Something in his tone broke what little resolve I had left. I dragged myself off the bed and opened the door, probably looking like a complete disaster with my tear-streaked face and tangled hair.
Wade took one look at me and stepped inside, pulling me into his arms without a word. I collapsed against his chest, breathing in his familiar scent of pine and sawdust and something essentially him.
“Talk to me,” he said into my hair. “What happened?”
“I can’t do this,” I whispered against his jacket. “I can’t fall in love with you.”
His arms tightened around me. “For me, it’s too late for that. Question is, why does that scare you so much?”
“Because you’ll leave.” The words came out broken, barely audible. “Everyone leaves. My parents loved each other so much, and then she got sick and died, and he couldn’t live without her. They both left me alone.”
Wade pulled back just enough to cup my face in his hands, his thumbs wiping away my tears. “Hey. Look at me.”
I forced myself to meet his eyes, expecting to see pity or frustration. Instead, I saw understanding. And something else. Something that looked like love.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said, his voice steady and sure. “I can’t promise we’ll never face hard times, because life doesn’t work that way. But I can promise you this—I will fight for usevery single day. I will choose you every single day. And I will never, ever leave you alone.”
“But what if?—”
“No what-ifs,” he said firmly. “What if the sun doesn’t rise tomorrow? What if the world ends next week? You can’t live your life afraid of all the things that might happen. You’ll miss all the beautiful things that are happening right now.”
He pressed his forehead to mine, his hands still cradling my face.
“Like this,” he continued. “Like us. Like the fact that I fell head over heels for a stubborn, talented, beautiful woman who makes lanterns that light up the whole world.”
Despite everything, I felt my lips twitch. “That’s kind of cheesy.”
“Maybe. But it’s true.” His smile was soft, patient. “I love you, Brielle. I know it’s fast, I know it’s crazy, but I love you. And I’m willing to wait as long as it takes for you to believe that this is real. That I’m not going anywhere.”
“I love you too,” I whispered, the words escaping before I could stop them. “That’s what terrifies me.”
“Then let’s be terrified together,” he said, pressing a gentle kiss to my lips. “But let’s not run from it. Let’s not waste what we have because we’re afraid of what we might lose.”
I stared into his blue eyes, seeing my own fear reflected there, but also hope. Determination. The same stubborn streak that made him rebuild my lantern display and stay with me through the whole pageant setup.
Wade Metcalfe wasn’t going anywhere. And maybe, just maybe, neither was I.
“Okay,” I breathed. “Okay.”
And when he kissed me again, soft and sweet and full of promises, I let myself believe that sometimes, the beautiful things were meant to last.
EPILOGUE
WADE
“Not yet. Not yet. Okay…now.”
My eyes popped open, and I took in my surroundings. It wasn’t at all what I’d expected, but I immediately recognized the silhouette displayed in shadow form on the wall of the bonus room my wife used as her workshop and office.
“That’s…us,” I said, my mouth spreading into a goofy smile. That happened a lot these days, even after eight years of marriage and two years of living together before that. “On our wedding day.”
“We were just kids,” Brielle said.
“Me, maybe, but you were all woman, even back then.”
I winced at my own cheesiness. I couldn’t help it. She brought that out in me.
“Things feel weird without the kids here,” she said, turning to face me. “I’m not used to it.”
