I remember staring at her like someone had knocked the wind out of me.
Because in that moment something in my chest just shifted.
She didn’t flinch.Didn’t look intimidated.Didn’t care that two full-grown men were practically snarling at each other.
She just handled it.
Handled me.
And when she turned to leave, that ponytail swinging and those jeans hugging her just right—well.That was the moment.
The exact damn moment I knew that this woman was going to ruin me someday.
I just didn’t know how long it would take.
“I’ve been waiting a long time, Kelly McCrae,” I mutter under my breath now, the memory burning warm in my chest.
My jaw tightens as I look across the yard at her.
“I can wait a little longer.”
And that’s the truth.
Because some things in life are worth waiting for.
And Kelly?
She’s been worth every goddamn minute.
I’ve already waited decades.
Another few days won’t kill me.
What might kill me is sitting here any longer and letting myself soften.
So I stand.
And I leave before I do something stupid.
Like beg.
A few minutes later, I’m down by the gravel drive, waiting for the valet to bring my truck around.
Yeah, they hired one.
I’m not only surprised—I’m downright entertained.
The mountain wasn’t built for this many guests.
Howeversmallthe party is, it’s still more than the original layout ever expected.
So there are a couple of local kids running a makeshift operation with suped up golf carts, ferrying vehicles back and forth like it’s a five-star resort instead of a fucking log cabin in Woodhaven.
Two kids jog off toward a cart to go get my truck while I stand there with my hands in my pockets, replaying the last twenty minutes in my head.
Fuck.
She looked good tonight.
