He joined her without hesitation, unable to hit the high notes without being off-key and completely unashamed that he was.
Again, Crew was surprised by how light he felt. He didn’t feel the gray cloud of past storms hovering over him. It seemed to have blown away, leaving him feeling…genuinely happy.
And somewhere between the music and her laughter and the way her hand rested on his thigh, the truth settled in his chest.
There was no questioning it anymore.
There was no denying it.
He was in love.
And for now—for tonight—that was enough.
Because with Fern beside him, he only saw the long, open road stretching ahead, with no end in sight.
* * * * *
Fern had learned to recognize the moment before something went wrong.
The hitch in her breath.
The tightening in her gut.
The sense that she should already be running.
It never came.
Life was different here.
Crew slowed the truck in front of the post office, tires humming on pavement. He parked and reached into the console to pull out a thick packet of letters.
Leaning close to her, he fixed her in his solemn stare.
“Lock the doors.”
With a little gasp at the intensity in his eyes, she nodded.
“The parking lot looks empty. I shouldn’t be long.”
She issued a laugh. “Are you kidding? Cathy loves to talk.”
His eyes creased with amusement. Then he jumped out of the truck and closed the door. For a moment, he stood at the window, waiting for her to lock the doors.
She did. The familiar click echoed louder than it should have, but she was distracted by Crew’s hot swagger, shoulders shifting with every stride, until he disappeared inside. Then she scanned the street, gaze moving from storefronts to parked cars, to the stretch of road disappearing at the edge of town.
Nothing.
No unfamiliar truck idling too long. No person watching her or making her chest seize.
The street was quiet, the way Willowbrook always was at this hour.
Her mind returned to the sparks in Crew’s eyes when he told her to lock the doors. And the way his muscled body moved with a mix of strength and athletic grace.
Warmth bloomed in her chest. Her feelings for him were growing. She acknowledged that much. But today when she looked up to see him duck under the canopy and join her potting session…her heart hadn’t jerked with just excitement.
It swelled with so much more.
She was happy.
