back to Wyoming, Casey stayed behind and put her mother and Gabby to work planning the wedding with her. Since she already had the venue picked out—and that would be on the shores of a river in Wyoming—she was able to do pretty much everything else on the internet.
A few days later, she had no hesitation picking the date and sent it to me in a simple text. July 30th. Our wedding. Be there.
Later, she told me that it had to be done then because Zoey would have to be back in North Carolina a few weeks after to start school, and Casey had decided she wanted Zoey to go on our honeymoon with us. That came in the next text.
Zoey and I want to go to New York City for our honeymoon. Cool?
Of course, I texted back that it was cool. Whatever the hell she wanted, as long as she remained gung ho to tie herself to me. And even though I’m swamped with shit that needs to get done with my father’s estate, I told Woolf to plan on me being gone for at least a week in August.
Casey and I decided that it would be best to move for custody of Zoey once I established permanent residency in North Carolina, so for the time being, she was going to stay with Brianna until I could get the ranch under control. I didn’t have it in me to take on that fight while trying to pour all of my energy into getting myself out from under the Jennings family business. But once I was free from it, there was no doubt that Zoey was going to be with Casey and me.
I finish buttoning up the white western shirt with black stitching and put on a bolo tie with a pewter buckle that Casey gave me. It has the Double J logo stamped into the metal. I have no clue what Casey is wearing to the wedding and she told me that she didn’t care what I wore, so I chose a western theme since she gave me the bolo, went with a white shirt because it’s a wedding, and then chose a pair of dark denim jeans, a black belt, and boots.
Grabbing my black Stetson off the dresser, I leave my room and head over to Woolf’s side of the house to get him. He’s my best man, of course, and I have strict instructions from Casey that we are to be riverside at least ten minutes before the ceremony is to start. Which means I don’t have much time to get our asses on our ATVs and head that way.
Woolf’s bedroom door is ajar so I push it open. “Come on, dude… got a woman to marry.”
“Just a second,” he groans, and then my eyes take in Woolf standing there with his head thrown back and his hands gripping onto a woman’s head while she deep throats him from a kneeling position.
“Fuck,” I mutter, quickly turning on my heel and exiting the room, slamming the door shut behind me.