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Tess’s tears spilled over. “I was going to ask you to stay.” She kissed him with a sniffle. “But I was afraid to because I don’t want you to give up anything you truly want to do.”
“I would give everything up.” He took her hands in his. “You’ve changed everything for me.”
“You’ve changed everything for me too.” She inhaled deeply. “I want to tell the girls we’re seeing each other. When they get back from Jackson. I want them to know. I need them to know.”
Silas let go of her hands. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” He glanced to where his horse was grazing with Dreamer. He wasn’t ready. There’d been a time when the only thing he’d feared was dying, but now his biggest worry was that Morgan and Willow would reject him, that they wouldn’t want to give him a place in their lives. “Maybe they need more time.” Maybe he needed more time to prove himself to them.
“I don’t like having to hide.” Tess moved into his line of vision. “I don’t like sneaking you out into the garage when I want to kiss you. You are the best thing that has happened to me in two years, Silas.” Her hands moved to his face and held him there. “And I want to share this with them.”
He stepped away, his heart pounding. “I’m afraid,” he admitted. He didn’t think he’d ever spoken those words out loud. Never. But Tess was safe. “I don’t know anything about being a father. Especially compared to Jace.” His friend would’ve wanted only the best for Tess and his girls. “There’s no way I can fill his shoes. And I’m afraid they won’t want me.”
“You don’t have to fill his shoes.” Tess held his hand again, tighter than she had before. “Jace was a good man. But he wasn’t a perfect man. He didn’t do everything right. He made mistakes. He said things he didn’t mean, just like we all do.” She stood on her tiptoes and brushed her lips over his. “I’m not looking for perfect, Si. I’m looking for someone who’ll love my girls. Someone who’ll love me. Someone I can love.” Her hands found his. “I’m not looking for perfection. Or extravagance. Just something real. And that will be enough for the girls too.”
He wanted to believe her. He’d never wanted to believe someone so much…
“I have faith in you,” Tess whispered close to his lips. “Do you hear me, Silas Beck? You are loyal and protective and strong and selfless.” Her smile brought him hope. “And you know—maybe better than most people—how important it is to show someone you love them. Because you didn’t have that as a child—someone to show you love.” She kissed him again, her lips clinging to his longer, softer. And when she pulled away, a light glowed in her eyes.
“But you have someone to show you love now. And we’ll figure this out together.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
When Silas opened his eyes, the first thing he saw were the pink swirls of dawn churning in the sky above him.
The cold air chilled his face, but warmth simmered inside. He held Tess in his arms, both of them smothered in the nest of sleeping bags and blankets she’d brought along.
After waiting and seeing no sign of Legacy throughout the evening, they’d spent the night under the stars, nestled together, talking about their lives, their heartbreaks, their hopes for the future. They’d decided that Tess would tell Morgan and Willow alone, and then they would give them some time and space to get used to the idea. The fear of their rejection still lived in him, but it was losing power.
At some point they’d fallen asleep together in this warm haven, Tess on her side with her body facing his and her head resting in the crook of his arm. And now he didn’t want to move.
Before last night, he’d always found hope difficult to grasp. But spending time with Tess put his hopes in reach. Now, if he could only hold on to them.
Without moving his body, Silas turned his head so he could peek at her face. This woman who’d changed his life by opening her heart. If she’d opened her heart to him after all she’d lost, how could he keep his heart closed?
Tess still slept peacefully, her breathing rhythmic and calm, her body relaxed against his. Before her, he hadn’t known how it felt to have someone’s love fill the hollow deep places, the ones that even his service and dedication had never touched.I have faith in you.Tess would never know what those words meant to him, how—
A dull rumbling seemed to echo all around him. It sounded like… thunder. But only wispy clouds billowed in early morning pastels above.
Silas lifted his head, scanning the woods to their west. The horses. They were flooding into the far edges of the high meadow.
“Hey.” He gently nudged Tess. “Wake up, beautiful.”
Her eyes fluttered open. “What time is it?”
“I don’t know but the horses are coming.” He pushed to a sitting position, easing her along with him. This is what they’d been waiting for. Though he wouldn’t complain about the delay. He’d enjoyed every minute of being wrapped up with Tess.
“Oh wow,” she breathed. “They’re all together. Where’s Legacy?”
“I don’t see her yet.” But they were an amazing sight. All of those powerful animals running together like a wave in the direct rays of the rising sun.
“There she is!” Tess pointed to the end of the herd.
“Yes, that’s her.” He let go of a sigh. “She made it. She’s back.”
“She’s back!” Tess threw her arms around him and planted a kiss on his lips. “They’re so gorgeous.” She leaned her head on his shoulder and said nothing more while the herd moved past them, grazing their way back into the trees and out of sight.
When they’d disappeared, Tess peered up at him. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He wrapped his arms around her even tighter. “She’s where she belongs. And so am I.”
