He rubbed his hands together, staring at the floor. My heart was racing with anticipation. Had he broken his sobriety?
“So, I went to the Twisted Spur. Sat at the bar. Ordered a whiskey neat. This guy sat down next to me not long after I got there—reminded me a lot of who I used to be. He told me about his daughter, about all the time he’d missed with her. He had excuse after excuse about why he couldn’t go see her, just kept taking shot after shot. Then, he asked me to drink with him. I had the whiskey glass in front of me, ready to go…”
He could probably see it all over my face—I was terrified what his next words would be.
“But I couldn’t bring myself to drink it. I put the glass down and walked out. It scared me, Cassie—how much that guy reminded me of myself. I want kids someday, and I never want to miss a single second of their lives because I need alcohol more than I need them.”
His confession got my full attention.
“I remember the night you told me about your five-year plan––how you wanted to be married with kids. Well, I want you to write down everything you want in life, Cassie, because I’mgoing to spend the rest of mine making sure every single one of your dreams comes true.
“I used to think alcohol was my purpose, that it was the only thing that could fill the emptiness. But then I met you. You see a side of me no one else does. You see the best in people—even when they hide behind their demons. You make me feel loved when, for the longest time, I thought I wasn’t worth loving.”
Tears welled in my eyes.
“Why didn’t you tell me the truth about the night of the fire?” I whispered.
A surprised look came across his face. “Who told you?”
“Colt and Ellie,” I said, nervously fumbling with the sheets.
He took a slow deep breath before talking again. “You think I saved your life that night, Cass, but the truth is—you saved mine. I’ve loved you since the second I laid eyes on you all those years ago at Maggie’s. You were the only girl who ever gave me hell but still cared about me, even when I didn’t deserve it. You’ve always seen the good in me, even when I couldn’t see it myself. And all my shitty, selfish choices almost took you away from me.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks slowly.
“Cass, please don’t cry,” he begged, wiping my tears away with his thumbs. “It kills me to see you cry.”
“I was so scared you were going to break your sobriety, Jace.”
“I know, baby. You didn’t deserve the way I treated you. Tonight made me realize that when everything falls apart, all I really want is you. You calm me down like no one else ever could.”
He took my hands in his. “You’ve got a five-year plan, Cassie. Well, so do I, so listen up. First, I’m going to convince you to marry me—and when I do, I’ll give you everything you’ve ever wanted. You want ten cabins? I’ll build them. You want ten babies? I’ll give you ten babies. Whatever it is, I’ll spend my entire life making sure you have everything you want and thensome. Because I love you, Cassie Blake. Always have. Always will.”
He took off the undershirt he’d had under his flannel, revealing not only his broad chest but a brand new tattoo etched into his skin, too.
I looked at him, stunned.
“After I left the Twisted Spur, I wanted to do something to prove to you that no matter where life takes us, I’m all in.”
I placed my hand on his chest gently, studying the black lines that bled into red and gold hues.
“Jace…this is beautiful. Are those the butterflies I drew on your cast?”
“Yep. I got your butterflies rising from the flames because you’re my beautiful butterfly, Cassie. Always finding a way to rise from the ashes. Always reaching for the stars—the same ones most people think are unreachable.”
Jace pulled me in, kissing me with a passion I didn’t think possible. I leaned into his embrace, wrapping my arms around him, climbing onto his lap.
“So, about the making babies part,” I said, giving him a knowing smile as he pushed me back against the mattress.
“Cass…” he whispered, but I was already lowering my lips to his neck, my breath warm against his cold skin.
He pulled back just enough to meet my eyes. “Unless you’ve changed your mind.”
“Not a chance,” he said, sliding his hands down my waist, over my hips. “I’ve been ready since the minute you walked back into my life.”
A blush warmed my cheeks. I pressed my forehead against his, my voice dropping to a whisper. “Good. Because I’m going to hold you to every word.”
He flipped us easily, my surprised giggling filling the room.
