Whatever comes next, we’ll face it together. And God help anyone who tries to come between us…Noah and Morrison included.
FIFTEEN
ATLEE
Devlin follows me home,his truck never leaving my rearview mirror. If there’s anything about this man, it’s that he’s committed to making sure I’m safe. I love this about him. I love a lot about him, and I’m going to tell him that tonight.
As we pull around the back of Devlin’s house, I gather my stuff, but before I can get out, he’s already come over to the door and is opening it for me.
“Thank you.” I smile up at him as he holds the door for me.
I get out, and he pins me up against the driver’s side door. “You’re welcome,” he says, right before he takes my mouth in a steamy kiss. I let myself melt into him for a few moments before he pulls away. “I’m sorry about everything that happened tonight.”
Reaching around his waist, I hug him tight. “I’m not, Devlin.”
He looks like he wants to say more, a pained expression crossing his face. “I just hope that you aren’t doing this because you think I expect you to.”
I shake my head, pulling back to look at him properly. The moonlight catches the sharp angles of his face, making him look both dangerous and vulnerable at the same time.
“I’m not doing anything because I think you expect it,” I tell him firmly. “I’m here because I want to be.”
He studies my face, like he’s trying to read the truth in my expression. Whatever he sees there seems to satisfy him, at least temporarily.
“Let’s go sit,” he says, nodding toward the back porch and the rocking chairs that have become our nightly ritual.
I follow him, but instead of heading straight for the chairs, I find myself drawn to the railing. From here, the view of the mountains is breathtaking, even in the dark. The moon casts everything in silver.
“It’s beautiful out here,” I say softly, feeling him come up behind me. His arms wrap around my waist, and I lean back against his chest, soaking in his warmth against the chill of the night air.
“Yeah,” he agrees, his voice rumbling against my back. “Never gets old.”
We stand like that for a while, just breathing together, watching the night. There’s so much I want to say, but the words feel heavy in my throat, weighted with importance.
“When I was a little girl,” I start, surprising myself with where my mind has gone. “I used to imagine what my life would be like when I grew up. I’d dream about having a house with a white picket fence, a dog in the yard, someone who loved me waiting for me to come home.”
His arms tighten around me slightly, but he doesn’t interrupt.
“My parents weren’t exactly the loving type,” I continue, the familiar ache dulled by time and distance. “Dad was drunk more often than not, and Mom was too busy trying to keep him from flying off the handle to pay much attention to me or Lennon. We raised each other, really. I’ve told you a little bit about that. Enough for you to assume.”
I turn in his arms, needing to see his face for what comes next. His eyes are dark and attentive, fixed on mine.
“I’ve been looking for something my entire life, Devlin,” I tell him, my voice steady despite the vulnerability of the admission. “Something my parents never gave me. Love, security, a place where I belong. I kept thinking I’d find it—in school, at work, in other relationships—but it was never quite right. Never quite enough.”
“Atlee…” He says my name like a prayer, his hands coming up to frame my face.
“I want to show you something,” I whisper, taking his hand and leading him to the rocking chairs. When he sits, I don’t take the chair beside him. Instead, I straddle his lap, facing him, my knees on either side of his thighs.
His hands automatically come to rest on my hips, steadying me, before they go around to palm my ass. The surprise in his eyes is quickly replaced by heat, but I need him to hear me before we get lost in each other.
I take his face between my palms, making sure he’s looking right at me. “I’ve found it now,” I tell him, my thumbs stroking the stubble on his cheeks. “With you. This feeling, this peace—it’s what I’ve been searching for all along. And I’m not letting it go, not for Noah, not for anyone.”
His eyes widen slightly, like he can’t quite believe what he’s hearing. “Atlee, you don’t know what you’re saying. The trouble we could be in…”
“I know exactly what I’m saying,” I cut him off. “I love you, Devlin. I love your strength and your gentleness. I love the way you make me feel safe without making me feel weak. I love that you built this place with your own hands, that you knew what you wanted and made it happen. I love all of it, the good and the bad.”
He looks stunned, like I’ve knocked the wind out of him. His hands tighten on my hips, and for a moment, I worry I’ve said too much too soon. But then his expression shifts, a rawness I’ve never seen before breaking through.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to protect what we have,” I continue, the words spilling out now that I’ve started. “Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it. I’m all in, Devlin. All the way.”
