Sebastian pulled her fully against him, one hand stroking up and down her back with slow, steady strokes.
They lay like that for a long while, no words needed.
“We’ll figure it out, won’t we?”
He nodded, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Yes. Together.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sebastian stood tall,despite the ache in his shoulders and the lingering chill in his limbs. His gaze rested on Maddie as she adjusted the blankets around herself, her cheeks still rosy with the remnants of her earlier embarrassment. The corners of his mouth lifted in a smile he didn’t bother to hide. She was beautiful, even more so when flustered. Especially when she was his.
“So,” Thomas said, breaking Sebastian’s thoughts. His boots creaked against the wooden floor as he crossed his arms. “This is serious, then?”
Sebastian didn’t hesitate, his voice steady and firm. “Most certainly so.”
Thomas studied him for a moment before nodding, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he turned toward the door. Outside, the snow shimmered in the early morning light, the aftermath of the storm sparkling like softened diamonds.
“You’ve never looked at anyone like that,” Thomas said finally. “Not even food when you’re starved.”
Sebastian’s mouth twitched. “Are you comparing my woman to food?”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.
“Don’t forget you are the one who suggested the use of the lodge.”
“Yes, yes, this is all my fault. You can thank me by naming yourfirstborn after me.”
Sebastian snorted. “Don’t hold your breath.”
He turned back briefly, his gaze flicking to Maddie as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. A firstborn… the word brought a burn to his chest. A good burn. A burn that he refused to let go now that it settled there.
Thomas followed his gaze, then elbowed him lightly. “You’re gone.”
He didn’t argue. “It appears so.”
Thomas’s voice lowered. “Just… don’t break her. And don’t let her break you.”
“She’s not the one I need to worry about.”
Don’t break her. Don’t let her break you.
The words clung to him like mist, seeping into the cracks he hadn’t known still existed. He hadn’t broken her, in fact, he felt as though she’d been the one to piece him back together.
He hadn’t been prepared for that.
Nothing had readied him for Maddie.
And he—saints help him—had fallen for her just as completely.
What if she changed her mind?
What if the world got to her first?
Sebastian exhaled, the thought cutting swift and clean. If she asked him to walk away for her sake, he didn’t know if he’d be strong enough to do it.
But he’d never let her face the aftermath alone.
That much, he could promise.
