Just like Ellie said, I didn’t want this trip to end.
Because in the back of my mind, there was this restless itch, this lingering fear that maybe when we left, this… whatever was happening, would end with it. That the touches would stop. That the looks would fade. That the kisses would become nothing more than a memory. Back to me, madly in love with the girl and desperate for the moment to tell her.
But that wasn’t enough for me.
I needed more.
More of her time.
More of her touch.
More of her mouth on mine.
I was a man who finally got a taste of the thing he’d been starving in silence for, for fifteen damn years.
And I had no plans of letting it slip through my fingers now.
I just hoped she felt the same.
Because once I set my sights on something, once I believed I had a real chance, I wasn’t the kind of man to back down. Not ever.
I reached for her, gently tugging her into my lap as the next act was announced. I didn’t care who was competing. The arena lights could have gone out and the dirt could have swallowed the stage whole, and I still wouldn’t have noticed. Not with her here.
My hands found familiar places—her lower back, the curve of her waist, her arms. I kissed her cheek, slow and reverent, breathing her in like she was peace itself. She melted into every touch, leaned into every glance.
She didn’t pull away.
She didn’t push me off.
Instead, she gave me those quiet little looks—playful and longing—and let her fingers trail absentmindedly down my forearm like she was memorizing me. Like she didn’t want it to end either.
But still… neither of us said the things we both seemed to feel.
And it left the space between us heavy with the weight of all the words left unspoken.
32
ELLIE
Logan and I were officially on our way back home from the rodeo, the highway stretching out before us, leading toward Faircloud.
The hum of the tires and the soft rumble of his truck should have been comforting, but a quiet ache sat in my chest. Our little escape—just him and me—was almost over. I wasn’t ready to let it go.
Still, gratitude won out over disappointment. I’d left to clear my mind, to breathe away the noise of home, but I was returning with something unexpected, a new connection with Logan that pulsed warm and steady in the back of my mind.
I didn’t want to fight it. Instead, I wanted to let myself lean in.
The center console was pushed up, letting me sit closer to him on the bench seat. His arm wrapped snugly around my shoulders, my head resting against the strength of his side. His other hand rested easily on the wheel.
Oddly enough, on our way back to Faircloud, I felt at peace. No dread. No heaviness. Just… safe because of the man beside me.
“Did you have a favorite part of our little getaway?” I asked, tilting my head to look up at him.
He smiled, the corner of his mouth curling in thought.
“Probably Gregg and those ridiculous hats with the insults on them.”
A giggle escaped me, the memory still vivid. Wearing that hat even after we left the restaurant had been ridiculous, but I’d secretly loved it. I’d also secretly liked the nickname “Princess Peach.”
