Confused. Hurt. Hearing whispers she shouldn’t have had to hear. Seeing her.
And she had no warning.
Because I didn’t tell her.
I was so busy learning everything about Willow—every smile, every fear, every soft sound she makes when she sleeps—I never told her the ugliest parts of me.
The parts that could make her doubt this.
“Thatcher?” Kelly says. “You still with me? I know hearing Darla’s in town must be upsetting?—”
“What? I don’t give a fuck about Darla,” I snap. “I care about Willow. Is she okay?”
“I don’t know,” Kelly admits. “But the real question is why do you care?”
“Because,” I answer. “I love her.”
“Oh, Thatch.”
My chest tightens.
“She’s not leaving.”
“You sure about that?” Kelly presses. “Because if she thinks you hid something?—”
“I didn’t hide it,” I cut in, even though the words feel thin. “I just… didn’t get there yet.”
Silence.
Then, softly, “You do love her.”
“Yes.” No hesitation. No doubt.
“Does she know everything?”
I close my eyes.
“No.”
Kelly exhales. “Then you need to fix that. Now. No more secrets. No more assumptions. Women hate that shit, Thatch.”
The truth hits hard.
She deserves all of me. Not just the parts that feel good.
“I’ll tell her,” I say, voice steady but my hands shaking. “Everything. Before she ever hears it from someone else again.”
“Good,” Kelly says quietly. “Because that girl’s been through enough.”
The line goes dead.
I stare at the door, heart hammering, fear clawing up my throat.
Please come back, Baby Girl.
CHAPTER 48
WILLOW
