I swallow. “I’m yours, Thatcher. I-I love you.”
“Willow,” he whispers my name like a prayer.
“I love you, Willow. I love you so fucking much,” he says, then his lips crush into mine like he’s sealing a promise with every breath.
Somewhere deep inside, something shifts.
Because maybe it’s still scary.
Maybe love still feels like standing on the edge of a cliff, heart racing, breath caught in your throat.
But this man?
He’s not just the fall.
He’s the safety net.
The solid ground.
The reason I don’t need to be afraid anymore.
And for the first time in my life, I’m not just falling—I’m leaping.
Headfirst.
Eyes wide open.
Because this is real.
He’s real. And somehow, this big, strong, sexy lumberjack is impossibly mine.
And I’m his.
“Damn right you’re mine,” he growls, scooping me off the table like I weigh nothing, heading straight for the truck.
“Wait! The groceries?—”
“They can wait. I’m taking you home.”
My face actually aches from how hard I’m smiling, but I nod, heart full.
That sounds perfect.
“You okay with that, Baby Girl?”
“I’m more than okay with it, Mountain Man. Take me home.”
EPILOGUE: THATCHER
Summer hits different in Woodhaven.
The sun rises early, the saws start humming by six, and by eight we’re sweating through our shirts and making good headway on another full order of beams.
Logging’s always busy this time of year—but this summer? Feels different.
Feels full.
Willow wasn’t sure how things would work out once Kelly came back, but I told her not to worry.
