“And this is where the beautiful princess met her handsome prince,” Rafe announces as he parks the SUV in the driveway of his cabin.
“We know, Dad,” Elijah, our oldest son, rolls his eyes. He’s ten and already well on his way to becoming a teenager if his moods are any indication.
“Whoa,” Amelia says from the back. She’s our six-year-old, and she still believes in fairytales. Rafe is always reading them to her and encouraging her to believe in them. I love that she still thinks there’s magic in the world thanks to her dad.
Since we’ve started reigning in Velkan, the two of us don’t go away very often. But we make it a priority to come back to the cabin where we met every year. It’s our family’s vacation home, and I cherish these moments together.
Rafe helps Amelia from her car seat and nods to the security team waiting on the porch. They’ve already secured the cabin and the surrounding areas.
Despite the fact that we travel light, Rafe insists on bodyguards. Now that we have kids, he’s more protective than ever. I love that he’s always watching over our family. Knowing that he’s standing guard helps me to rest easy at night.
As soon as she’s on her feet, Amelia reaches for Violet’s hand. Violet spent the first year of our marriage swearing that she would retire soon. Then we told her I was pregnant with Elijah, and now, I don’t think she’ll ever retire. Not that I mind. I’m delighted that my kids have the eighty-year-old woman to cluck over them the same way she did over me.
Violet accepts Amelia’s hand and together the two of them race up the porch steps. You wouldn’t know her age by looking at her. She’s still just as spry as she was twenty years ago. She says it’s because the kids keep her young.
Elijah is already texting on his phone as he stumbles toward the cabin. He’s friends with all of the kids on this mountain. So many of the lonely men have married and started families of their own that Elijah is never without playmates when he’s here. Amelia too.
I love that the mountain families welcome us back each year, never treating us differently. Rafe still hangs out with Roman and Hale, though they’re both married now. He’s also been learning how to shoot a bow and arrow with Blade.
Every time I’m here I get together with Gwen, Gabby, and Ivy. The three of us sip wine, pretend to paint, and gossip about our hot husbands.
Rafe puts an arm around my shoulders and tucks me into his side. He presses a soft kiss to my temple. His voice is a quiet rumble when he says, “Welcome home, princess.”
When we enter the cabin, a cheerful fire is already burning in the fireplace and the beds are turned down. Rafe pays a house sitter to keep the place stocked and ready so we can drop in at a moment’s notice.
But more than the cabin itself, I love the memories it holds. This is the place where Elijah took his first steps. It’s where Amelia lost her first baby tooth. It’s where Rafe made love to me on the porch during a thunderstorm.
I love the chance this cabin offers to connect with my husband and remember who we are as a couple. Instead of being the monarchs, we’re just Rafe and Aurora, two people who are still in love after over a decade together.
“I’m taking the prince and princess down to the lake,” Violet says as soon as we’re inside. Amelia already has a flotation device strapped around her, and Elijah has his snorkel on.
When we’re at the cabin, our kids practically live in the water. It doesn’t help that the lake is a popular gathering place for all the kids. Not that I worry about them. There are always at least two hunky mountain men dads playing lifeguard at the lake.
Plus, all the kids get swim lessons from the time they’re babies. Add that to some watchful mamas who sit around the lake smearing sunscreen on all the kids and well, we have a community around us that loves our children as fiercely as we do.
“Have fun,” I tell them and wave as the three of them disappear out the backdoor. Knowing Violet, she’ll keep them out for hours and they’ll only return when they’re totally exhausted and starving for dinner.
Despite our busy lives, she’s amazing at making sure that I always get plenty of time alone with my husband. For years, I thought the law in Velkan that every reigning monarch must be married when assuming the throne was ridiculous. But now that I have my handsome husband, I understand. We talk through everything and carry the heavy things together. We support each other and lift one another up.
“We have to fill these hours somehow.” Rafe says putting his arms around me and hugging me from behind. Even though we spent all night touching and cuddling and making love, I’m still eager for more of my man.
I press against him, loving the soft groan he gives. Ten years and two babies and this man is still turned on by me. Ten years and he still can’t get enough. The thought leaves me feeling powerful and feminine.
I turn in his arms and press a soft kiss to his lips. “Make love to me.”
He spends the next few hours satisfying me until I’m a sweaty mess that’s curled up in his arms in front of the fireplace. I’m on his chest, purring like a contented kitten.
“You make me so happy,” he whispers into the stillness of the cabin. The only sound disturbing the quiet is our racing heartbeats as they slow again. “I used to think I’d be alone forever. Then you were there on my front porch.”
I chuckle as I draw circles on his arm absently. It’s curled up against his chest in the posture I’m now familiar with. It hurts my heart to see the way his body twists sometimes and the pain it causes him. But he’s taken it and used it as a platform to champion disability rights in both Velkan and the surrounding countries.
He talks a lot about his cerebral palsy and actively works with an organization that helps disabled children get the mobility aids they need. His dedication to making life better for others is just one more thing I love about him.
“I remember being so worried about being betrothed to you. If I’d only known the kind of man I was walking toward, I wouldn’t have been scared for a second. You’re an incredible husband and father.” I blink back tears. It’s hard not to cry all the time because my life is just so wonderful.
“You make it easy,” he answers, his voice ringing with sincerity. “You’re not just my wife. You’re my best friend, my whole world, and my soulmate. I love you, always.”
“I love you, husband.” I snuggle deeper into his embrace. My gruff mountain man has given me a million reasons to smile, and I know he’s always thinking up new ways to delight me. Every day with him and our kids is an adventure, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
***
The curvy woman deserves better than a big brute like me. So I keep my distance until the day I can’t. The day I come home to find her cleaning up my place and making me a hot meal. It’s time to turn her into my dirty little housewife, so I can finally breed her sexy body.
Roman is the filthy mountain man who’s claiming Gabby, the petite mechanic who fuels his darkest fantasies. Pre-order Bred by the Mountain Man today for a delicious alpha male who worships his curvy woman!
