It’s too fast.Anyone with half a brain would say so.
But my heart didn’t get the memo.
Still, caring about him doesn’t mean I get to ignore the reality standing right in front of me.
Evan.My son comes first.He has to.Always.
And I can’t let him feel like he’s losing me too.Not after what his father’s done.
At the same time, the thought of walking away from J.T.—of shutting the door on what we’ve started—makes something inside me ache.
Because he doesn’t deserve that either.
He’s done nothing but show up.
Nothing but offer us a future.
Which leaves me stuck right here in the middle of two things I care about more than I ever expected to at the same time.
I swallow hard, drawing in a breath that feels like it scrapes my lungs on the way down.
I can’t keep standing here frozen.
I need to talk to him.Really talk.
So I gather my nerve, lift my chin, and turn toward J.T.before I lose it again.
He’s standing on the other side of the tiny log cabin, framed by the soft glow of the fire and the last wash of daylight slipping through the window.
Beyond that glass, the mountain is alive.Spring has taken over completely.
The snow is gone from the lower slopes, replaced by stubborn green pushing up through the earth.Pine trees stand dark and steady against a sky streaked with lavender and gold.There’s a soft mist rising from the valley, and somewhere in the distance, a bird calls—sharp and clear.
The air feels new.Like everything is waking up again.
And inside this cabin, so am I.
My heart starts pounding as I take him in.
He just exudes power.He’s big.Broad.Solid as the mountain itself.
And I don’t give a shit what anyone says about age.I know he’s older—but J.T.is every bit as fit and fine as men half his age.
More so if you ask me.
There’s something about a man who knows exactly who he is.
A man who doesn’t preen.Someone who doesn’t posture and beg for attention.Or chase approval like a dog chasing an ambulance.
God, Mike was like that.Looking for anyone and everyone to qualify and validate his behavior.Even with the divorce, it was all my fault, according to him.
If only I hadn’t been so—me.
Mike wouldn’t have needed to stray.Or lie.Or steal.
What a fucking prick.
I didn’t deserve any of what Mike did to me, and I know that.Neither did Evan.
