I laugh and we fall into another kiss.
I do like you, Lincoln Raines. Far more than I’m supposed to.
Moonlight streams through the barn doors, casting shadows around us. Lincoln wraps his big hand around the both of mine, and I relish his warmth. Even though we’re out of the wind, it’s still quite chilly in here.
“It’s nice here,” I whisper, changing the subject, as we sit side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder, in the quiet darkness.
“You’renice,” he murmurs back.
A laugh bursts from my chest. “You’re nuts. I am the least nice person you know.”
Lincoln shrugs. “You’re sassy and you don’t take shit from anyone. But underneath that prickly layer of defenses, you are inherently good.”
I grumble a protest.
“You are, Jules. You’re not fooling me anymore. I know how big your heart is.”
My chest squeezes. I feel so exposed when Lincoln looks at me like that.I feel vulnerable in a way I’m not used to.
“Promise you won’t tell anyone?” I half-joke.
Lincoln winks at me. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“Good. Then I won’t tell anyone that the uptight, grumpy stick-in-the-mud thing is just your sexy way of protecting your son and all the people you love. I always thought the responsible thing was an act. But I was wrong. You’ve spent your whole life looking after your brothers and your mom and your family. It’s who you are. You’re a really good dad, Lincoln. A really good person.”
“And you’re a pretty good step-mom,” he says.
My tummy does a flip at the title. “Cameron is the coolest step-son ever.” I can’t help but wish I could be a real, lasting presence in his life.
These feelings—these surprisingly strong and warm feelings in my chest—are so completely unexpected. I don’t know how I’ll ever recover from them.
Lincoln clears his throat and gazes out at the moonlight. Then he tackles the elephant in the room. “I know the time limit is almost up on our arrangement, Jules. But I need to say this…I didn’t think I’d have as much fun as I did being married to you."
“I’ve had fun, too…” My voice cracks as those emotions rear their heads again. “More than fun, actually.”
He shakes his head slowly. “You don’t understand. I spent years being a calculated asshole. Putting up walls. Avoiding a social life because my priorities were Cameron and work and repeat. But somehow, in just a few months, you’ve taught me new ways of being. You showed me that life isn’t always as cold as I used to think. You taught me that it’s okay to laugh at myself…even when I nearly drown skipping rocks.”
I chuckle softly.
I love you…My lips move but no sound comes out. My throat closes over the words I want to say.
Instead, I swallow over the lump and rest my head on Lincoln’s shoulder until I trust my voice to work again.
I want to tell Lincoln that he makes me feel like I can take a deep breath without my world imploding. That my mess of a life feels meaningful when he’s around. That because he has my back, I don’t feel like I’m on my own in this cold, scary world. That I feel stronger when he’s in my corner.
“You’ve made me feel like a princess,” I whisper.
Lincoln squeezes my hand. “You are. You’re the best kind of princess,” he whispers into my hair. “Leather and biker boots and all.”
This is as close as I’ll ever get to a fairytale. And I’m fine with that.
Only, I’m not sure what comes next, when the clock strikes midnight. Because I’ve fallen completely in love with my grumpy, button-up prince.
46
LINCOLN
“You’re a work of art. You know that?”
