Her brows lift slightly. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” I huff out a small laugh. “Wanted to remind me that I still owe him for that fence I said I’d help fix three months ago.”
She smiles, shaking her head. “Sounds about right.”
It took time. More than I wanted. More than I thought it would. There were weeks where he wouldn’t even look at me. Months where every conversation felt like walking through a minefield. But we got there. Slowly.
Until one day, it wasn’t tension anymore. It was just… us. Not the same as before. But real. Something we rebuilt instead of something we pretended never broke.
“He doesn’t hate me anymore,” I add lightly.
Willow rolls her eyes. “He never hated you.”
I raise a brow. “You sure about that?”
She laughs softly. “Okay, maybe for like… a minute.”
“Felt longer.”
She reaches for my hand, her fingers slipping into mine like they belong there. Because they do.
“He trusts you,” she says quietly.
That lands deeper than anything else. Because that was the hardest part. Earning that back.
“I’m not messing that up again,” I say.
“You won’t.”
I glance at her. My thumb brushes lightly over the back of her hand.
“I love you,” I say..
It still feels just as big every time I say it. Her smile softens, her eyes warming in that way that still gets me every time.
“I love you too.”
I set my coffee down on the railing, turning fully toward her. She steps closer without hesitation. My hand comes up to her face, brushing gently along her cheek, my thumb catching just under her eye. Still beautiful. Still mine.
Her hand slides up my chest, resting over my heart like it did the first time everything changed.
“You’re staring again,” she murmurs.
“Can you blame me?”
She smiles, just a little, before her gaze drops to my lips for half a second. Her lips meet mine, soft at first, familiar and warm, and it settles something deep in my chest instantly. My hand slides into her hair, pulling her just a little closer as the kiss deepens, slow and sure, like we’ve got all the time in the world.
She exhales softly against me, her fingers tightening in my shirt, and I feel it everywhere, that same spark that never went away.
I kiss her like I mean it. Because I do. These little moments make me know that we’ll be together forever.
Then she wraps her legs around my waist, her heels digging into my ass. “You’re mine,” she whispered, her voice rough with need. “We have all morning—just the two of us. Did you want to… you know?”
I didn’t need to be asked twice.
I flip her onto her stomach, pulling her up onto her knees before slamming into her from behind. She cries out, her fingers clutching the rail as I bury myself to the hilt, my balls slapping against her clit with every thrust.
“Fuck, you feel amazing,” I groan, my hands gripping her hips hard enough to leave bruises.
