This isn't two people just having sex, this is two people giving themselves to each other forever. My heart has, and will, always belong to him. I can't deny it anymore.
And as the orgasm steals me away, as his cock pumps me full of hot cum, I know I made the right choice.
I chose happiness over money, and being happy is far more important than anything else. Nothing in this world can compare to this moment.
Ryder grunts, his body tensing for a moment as his cock pulses. Dropping to my side, he rolls onto his back, exhaling a labored breath.
“Wow,” he says, resting his arms above his head.
“Wow is right.” Snuggling against his chest, he wraps an arm around my body. “I can't believe I almost left all this behind.”
He tickles the tips of his fingers up and down the outside of my arm. “You came back, that's all that matters. You saw what I've always known, Jenna.” Kissing the top of my head, he holds me tighter. “That we were meant for each other.”
Smiling, I look up at him and ask, “If you knew that for all these years, how come you never came for me?”
“I did. . .” Pausing, he sighs. “Well, I tried anyway. I called your house a couple times but hung up before anyone answered. I even went to New York City once, right after I turned eighteen, but I didn't know where to look for you. I wandered around for a weekend, hoping I'd just accidentally run into you. It didn't happen.”
“Are you serious?” Pushing myself up, I arch a brow. “You really did that?”
Ryder nods, reaching up to softly cup my jaw. “I did. Do I sound like a stalker now?”
“No, I just wish I had known. Maybe it wouldn't have taken me ten years to get here.”
Thinning his lips, he smiles. “It was meant to happen this way, that's what I believe.” His eyes search mine. “I love you, Jenna Snyder.”
“I love you too.”
Maybe he's right. Maybe fate has a path it sends you on, and you can't take short cuts.
Maybe life can't be controlled.
Maybe love takes you in the direction it needs before finally bringing you home.
13
Ryder
Looking out at the garden, Jenna is wearing a big floppy hat and picking fresh strawberries off the bushes. She has a basket hanging off her arm, and she's smiling.
Smiling. All by herself, plucking berries off a stem, and smiling. I've never seen someone so happy to do something so simple.
The sun is catching her perfectly. Her skin is glowing, her cheeks are rosy, and she looks stunningly beautiful. I can't stop watching her. I haven't been able to take my eyes off her since the first day she walked back into my life.
Glancing over her shoulder, she gives me a wave. Waving back, she blows me a kiss. My cock turns stiff instantly. The way her lips purse out and her eyes soften seductively, she's calling for me to come fuck her.
Stuffing my hand inside my pocket, I walk down to her.
“Hey,” she says, holding out her basket. “These look amazing. Look how ripe they are.”
“They look great,” I say, snatching one out and taking a bite. “Juicy too.”
“Ryder!” she yells playfully, yanking the basket out of my reach. “These are for the market this weekend, not for you.”
“You're right. If I want to eat a juicy berry, I can just eat you.”
Laughing out loud, she wags a finger in my face. “You're dirty.”
“You set me up for it. Can you blame me?”
Cocking her head, she arches a brow in thought. “I think you just have a dirty mind.”
Chuckling, I pull the basket off her arm and set it on the ground. “I can't help it. You're so damn sexy and beautiful.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. You think I'm lying?”
Pursing her lips, she squints her lids as she looks up at me. “No, but you have a funny look in your eyes. What are you doing?”
“Nothing. I can't just compliment the woman I love?”
Smiling, she lifts up on her toes and kisses my cheek. “I love you too.”
“You really like it here, Jenna?” I ask, curling my arms around her waist. “You're not missing the city life?”
Her brows drop hard into the bridge of her nose as she glares at me. “What? No, not at all. I love it here. Why are you even asking me that?”
“I don't know, I just want to make sure. It's been a few weeks now, and once the novelty wears off, I don't want you to wish you hadn't given everything up for this.”
“Ryder,” she says, her voice gentle, “I didn't give it up just for this, I gave it up for you. I love you and I love this farm. This is my home, it's where I belong. I'll never walk away again.”