We both freeze.
The back door swings open and June leans out, grinning like a villain. “Y’all better not be making out on my porch like teenagers! Come back inside before I get the hose!”
I jerk, mortified.
Beau stares at June with pure, murderous exhaustion. “Grandma.”
June’s smile widens. “Don’t ‘Grandma’ me. I’m thrilled.”
Beau leans close to my ear, voice low and lethal. “She’s going to be the death of me.”
I laugh—breathless, flushed, a little wrecked.
Beau’s hand squeezes my waist once, a silent promise.
Then he murmurs, so only I can hear, “We’re not done.”
And the way he says it makes my whole body light up—because for the first time in a long time, I don’t want to run from wanting.
I want to lean into it.
I want him.
And judging by the way Beau looks at me—like I’m something he’s finally ready to claim?—
He wants me too.
SIX
BEAU
June’s porch light is still burning behind us when I guide Mila down the steps and into the night like I’m trying to outrun my grandmother’s cackling satisfaction.
The cold snaps at my lungs. The snow squeaks under our boots. Timber Creek is quiet in that late-evening way—soft, muffled, like the world is giving us privacy on purpose.
Mila’s hand is in mine.
Small. Warm. Trusting.
And I’m not used to any of those things.
She glances up at me as we cross the driveway, cheeks still flushed from the porch, eyes bright like she’s trying to act normal while her body is still humming.
I can feel it in mine too.
That kiss didn’t just light a spark. It lit the whole damn cabin.
“You’re quiet,” she says.
I open her passenger door and wait until she’s seated before I answer. “If I start talking, I might say something I can’t take back.”
Her lips part—surprised—and then her smile turns slow. “Like what?”
I shut the door gently and walk around to my side of the truck like my legs aren’t made of tension.
When I climb in, the cab is instantly warmer than it should be. It’s not the heater. It’s her. It’s the way she looks at me like she’s not scared of my edges.
I start the engine and pull out.
