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I don’t want to think about Dot right now.
My fingers tighten their grip on Wren’s soft flesh and I slide in closer, wrapping my other arm around her waist. I draw her slender body against mine.
Sweet Jesus, I am home.
My hand glides up from her neck to cradle the back of her head, and I angle her just so. I kiss her forehead and drink in her essence. This is what I’ve been missing all day.
Her strength.
Her beauty.
Her serene, resilient presence.
She’s all I need.
For now.
Forever.
Her arms slip around my waist and she looks into my eyes, expectantly. “And when you find her…what is it that you’ll say?”
“I will tell her I’m here to stay. That we’re together and that she’s run out of time.”
“Hang on a sec. You said a lot there. You’re staying? In Winslow Grove.”
“I sure am.”
“What changed your mind?”
I cock my head to one side and give her my best are-you-shitting-me grin. “You really have to ask? You.” My lips press a kiss to the tip of her nose. “There’s no way I’m leaving Winslow Grove now.”
“Why?”
“Are you kidding me? There isn’t a chance in hell I’d walk away from you. Not when I’ve loved and wanted you for most of my life. Not when I just found out you feel the same way.” My fingers gently squeeze her neck. “Not when I finally get to have you.”
I pull back slightly and stare intently into her brown eyes. So much is going on in those warm, dark depths, and I can’t shake the feeling that uncertainty is mixed in there.
Clearing my throat, unsure I want the answer and yet needing to know, I steel my spine. “Unless something has changed for you since then?”
“Oh God, Oliver, stop.” She pushes onto the tips of her toes and kisses me long and sweet before breaking our connection with a head shake. “I mean don’t stop. You love me?”
“Always have. Even when I didn’t stand a chance with you. I knew my heart would always belong to you.”
Her face lights like the sky on the Fourth of July. “I love you too.”
Cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling, she’s beautiful and finally mine. I’m the happiest man alive.
“How do you think Dot will react?” Her concern causes me to stiffen, and I force a stilted chuckle.
“I doubt she’ll take it well.” Tension runs taut and sharp like barbed wire between my shoulder blades.
And I regret my candor when Wren silently mirrors my reaction, body tensing. “I was worried about that.”
Dot comes from a powerful and well-to-do family. Her father’s the mayor and has spoiled his only daughter rotten. She doesn’t know what it’s like to lose. For as long as I can remember, I’m all she’s wanted. Heck, I stuck around for two damn years—even when we were long over—just to avoid her wrath and threats.
My business is at risk, not to mention the potential damage she could do to my family legacy. I will share every nasty detail with Wren, but not now. Tonight is about us. Tomorrow we’ll deal with the horrible reality of Dot.
“Listen, don’t worry about her. I’m not going to tell her about the gym. My lips are sealed. Although, we both know that news travels fast and Coach isn’t exactly discreet.” The mention of our night in the gym does the trick and her cheeks redden more, the pretty flush dipping down her neck as she ducks her head.
