"I'm not leaving," he said, his voice fierce. "Not Casey. Not you. Even when I'm angry. Even when it hurts. I meant what I said yesterday, Sadie. Anger and love aren't mutually exclusive. I can grieve what I lost and still fight for what I have. I can be furious with you and still choose you."
"How?" I asked. "How can you choose someone who hurt you that much?"
"Because I love you." His voice was rough with emotion. "Because Casey needs both of us. Because the alternative would hurt all of us more. And I've spent my whole life watching my father choose anger over everything else. I won't do that. I won't be that man."
"I don't deserve this," I said, my voice breaking. "I don't deserve you giving me another chance."
"Maybe not." He pulled me closer until I was pressed against his side. "But Casey deserves to have both her parents. And you deserve to stop punishing yourself. So, we're going to figure this out. Together."
I turned into him, burying my face in his chest as the sobs finally broke free. He held me while I cried. For the years I'd stolen, for the pain I'd caused, and for the fear that had ruled my life for so long.
"I'm so sorry.”
"I know," he said, his hand stroking my hair. "And I forgive you, Sadie. Not because it's easy. Not because the anger's gone. But because holding onto it would cost me everything that matters."
We stayed like that for a long time, wrapped in each other, letting the weight of the conversation settle.
Finally, Easton pulled back enough to look at me. "Come on," he said, standing and pulling me up with him. "I want to show you something."
He drove us to a lookout point on the edge of town, a place I'd never been before. The view stretched out over Amber Falls, with the lights of the town twinkling below, the stars brilliant above.
"I used to come here," Easton said as we got out of the truck. "When I first moved here. When everything felt too big, too loud. This was the only place that felt… quiet."
He grabbed a blanket from the truck bed and spread it out on the ground. We sat together, shoulders touching, looking out at the view.
"It's beautiful," I said.
"Yeah." But when I looked over, he was looking at me. "It is."
"Easton."
He kissed me before I could finish, his hand cupping my face. The kiss was slow at first, gentle, but it quickly deepened. His tongue swept into my mouth, claiming, possessive, and I melted into him.
When we broke apart, we were both breathing hard.
"I've been thinking about this all day," he admitted, his voice rough. "During the press conference. After. Watching you with Casey. All I could think about was getting you alone. Touching you. Showing you exactly how I feel."
Heat flooded through me. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." His hand slid down my side, settling on my hip. "Is that okay?"
"More than okay." I shifted, straddling his lap, feeling the hard length of him already pressing against me through our jeans. "I want you, Easton. Right here. Under the stars."
He groaned, his hands gripping my hips. "Fuck, Sadie. You're going to be the death of me."
"Good thing you're in excellent shape," I teased, rolling my hips against him.
His response was to capture my mouth in another searing kiss, hands already working at the hem of my shirt. But this time, he slowed down, pulling back enough to look at me in the starlight.
"I want to take my time with you," he said, voice dropping to that commanding tone I'd first heard at Sassy's. "No rush. Just you and me and all night if we need it." The promise in his words made heat pool low in my belly.
"Easton…"
"Shhh." His fingers traced my jaw, then down my neck. "Let me worship you properly this time."
He helped me out of my coat first, folding it carefully and setting it aside. Then my shirt, pulling it over my head with a deliberate slowness that made anticipation coil tighter in my core. When his hands went to my bra, he paused.
"This is your last chance to say no," he said, eyes locked on mine. "Because once I get you naked under these stars, I'm not stopping until you've come at least twice."
