I snapped my gaze to his, my breath caught in my throat, hope and panic both flooding my chest. “How did you?—”
“Because I know you, hellcat,” he murmured. “Much as you hate that sometimes. And I’ve been there.”
I blinked as realization hit, my tears falling for an entirely new reason—one filled with guilt and shame and empathy. Because yeah. Hehadbeen there. When his dad left without a word. When he’d abandoned Lincoln and his brothers and their mom. Left for a reunion tour with his band and just never came back.
Lincoln knew this fear. Knew it intimately. And still, he’d been all in. AndI’dbeen the one toying with his heart.
“God, I’m sorry,” I choked out. “I’m a mess. But this fear is buried so fucking deep, Linc.”
“I know it is, baby.”
“Everything I’ve ever tried to make mine leaves.” My voice broke, but I kept going, knowing Lincoln deserved this pure, honest, cracked-open version of myself. “My dad died and my mom left and Beau took off, and it took us ignoring his calls after a secret marriage to get him to come home. Everyone I let in finds a way out. And the stupidest part is that my hesitation with filling that out wasn’t even about the business anymore. It wasaboutyou. Because I fell for you. And I knew—Iknew—if I made this permanent and you left too, I’d?—”
I broke off on a sob, no longer able to maintain even a semblance of composure.
“Hellcat…” He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me tight to his chest. “This is what I’ve spent every damn day trying to show you. I’m not gonna leave. I’m not going anywhere.”
“But you did,” I whispered, my throat tight with these never-ending tears. “You left.”
“No, baby.” He pulled back and cupped my face, his thumbs swiping away the tears that continued to fall. “I left the room. I left the fight. I didn’t leaveyou.”
He grabbed my left hand and brought it to his mouth, brushing his lips over the simple black band on my finger. “This—us? It’s already permanent, hellcat. Paperwork doesn’t change that. I’m your husband. You’re my wife. You and I are awe. And that’s exactly what I want.”
“But it was never supposed to be forever.”
He huffed out a humorless laugh and shook his head. “I’ve been your husband since day one, wife. It wasalwayssupposed to be forever.”
My heart squeezed so tight, stealing my breath, that I almost missed the ache in his voice. Almost, but didn’t. His words weren’t just a promise. They were a vow he’d already been keeping.
He stepped back and reached for the thing he’d dropped on the side table when he’d come in. Then he placed it on the island in front of me and tapped a finger on it. “Open it.”
With shaky hands, I did what he’d instructed, and my breath caught as soon as I registered what was inside.
My original sketch, the paper crumpled, the design scratched out. And another crisp sheet with my logo—the same windingvines I’d imagined, the initials interlocked like I’d doodled so long ago. Back when this dream still felt so far away. Except now, the design was refined. Polished. Perfect.
Well, almost.
“You—” My voice cracked. My fingers trembled as I traced the edges. “You did this?”
“Well, Declan did.” He cleared his throat. “I found the original in the office. Asked Dec to work his magic.”
I brushed my fingers over the design, a realization settling deep in my bones the longer I stared at it.
“You’ve always believed in this,” I whispered, barely able to get the words out.
“I’ve always believed inyou, Willa.”
Even when I hadn’t. Because dreaming meant admitting I wanted something. And wanting something only to fail was too harsh of a reality to face. Again.
But what I wanted now was so much more than ever before. My dream had expanded and grown into something bigger than I’d ever allowed myself to hope for.
Not just the farm or artisanal jams or a stand at the market.
Buthim. Andus.Something we built together.
Something that lasted.
“I love it.” I held it to my chest before setting it down. Then I pulled out the LLC paperwork from beneath the folder and handed it to him. “There’s just one problem…”
