Page 63 of Saddle and Bound

And then, the thousand other expressions that cross her face: the slight furrow of concentration in her brow, her lips moving silently as she forms words only she can hear, her eyes dancing across the page, following her thoughts as they take shape. And then there are those moments she pauses, gazing off into the wild landscape around us, searching for inspiration, only to dive back in with renewed passion.

“Alex… all this scares me,” she replies, her honesty carrying a vulnerability she hadn’t shown before.

I lift myself from her intimacy and lean up close to her face. I shift, pressing my body to hers as I lay her back more comfortably. I rest my forehead against hers, framing her face with my hands to hold her full attention and, because I want to be as close to her as possible, to feel her with every part of me.

“Princess, I’m here, so you don’t have to be scared. We’ll take this journey together, I want this for you. I want to help you make your dreams come true… and we both know that your life until now wasn’t your dream. You can always change course, go back, or find a way to have it all. I’ll support you in whatever you choose, but I don’t want you to run from happiness.”

Our eyes meet, and my heart tightens. Her gaze shimmers, tears unshed, catching the sunlight. In that moment, it feels like I’m seeing right into her soul.

I know those tears hold a range of emotions. There’s happiness, the pure joy of rediscovering a forgotten passion. But I also see pain, a deep pain from years of compromise, from choices made for security rather than passion. Years spent following a path that perhaps wasn’t truly hers, chasing a life that didn’t entirely reflect who she is.

My heart aches for her, for everything she’s left behind, for all the dreams she’s put aside. I wish I could erase all that pain, turn back time and give her the chance to follow her true desires from the start. But I know I can’t change the past.

What I can do, though, is be here for her now. We haven’t talked about us, about our future, about what all this means. But right now, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’m here, by her side, ready to support her in whatever direction she wants to go.

Then I see a small smile forming on her lips despite the tears. And there’s no need for words. In this moment, in this place, it’s just the two of us, surrounded by the wild beauty of nature, sharing a moment of vulnerability and connection that goes beyond words. We stay like that for a while, close, entwined, letting the silence speak for us. I feel Rosie’s breathing gradually steady, her fingers relaxing their grip on my side. When she finally looks up, her eyes are still glistening, but there’s a new light in them, a spark of determination I hadn’t seen before.

“Alex,” she says at last, her voice low but resolute, “thank you. I… I don’t think I’ve ever felt so much like myself as I do right now.”

I smile at her gently, caressing the back of her hand with my thumb.

Rosie takes a deep breath. “You know, for years I’ve kept this part of me locked away. The writing, the dreams, everything. I thought I had to be practical, follow a safe path. But now…”

Her voice falters, and I squeeze her hand, urging her on.

“And now?” I prompt softly.

“Now I realize how much I’ve missed all this. How much I’ve missed… myself.” She lifts her gaze to meet mine, her eyes filled with emotion. “And you… you’re helping me find her again.”

My heart pounds in my chest. I want to tell her how much she means to me, how much she’s changed my life in such a short time. But instead, I choose simple honesty.

“Rosie, you’re extraordinary. All I did was give you space to be yourself.”

She shakes her head, a trembling smile on her lips. “No, Alex. You did so much more. You showed me a different world; you made me see possibilities I’d forgotten existed, ones I was always too afraid to even consider.”

There’s a pause, laden with emotion and unspoken words. Then, with an unexpected movement, Rosie hugs me tighter. I feel her body tremble slightly against mine, and I hold her close, trying to convey all my affection and support.

“I don’t know what comes next,” she murmurs against my chest, “I don’t know how I’ll balance all this or what I’ll do. But I know I don’t want to lose this part of me anymore.”

I stroke her hair softly, breathing in her scent. “You don’t have to decide now,” I tell her gently. “We have time. And whatever you decide, I’ll be here to support you.”

Rosie pulls back slightly, looking into my eyes. There’s a question in her gaze, a vulnerability that tugs at my heart.

“Promise?” she asks, her voice barely a whisper.

Without hesitation, I nod. “I promise, Rosie. Whatever happens, whatever you choose, I’ll be there.”

And as I say these words, I realize just how true they are. There’s no ambiguity… I’ve told her I’ll be there, wherever and however… if she’ll have me. I don’t know what the future holds, whether Rosie will choose to stay or return to her life in Los Angeles. But I know that, one way or another, I want to be part of her life, to help her realize her dreams, to help her reclaim the part of herself she’s hidden for so long.

Rosie smiles, a radiant smile that warms my heart. Then, slowly, she leans in and kisses me. It’s a sweet, tender kiss, filled with gratitude and unspoken promises. And as I return the kiss, surrounded by the wild beauty of nature, I feel that, whatever happens, this moment, this connection, will always be a part of us.

As the kiss ends, I keep my eyes closed for a moment, savoring the sweetness of it. When I open them again, I see Rosie looking at me with a mix of tenderness and gratitude that makes my heart tremble.

She asked me to promise I’d be here. She made me promise I’d stand by her. This request echoes in my mind, raising a thousand questions. For a moment, I’m tempted to ask her openly how she feels, to lay everything out and understand where we’re heading. But I hold back. I look into her eyes, still glistening with the emotions we just shared, and realize this isn’t the time.

Rosie is going through a period of profound change. Her whole reality, everything she thought she knew about herself, is shifting. She’s rediscovering parts of herself she’d forgotten, rethinking the choices she’s made so far. The last thing she needs now is an insecure cowboy digging into her feelings.

No, I decide. I won’t ask her anything. She asked me to be here, and that’s what I’ll do.

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