Page 139 of If Love Had A Manual

She pauses mid-spin, squinting at me like she knows what’s coming.

“He told me he loves me.”

Her nose scrunches. “Wove you?”

I nod solemnly. “Yup. Wove me.”

She points at herself, then at me. “I wove you.”

My heart swells. “I love you, too, baby girl.”

“Dada wove you?”

“Yep.”

She considers this, then nods once. Very official.

A giggle escapes me, and I roll onto my back, staring up at the cloud-dusted sky. “And here’s the thing, kiddo. I love him too.”

And that’s the part that terrifies me.

Not loving him. That part feels inevitable, like gravity. It’s the part where he loves me back. The part where he keeps saying all the right things and never pulls away.

What if I wake up one morning and he’s decidedI’m too much? What if he gets tired of my panicked spirals? What if this perfect, maddening, wonderful man wants forever, but then decides I’m not built for it?

I’m not used to this kind of love. The kind that waits. That listens. That doesn’t make me earn every scrap of safety with silence or apology. I’ve never known how to justaskfor what I want and believe I’ll get an honest answer.

Rosie’s tiny hand finds mine, dragging me out of my thoughts. “You wove Dada?” she says again, more confident this time.

“Yeah,” I agree. “I wove Dada.”

“Is that so?”

Well, that deep rasp of a voice wasn’t Rosie.

My stomach does a swan dive as I jerk upright, turning around to see Wes standing in the open doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. He’s giving me that lopsided smirk I’ve been powerless against since the day I met him.

“And when were you planning ontellingDada this bit of information?”

I flush because I’ve been caught red-handed. “Uh… tonight?” I offer lamely, struggling for composure.

His smirk deepens, eyes glinting with obvious satisfaction. “That so?”

Scrambling to my feet, I wipe nonexistent grass off my jeans, then stride over. My hands latch onto his T-shirt, yanking him down into a kiss. He chuckles against my mouth but doesn’t resist, arms sliding around my waist to haul me close.

When I pull back, I’m left breathless.

He’s smiling in that soft way that undoes me. Then he takes my hand. “Come here,” he says, leading me tothe grass. He sits first, tugging me between his legs so I’m leaning back against his chest.

I settle into him, sighing as Rosie wobbles up to us with curiosity bright in her big brown eyes. She stares at the two of us like she’s trying to figure out if she wants to join. Then, with a squeal, she toddles off with Milo bounding after her.

We bask in the warmth of the sun and the hush of a stolen moment. My eyes drift shut as I soak up the easy comfort of being wrapped in Wes’s arms. Everything is so simple here, so peaceful.

Eventually, I tilt my head back to peer at him. “So, are you going to help me with something important?”

“Yeah? What?”

I gesture toward Rosie. “Getting that one to say my name.”

---