Her breathing’s slow and steady, her hand warm on my chest. I think about that night in the field—how sure I was of her then. And somehow, I’m even surer now. I kiss the top of her head and whisper that I love her just as she settles in closer, fitting right where she belongs.
Chapter 2
Megan
I don’t know why I do this to myself. I lug all my papers over to Mason’s after work, telling myself I’ll catch up on grading spelling tests and math worksheets, maybe even make a dent in some wedding planning. But the second I sit down, all I want to do is be with him.
He’s standing at the stove making dinner like it’s the most ordinary thing in the world.
So unbothered. So laid-back. Like this is just normal life. And soon it will be. Come July, I won’t have to pack up and drive forty-five minutes home at ten o’clock at night. I’ll already be here. With him. That’s all I want.
We probably could’ve picked an earlier date, but with Karissa—my soon-to-be sister-in-law—due with her baby in June, it didn’t feel right to pile one more big thing on top of that. So we waited. And now, waiting feels like torture.
“You want cheese, Meg?”
My head lifts. “On what?”
He turns, spatula in hand, one eyebrow raised. “Burgers, baby. I said that—didn’t I?”
I sigh, leaning back in the chair and pressing my fingertips into my temples like that’ll calm the swirl in my head. It doesn’t.
Mason’s voice softens. “Hey. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m just…stressed.” I force a breath. “It’s fine. Tomorrow’s Saturday. I’m fine.”
But even as I say it, I don’t believe it.
Mason crosses the kitchen and comes over to me, his palm rubbing slow, rough circles across my upper back. “You’ll get it done,” he says, steady and sure, like it’s that simple.
“I know, but I’m just distracted.” I tilt my head toward him, fighting a smile. “You’re distracting me. Can you take the uniform off?”
He chuckles, low and deep. “Ohhh,” he teases. “I’m distracting you?”
His head dips, his breath warm against my ear as he nuzzles close. A shiver runs down my neck, and I bite back a grin.
“Mm-hmm,” I hum. “You know exactly what you’re doing.”
“Don’t play,” he says, pulling back just enough to smirk at me, blue eyes flicking with that familiar challenge. “You like me in uniform.”
I roll my eyes, but the smile gives me away. “Not when I’m trying to get work done.”
“Then quit working,” he says, leaning down until his lips brush mine.
The kiss starts soft, teasing, but deepens when I hook my hand into the collar of his shirt and tug him closer. Mason pulls me up from the chair and flush against him, his hand sliding to my waist, thumb pressing into my side like he has no intention of letting go.
By the time we part, my stack of papers is the furthest thing from my mind.
“Why don’t we do something fun tomorrow night?” he asks, still holding me close.
“Like what?”
“I’ll take you fishing.”
I wrinkle my nose. “Or…I could just make you dinner and we watch a movie.”
He chuckles, shaking his head. “Nah, that’s a winter activity. Fishing’ll be fun. You’ve been before. We went a few times last summer.”
“I know, but…” I laugh, tilting my head at him. “It just wasn’t that exciting.”
