Mom laughs. “I told him you’d be over here within ten minutes of seeing us. He bet me twenty.”
I lift a brow at her. “What did you expect? We had breakfast this morning, and this”—I gesture between the two of them—“was not a topic of conversation.”
“That’s because it only happened thirty minutes ago,” Hanks says, smiling at her. “Ran into your momma on her way home from the store.”
“Well, in that case, I’ll leave you two to it.” I point afinger at Mom, stepping back. “I expect a full debrief tomorrow. We’re doing a paint-and-sip at Halle’s store. You’re coming.”
Her smile widens. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
Leaving them to it, I make my way back to the bar, collecting empty glasses as I go. My chest feels light, my heart still dancing at the sight of the two of them sitting there together.
I drop the glasses in the kitchen just as Hunter walks out of the office.
“Hey, baby. Asher’s going to close up for us tonight,” he says, brushing past me. “You’ve got thirty minutes, then I’m stealing you.”
I snort. “How can you steal me if we live together?” I call after him, smiling to myself.
33
THE REST OF MY LIFE
HUNTER
“Hop in,” I say, smiling as I open the door for Madison.
When she’s in, I round the truck and slide into the driver’s seat. The moment my door shuts, I lean across the console, threading my fingers through her hair, gripping the back of her neck, and pulling her into me. My mouth crashes down on hers, my body coiled tight with zero patience left. A soft moan slips free, and I swallow it, my tongue demanding entry. She opens for me, and I take it, tasting her, groaning low as her fingers curl into my shirt. I kiss her like it’s the first kiss all over again—hungry, desperate, all-consuming.
I pull back before I lose my damn mind.
Her eyes are blown wide, lips swollen, chest rising and falling in quick pants. I adjust myself and blow out a breath, forcing some sort of control back into my body.
“What was that for?” she breathes, not even trying to hide her smile.
I turn the key, the engine roaring to life. “Been wantingto kiss you like that all fucking night,” I admit, glancing at her with a smirk. “Couldn’t wait any longer.”
She laughs, loud and carefree, rolling her window down as she grabs my phone and scrolls through the playlists. Heat coils through me, my heart thumping against my ribs as I hit the accelerator, taking off down the street.
“So,” she shouts over the music, forty minutes into the drive, “where are we going?”
I chuckle, lowering the volume to a low hum, and glance over at her. My free hand slides onto her knee, thumb brushing in slow, lazy circles over her soft skin.
“Where do you think, baby?” I ask with a knowing smile.
She stares out the window for a beat, her hair whipping in the wind, eyes distant. Then she turns to me, a sharp inhale escaping her lips.
“We’re going to the field.”
I turn onto the dirt road and glance over at her. She’s sitting up straighter now, hair pulled back in a low ponytail, her attention fixed on the field stretching out ahead of us. The night air is heavy with heat, dust curling up behind the truck as the tires crunch over the dirt. The moon hangs high and bright, and out here, away from the town, the stars shine brighter.
This place has always held pieces of us. The hidden ones. The stolen moments we tucked away because it was easier than facing the truth. I was a coward, hiding from my past, choosing her in secret instead of choosing her out loud.
Tonight, I want to erase every secret we buried here.
I want to rewrite what this place means to us.
“Do you remember the last time we were here?” she asks as I pull over and kill the engine.
I nod, my mouth tipping down. “The night Halle arrived.You told me you couldn’t do this anymore. That you didn’t want me to try.” I glance at her. “You wanted all of me.”
