“I am. Do you think I’d leave without saying bye to her?”
“No, but…” She tucked an errant hair behind her ear. “I don’t understand.”
He reached out, let his hand graze hers. “I think you do.”
She gasped then sucked in a breath. “Oh.”
“We need to talk.”
“Let’s take a walk.” She closed the cabin door and glanced at him. “I was about to take a break anyway.”
“How’s the cleaning going,” he asked as they strolled toward the perimeter of the property.
“Good. Pawpaw’s kept it up well so there’s not much for me to do.”
“Why’s he selling? I thought he’d want to keep it as a getaway for his new bride.”
Serena laughed. “I asked the same thing and get this—he’s going to take the money from the sale and buy an RV to travel the country with Millie.”
“Good for him.”
“I agree, but I’ll miss him. He assured me that he’s too much of a homebody to be gone for too long, but I’m used to seeing him every day now.”
She stopped and hopped up to sit on top of the split rail fence. “Do you remember those times we managed to sneak away and hang out here for a few hours?”
“How could I forget?”
“I don’t have many happy memories of my childhood after Mom died, but I cherished those times we came here.”
Emotions lodged in his throat, making it difficult to speak. “Even with my pathetic picnic lunches?”
“I thought it was a sweet gesture, and I’ve always loved peanut butter and jelly.” Her smile widened. “The cokes in glass bottles were an added bonus.”
“Come visit me in Kentucky next month, and I’ll make it up to you.” He spread his arms wide. “I’ll pack you the best picnic lunch you’ve ever had, including fried chicken, potato salad, fresh yeast rolls and homemade lemonade. All from a restaurant, of course, so we don’t get food poisoning.”
“That’s a long drive for a picnic.” She wiggled her brows. “What else have you got to offer?”
“It’s a surprise, but I’ll make it worth your while.” He stepped closer to her, not thinking straight yet sure of what he wanted. “That’s a promise.”
“What are we doing, Lucas?” His name rolled of her tongue in a whisper. Her breathing hitched and she locked eyes with him.
He put his hands on the fence rail, one on either side of her. “Tell me now if you don’t want this.”
She lifted a hand and pressed her palm to his cheek. “You know I do. You’ve always known me better than anybody else in this world.”
His conversation with Beau broke through his haze. “We’re not the same people we once were.”
She lowered her arm, reached for his hand, and pressed it against her chest. “In here, where it counts, we are. A heart doesn’t know time or space.”
“I’m afraid.”
“I’m not.” She held his hands at her side. “It’s always been you, nobody else.”
“I only hated you because I loved you so much.” He moved in closer.
“I know, and that’s over now.”
“So long,” he murmured against her cheek. “It’s been so long.”
