Page 85 of Our Little Moments

He angles his head and kisses me, and I slide my hand into his hair, holding on to it. He groans, and a shiver spreads all the way down my spine.

Every second of the kiss unravels another inch of me. The glide of his tongue. His hands pressing into my back, my hips, my thighs. His touch is intentional, and it’s annoying just how much it reminds me ofhim. Adrian Westwood never does anything without a reason behind it. It’s why everything he does feels so heartfelt.

He tilts his head, and I match his angle. His touch, his kiss, it carves his name everywhere in a way I know I’ll never forget. My mind has finally quieted down and all it can focus on is him.

Time loses all meaning. We could have been here for seconds, minutes, hours, or days and I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

The two of us pull away, gasping for air, and I can’t shake away the giddiness. I can tell from his goofy smile that he’s just as happy as I am, and it makes my grin widen to the point of my cheeks hurting.

We stare at each other, our chests heaving.

Gradually, the world seeps back into my consciousness—the sounds of the waves around us, the salty air and the laughter echoing from the others.

Before I can overthink what happens, Adrian’s hand drags mine under the water and squeezes it. I feel that touch across my very soul, and I feel safe again, like I always do with him.

I’m in love with this man. But more than that, I’m in love with the new life I’m creating.

Westwood Spring and Adrian were planted inside of me, and their roots have only grown over time, like a garden bursting with life. I thought changing my life would be scary, that moving on from everything I built would be difficult. But right now, I feel nothing but peace. Adrian’s thumb swipes tenderly at my jaw, and I know with unwavering certainty that I’m right where I need to be.

Chapter 33

Stella

The dream that was yesterday quickly fades when I open my eyes again the next morning, struggling to catch my breath after a nightmare.

I can’t breathe. I can’t see. I’m back in the city.

But wait—this doesn’t feel right. I’m not in the city. My mind races, and as I blink, the disorienting fog lifts. I’m in my room. In the cabin. I’m still on vacation, still far from the chaos of my life from the city. The sun is weak through the curtains this morning, casting long shadows over the floor.

Thump. Thump. Thump.The pulsing in my chest matches the rhythm of my heartbeat and I instantly understand what’s happening.

Oh crap. I haven’t felt this in so long. When I was training, I would often have weird dreams and wake up to my powers acting up, twisting reality to match whatever my dream was.

Thump. Thump. Thump.The pressure intensifies, and the walls around me pulse. I leap out of bed, but the room . . . it’s warping.The cozy cabin is gone. The walls stretch, flickering into the very nightmare I just woke up from.

I breathe in, sharp and frantic, but nothing around me feels real. I’m not even sure what is real anymore.

Focus, Stella,I remind myself. I have to breathe through it. I have to remember what to do.

I run outside. I inhale deeply, sucking in the cool morning air, hoping to find some calm.

But it doesn’t work. What were once towering trees have morphed into skyscrapers, their glass reflecting the sunlight like blades, making it hard to see. The air feels thick, stifling. The glow of neon lights presses down on me from every corner, and my chest tightens as the chaos overwhelms me.

I feel small. Weak. Insignificant.

I try to run, but my magic twists everything around me. Roads split apart, turning into an endless maze of speeding cars. Each path I try to take only leads me deeper into the labyrinth.

Please let this be a dream.

My vision gets blurry and I trip over something, crashing into the ground violently. I wipe my eyes and get on my knees, breathing hard. Why can’t this stop? Why can’t my life be easy for once? Why do I have to ruin everything when my life is going down a path I love?

I’m never good enough. I always mess things up.

I sniffle and push myself up using my hands, then I freeze. I recognize the feel of rocks under my fingertips. I spent so many mornings here with Adrian.

I made it to our spot.

I open my eyes, and everything shifts. The world around me pulls and twists, but I recognize the cliffs. Our spot. It’s still here somehow. But it’s different. The cliff is turning into a road, a downward slope leading to an ocean I know is below it in reality.

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