A home. A family. People who love her.
And a place where she’ll grow up safe, surrounded by animals, fields, and all the good this world has to offer.
“She’s going to be a rancher,” I joke.
Nysa snorts. “She’s going to own this whole damn place someday. Might as well start early.”
I grin as Maddie carefully pets the goat’s head, delight lighting up her face.
“Fine by me.”
There was a time I didn’t think I’d ever have this.
A home that actually feels like home.
A woman who makes me feel whole.
A daughter who looks at me like I hung the damn moon.
But somehow, I got lucky.
And I’m never taking that for granted.
The wind stirs through the fields, rustling golden stalks of corn, carrying the scent of fall through the air.
I wrap an arm around Nysa’s shoulders, pulling her close, pressing a slow kiss to her temple.
She exhales, tilting her face up to me, her eyes holding something I still don’t have words for.
Something too deep. Too endless.
I cup her cheek, my thumb tracing along her jaw.
And then I murmur the only thing that’s ever felt true.
“I love you.”
She smiles, soft and sure, her hand settling over mine.
“I love you too.”
And just like that—everything falls into place.
Our life.
Our future.
Our home.
Together.
Nysa
After Maddie is asleep, I step outside onto the wraparound porch, pulling my sweater tight around me. The air is cold, but the sky is clear—stars stretched wide across the horizon, endless and quiet.
I don’t hear Hopper approach, but I feel him—like I always do.
His arms wrap around me from behind, pulling me into his warmth, his chin resting on my shoulder.
