Let them talk. Let the podcast splice our lives into clips. Let my nickname echo off brick until the winter winds took it. I knew what mattered. A square of light. A steady beat. A hand finding mine and not letting go.
When the band rolled into a song I knew I could two-step to in my sleep, I made a promise under my breath and meant it all the way down to my bones.
I was staying.
CHAPTER 10
ROWAN
It started with my hand in his. Just my fingers curling around Dane’s as we walked up the hill behind the courts, leaving the hustle and bustle of the festival behind. Laughter still echoed from Main Street, carried on the night breeze, but I hardly noticed. My focus was locked on the warmth of his hand, the grounding weight of it steadying me in a way I hadn’t let myself need in years.
“I didn’t think today would end like this,” I admitted.
Dane glanced at me, his smile brighter than sunlight. “What, the dancing or the part where you didn’t bolt after I kissed you in front of half the town?”
I let out a laugh. “Both.”
We reached the overlook above the unfinished pickleball courts. Just frames and concrete so far—but already I could see what it would become… a place for connection… for something new. Dane dropped onto the picnic bench and gave my hand a gentle tug until I sat beside him.
Our knees touched, and I didn’t move away.
“I meant what I said,” he told me, voice low. “About being in this for real.”
“I know,” I said, quiet but sure. “I just… didn’t expect it.”
His head tilted. “What part?”
“That someone like you would want someone like me.”
His brow furrowed. “Rowan, come on. You think I don’t see you?”
My gaze jerked to his.
“You’re smart. Competent as hell. You care more than you let people see, and you’ve been fighting for this town since the day you got here. And whether you realize it or not, you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen walk into a town meeting.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. “You’re just saying that because I finally wore jeans.”
He chuckled. “Whether it’s jeans or pencil skirts, March, you always get under my skin.”
I looked down at our joined hands. My chest tightened. I could still hear my parents screaming the night everything split apart—my dad slamming the door, my mom crying that love never lasted. Years later, my ex proved her right when he packed a bag without warning and left me standing in our kitchen with two mugs still warm on the counter.
I’d promised myself then: never again. Never want too much. Never need anyone enough that they could leave and take the air with them.
“I’ve spent most of my life trying not to need anyone,” I said. “Playing it safe. Doing things right. And somehow, I still ended up feeling like I was always on the outside.” I hesitated, then let the words come. “I think I was scared that wanting you would make me reckless. That I’d lose everything I’ve worked so hard to build.”
His voice was rough when he answered. “You’re allowed to be reckless. With me, you can be anything.”
I leaned into him, resting my head on his shoulder. His scent wrapped around me—wood smoke and warm skin, the faint salt of sweat, and something I couldn’t name but had come to crave. For a long moment, we just sat there, watching the stars wink down on us from overhead.
“You’re going to finish the courts,” I said.
A slow smile curved his mouth. “Sure am. Once I have the permits in hand, Ridge has a guy who says he can get started right away.”
That made me lift my head. “Ridge Backstrom has connections?”
“Yeah. And ideas. We’re talking about a weekend league. Sabrina’s on board to sponsor it through the coffee shop.”
I leaned back, watching him. “You’re really doing this.”
