Page 62 of One Merciful Moment

"I'm not excited. I'm terrified. I'm sick over it. I'm trying to make peace with something that'll be unbearable."

He cupped the back of her head, bringing her to his chest. She pressed her forehead against him. His body remained hard as he held back all the ache, fear, and love he tried to hide from her.

"I don't want to go," she mumbled against him. "I don't want to lose you or walk through the veil without you."

"Ash." He tilted his head to the sky and grimaced.

"You're not someone I can walk away from and forget," she whispered. "I know you're trying to do the right thing and protect me. But please... don't ever think this is easy for me. I'm not choosing a life without you."

He slid his hands around to cradle her face, his thumbs brushing her cheeks with a tenderness that made her knees weaken.

"I know it's killing you." He kissed her softly. "It's killing me too."

She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch.

The mower sat forgotten on the grass. Her gloves hung in her back pocket. The garden could wait. The lawn could wait. The whole town could wait. Right now, the ache between them demanded reassurance that they were doing the right thing.

She inhaled a shaky breath. "I love you."

Boone kissed her again. "I know."

Chapter 36

Boone

––––––––

Boom. Boom. Boom.

The knock echoed against Boone's ribs. He dragged his palms down his thighs and looked at Ashley. She stared back, her brow creasing.

He crossed the small living room in a few strides and opened the door.

Copper stood on the porch, but the sky behind him grabbed Boone's attention. It was darker. The cloud that had hovered over the tree line now stretched wider, creeping toward town like a slow-moving bruise.

"It's growing," Copper said without preamble. "And it's moving closer."

"How close?" Boone's pulse accelerated.

"Close enough that we can't ignore it anymore."

Ashley pressed her hand to Boone's back. Copper's gaze flicked to her, then back to Boone.

"We need to talk," Copper said. "Now, before it's too late."

Boone nodded and stepped aside to let him in. Ashley stayed close, her fingers curling into his shirt. He put his arm around her.

Copper stood in the center of the room. "That cloud isn't weather. It's the veil."

Ashley sucked in a breath. Boone clenched his teeth so hard his jaw popped.

"It's thinning, stretching, and preparing to open." Copper walked to the window and peered outside.

Boone's hands shook. He'd known this moment was coming. He'd braced for it. But hearing Copper say it out loud sucked all the strength out of him.

"It looks dangerous," Ashley whispered.

"It is," Copper said. "If you don't understand what it is."