Because wanting Ledger meant risking everything we’d carefully balanced. Our arrangement. Our truce. The fragile shield of pretending this was temporary. Wanting him meant asking questions I wasn’t ready to answer. And worse, ones I wasn’t brave enough to voice.
I couldn’t tell him. I wouldn’t.
Whatever this was, it had to stay right here, contained and unspoken. A side effect of laughter and late nights and the novelty of being out, of feeling wanted. That’s all it was. It had to be.
What would he think if he knew I was beginning to catch feelings?
The thought pulsed in my mind, tempting and dangerous, before I shoved it away and forced myself to breathe.
I just hoped he couldn’t hear my heart pounding every time he looked at me.
Across the table, Livvi was animatedly recounting a story, hands flying as she exaggerated every detail. Talonleaned back in his chair, smirking, clearly enjoying winding her up, while Ridge chimed in with the occasional dry comment that sent Livvi into mock outrage. It was easy, familiar, the kind of banter that came from shared history and inside jokes.
Ledger laughed along with them, relaxed in a way I hadn’t seen in a long time, and for a moment it was like I was slipping into something I didn’t quite belong to but desperately wanted.
We left the bar sometime after midnight, the night cool and clear, a relief against flushed skin and buzzing nerves.
Ledger tipped his head toward the street and said, “You wanna walk?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
The sidewalks were quiet, the town softened by darkness. Storefronts closed. Streetlights casting long golden shadows. Our footsteps fell into an easy rhythm, close enough that our arms brushed every few steps.
Neither of us rushed to fill the silence.
The faint hum of traffic carried in the distance, but mostly it was just us, the echo of laughter still lingering, the adrenaline from the bar slowly unwinding into something heavier. Warmer.
Ledger shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, then glanced at me. “You okay? After … earlier.”
I smiled faintly. “I was going to ask you the same thing.”
He nodded once, like he understood exactly what I meant. “Yeah. I’m okay.”
Then, more quietly, “Just wanted to make sure you were.”
We walked another block before he spoke again. “That guy back there—he shouldn’t have said anything.”
“I know,” I said. “Thank you. For stepping in.”
“That’s what a husband is for,” he said easily, like it wasn’t even a question.
Husband.
That word settled low in my chest.
The wind kicked up, and I instinctively wrapped my arms around myself. Ledger noticed immediately. He always noticed.
Without saying a word, he slipped out of his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.
“Ledger—”
“Don’t.” He smiled. “You’ll give it back when we get home.”
The fabric was warm. Smelled like him—clean, recognizable, soothing.
“See?” he added lightly. “Attentive husband.”
I rolled my eyes, but my smile lingered. “You’re going to start using that as an excuse for everything, aren’t you?”
