Page 126 of Almost Yours
I shake my head, laughing and groaning at the same time. “You’re such a menace.”
He grinds his hips against mine, the evidence of his arousal pressing against my stomach. “A lovable menace with excellent stamina.”
“Oh my god,” I mumble. “Men. I swear. Utterly ridiculous.”
“Ridiculously in love with you,” he says, and this time, there’s no teasing.
My heart does that inconvenient, beautiful thing…
It soars.
forty-three
. . .
Rowan
Winter’s settled over the farm.
Frost clings to the barn roof, catching the early light like someone dusted the world in sugar. I stand on the back porch with a mug in my hands, steam curling around my face as I watch Bramble nose at a patch of frozen grass.
How the hell did I get here? And I don’t mean that in a regretful way. Just…marveling.
From high school hallway glances and stolen afternoons that always felt like borrowed time, to six years of silence, distance, damage—most of it my own doing. Somehow, we found our way tothis.
Her sleepy humming inside the kitchen, the smell of cinnamon, this view.Us.
We’re not the same people we were. She’s stronger, sharper in a way that only comes from learning how to stand alone. And me? I’m still working on it. But with her, it’s hardly work. It’swant.
She’s not just the girl I used to love. She’s the woman I’m building a life with. The one I want mornings and fights and babies and forever with.
Frost crunches beneath my boots as I cross the yard to check on Echo. She’s already at the fence, waiting for me like she does every morning, her breath forming clouds in the cold air.
“Hey, girl,” I greet her, offering the apple I’ve been hiding in my pocket. She takes it delicately, her warm muzzle tickling my palm. “Cold enough for you?”
I run my hand along her neck, checking her blanket to make sure it’s secure. Violet fusses over this horse like she’s made of glass, and I find myself doing the same. Not because Echo needs it, but because loving what Violet loves is second nature.
The back door creaks open, and I turn to see her silhouetted against the warm light of the kitchen, bundled in one of my old flannel shirts, her hair loose around her shoulders.
“You’re going to freeze out here,” she calls, hugging herself against the chill.
“Worth it for the view,” I call back, grinning when she rolls her eyes.
“Breakfast is almost ready,” she adds, waving me back toward the house. “I made that French toast you like.”
I give Echo one last pat before jogging back to the porch, stomping my boots on the mat before stepping inside. The warmth of the kitchen envelops me immediately, the scent of maple and coffee making my stomach growl.
“You spoil me,” I say, wrapping my arms around Violet from behind as she stands at the stove.
She leans back into my chest, tilting her head up for a kiss. “Mmm, you’re freezing,” she complains, but doesn’t pull away.
“Warm me up then.” I press my lips against her neck, making her shiver for reasons that have nothing to do with the cold.
She turns in my arms, spatula in hand. “Breakfast first. Then maybe I’ll consider warming you up appropriately.”
I grin, stealing another quick kiss before releasing her. “Deal.”
She turns back to the stove, flipping something golden andfluffy in the pan like she hasn’t just completely wrecked me with a smile and a spatula.
