The whole room seemed to disappear.
For a long, stunned moment, she just stared at him. This man who’d walked away, crossed an ocean, and somehow come back again.
Then Grandma’s voice floated from behind them, smug and satisfied. “Told you, child. Love’s got a long road, but it always finds its way home.”
Lila laughed through the tears she hadn’t realized were falling. And for the first time in weeks, the ache in her chest began to ease.
For a heartbeat, no one in the room breathed.
TJ stood there like some storm-tossed traveler who’d finally found his way home. Lila was rooted to the spot, torn between running straight to him or running away before her heart betrayed her.
Instead, she did neither. She just whispered, “You came back.”
“Yeah,” he said softly. “Guess I did.”
He crossed the room, and the crowd parted instinctively, as if everyone sensed this moment wasn’t for them. Grandma’s grin was pure mischief. Doc gripped Wilfred’s shoulder, and Tilly was openly clutching Jack’s arm, eyes wide.
TJ didn’t stop until he was right in front of her. “Say something,” he murmured.
“What am I supposed to say?” she whispered back. “You left.”
“I know,” he said. “And I’m sorry. So very sorry.” He swallowed hard.
Before she could answer, he reached up, cupped her face in both hands, and kissed her.
The room collectively gasped.
It wasn’t a quick, polite, sorry-I-hurt-you sort of kiss. It was the real thing. The kind that stole her breath and made her knees go weak. It erased every lonely night she’d spent wondering if she’d imagined what they had.
His hands slid to her shoulders, steady and warm. The world tilted, righted itself, then vanished altogether. All she could feel was him. His lips, his heartbeat against hers, the familiar scent of coffee and cedar clinging to his coat.
When he finally pulled back, the room burst into laughter and applause.
“Well, about time!” Grandma crowed.
Doc chuckled. “I was beginning to think the boy needed a diagram.”
Luke whooped, clapping his hands. “There it is! That’s my brother!”
Ethan leaned against the stair banister, grinning from ear to ear. “Told you he’d come crawling back.”
Caleb just shook his head, half-smiling. “You do realize Mom’s going to plan a wedding before morning.”
Lila’s cheeks burned scarlet. “Oh, my goodness,” she breathed.
TJ laughed under his breath, his forehead resting lightly against hers. “I forgot how subtle this town isn’t.”
“You think?” she murmured, but she was smiling. She couldn’t stop.
Grandma clapped her hands again. “All right, everyone! Give the poor girl room to breathe before she keels over. Lord have mercy, I haven’t seen a kiss like that since Markhel and Maida… oh, well never mind. You folks don’t know them.”
TJ grinned, still close enough that Lila could feel his breath against her cheek. “We should probably… uh, step outside,” he murmured.
“Good idea.” She followed him out onto the porch.
The cold hit instantly, crisp and sharp, but she didn’t care. The snow had stopped falling, and the streetlamps cut through the mist. The soft hum of music and chatter drifted from the house behind them.
For a long moment, neither spoke. Then Lila finally said, “You can’t just kiss me and think that fixes everything.”
