The ground beneath their boots was soft, layered with thousands of dried pine needles. The air was thick with the scent of sap and damp earth.
Cassidy spun in a circle, eyes sparkling. “It’s like a magical pine tree fort,” she said, laughing softly.
Liam had known she’d love it, but seeing her here, cheeks pink from the cold, eyes wide with wonder… it undid him.
“It’s beautiful,” she said again, her voice low, like she didn’t want to disturb the quiet. Then she looked up at him. “Really beautiful.”
He looked at her, his throat tightening. He should say something meaningful, something about how much he liked being here with her, how special she made him feel. But even though romantic words weren’t his thing, his hands knew what to do.
He reached for her scarf, gently adjusting it around her neck. His knuckles brushed her jaw.
Their eyes met. Neither of them looked away.
“You bring all the girls here?” she asked, teasing. Her voice was light, but he could hear the nerves beneath it.
He shook his head. “Only you.”
Her smile faded into something softer, more real. She stepped closer until the front of her coat brushed his chest.
The space between them vanished.
Her gaze dropped to his lips. “So… are you gonna kiss me, or just keep holding onto my scarf?”
Her words broke something loose in him.
He cupped her jaw, brushing his thumb over her cheekbone, and kissed her.
Slow. Deep.
No barn walls, no frantic moments. Just this. The snow beneath their boots, pine above their heads, and the thrum of something real humming in his veins.
Liam pulled back, just a breath, resting his forehead against hers.
His voice was deep, ragged. “Cass.”
She opened her eyes, dazed and bright, like someone waking from the best kind of dream.
“You okay?” he asked, gently brushing a loose curl from her cheek.
She nodded, slow. But the tension in her shoulders didn’t ease.
He waited. Quiet. Steady. The way he always was with her.
“I know what I said,” she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. “About swearing off men until New Year’s Day. About taking things slow even after that. I meant it.”
He didn’t move. He let the silence stretch, waiting.
She took a steadying breath. “I still want that,” she said. “I mean—I did. But…”
“But?” he prompted, voice measured.
She exhaled sharply, her breath fogging in the air. “But you’re ruining everything.”
“Um… thanks?”
She laughed. It was a combination of frustration and fondness. “You’re patient. And good. And effortlessly attractive. Do you know how annoying that is?”
“I’m sensing a compliment buried somewhere in there.”
