Page 46 of Reclaimed Roots

"You got it," she chirped, all youthful energy as she set about scooping our orders.

Jasper accepted the towering cones with a murmured thanks before handing me mine. Our fingers brushed in the exchange, and that ever-present spark zinged between us, raising goosebumps along my arms.

Color rose on Jasper's cheeks. He cleared his throat and nodded toward the door. "You wanna...?"

"Yeah," I said quickly. "Yeah, let's go."

We wandered in silence for a few blocks, each of us focused on our rapidly melting treats. There was something comforting in the simplicity of it, in the way it stripped away all the layers of baggage and expectation to leave just...us.

Eventually, we found ourselves in the small park that bordered the bay on Lake Michigan. The setting sun cast everything in a warm, honeyed glow. Jasper settled onto a bench overlooking the water, and I joined him without asecond thought. The breeze off the water was cool, ruffling my hair and raising goosebumps on my bare arms.

Jasper noticed my shiver and shrugged out of his flannel. He draped it over my shoulders, ignoring my protests. The fabric was warm from his body heat, his pine, musk, and soil scent wrapping around me like a hug.

"Thanks," I said, burrowing deeper into the shirt. It was far too big on me. The sleeves fell past my fingertips. But it felt like armor, a tangible reminder of his presence, his protection.

Jasper just nodded, his gaze fixed on the moonlit water. We lapsed into silence again, but it felt different this time. Tense and awkward. It was as if all the issues we hadn't talked about somehow knew that now would be the perfect moment, and they were all clamoring to get out.

"I always thought I'd leave this place, ya know." Jasper's voice was so quiet I barely heard him. "Had all these big dreams of seeing the world, making something of myself."

I gaped at him. "Really? You never said anything."

He shrugged, his eyes still fixed on the horizon. "Didn't think I needed to."

"I always thought you wanted to stay here. Work at the orchard with your family."

Jasper was quiet for a long beat. When he finally spoke, his words were measured, tinged with a wistfulness that tugged at my heart. "Part of me did. This place is part of who I am, same as it is for you. But the other part..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "I don't know, Nat. Maybe I'm just adreamer at heart, chasing something that was never meant to be mine."

"Why didn't you go? If that's what you really wanted, why stay here?"

Jasper turned to face me then, his expression half-hidden by the fading light. "You know why."

And just like that, the air vanished from my lungs.

Me.

I was the reason he never left.

He wanted to leave for me.

He wanted to leavewithme.

Instead, I left without him.

Chapter Twenty

JASPER

I releaseda shaky breath as I wandered through the rows of trees, my footsteps crunching on twigs and fallen leaves. The moonlight cast eerie shadows, bathing the orchard in a haunting glow that intensified the ache in my chest.

This place held so many memories. Every nook and cranny was etched with moments I'd shared with Natalie over the years—that crooked apple tree where we used to climb and read for hours, the clearing where I told her I loved her for the first time, the old oak that served as our special meeting spot.

Our tree.

I stopped short when I reached the familiar spot. The majestic oak that had towered over us for so many years, the one we carved our initials into with my pocketknife when we were just kids. It was gone, nothing but a stump remaining. It had been gone for years, but it still gutted me every time I saw it.

God, what was I thinking? Dragging up ancient history like that. It wasn't like it changed anything. Not like it could erase the hurt or magically fix what had shattered between us.

And yet...

---