Page 65 of Hometown Heart

I stumbled over the next word, my voice faltering as the realization washed over me.

"You okay?" Jack asked, concern furrowing his brow.

"Fine," I managed, finding my place again on the page and pointing at words with a fingertip. "Lost my spot for a second."

I continued reading, but part of my mind remained fixed on that look in Jack's eyes—the unguarded hope I'd seen there.

Gradually, Cody's eyelids grew heavier. He slumped lower in his beanbag, pulling the blanket up to his chin. "Dad," he mumbled, half-asleep, "I like it when Silas reads."

Jack moved closer, kneeling beside his son. With infinite tenderness, he brushed Cody's hair back from his forehead. "I do, too, bud."

The simple honesty in those words made something inside me unfurl—some tightly wound knot of resistance loosened its grip.

As Cody's breathing deepened toward sleep, Jack remained beside him, his fingers continuing their gentle movement through his son's hair. When he looked up at me, the space between us shrank.

"Keep reading?" he asked quietly.

I nodded, turning the page. But the words blurred before my eyes as Jack shifted, moving with deliberate slowness until he was seated beside me on the floor, our shoulders touching.

I read on, my voice dropping to match the hushed atmosphere. Jack leaned closer, ostensibly to see the illustrations on the page, but the movement also brought his face to a spot only a few inches from mine.

His breath was warm and steady against my cheek. My words slowed, then stopped entirely as I turned to face him.

Jack's eyes asked a question his lips didn't form. Time froze between us.

Neither of us pulled back.

With exquisite slowness, Jack leaned forward. I met him halfway, drawn by a force I'd resisted too long.

His lips touched mine—a gentle contact, questioning and tentative. The kiss deepened, and Jack's fingers raked up intomy hair. I leaned into him, my fingers grazing the soft fabric of his sweater.

Jack exhaled against my mouth. His fingers curled slightly into the blanket on our laps, anchoring him as we explored.

I didn't pull away. For once, I had no desire to run. I was ready to allow myself to want and be wanted in return.

When we finally separated, it was only by inches. Jack's eyes searched mine, looking for regret or panic.

He found neither.

What he couldn't see—what neither of us noticed—was Cody. One eye had opened for a moment, catching us when our lips touched.

If it surprised him, he gave no sign. His eye drifted closed again, and he nestled deeper into his blanket, his breathing even and deep.

Some secrets reveal themselves in their own time. This one would wait, held safely in the heart of a boy who understood more than we realized.

"You okay?" Jack asked

I nodded, not entirely sure I could find any words that matched what was happening inside. A kaleidoscope of emotions tumbled through me—wonder, fear, desire, and a strange, unfamiliar peace.

Jack didn't press for more. He watched me with a steady gaze and saw past the last of my carefully constructed defenses.

A noise interrupted the moment—Cody shifting in his sleep, mumbling something unintelligible as he turned over in his beanbag nest. Jack and I pulled apart instantly, guilty as teenagers caught by a parent, though Cody's eyes remained closed.

The book had slipped from my lap during our kiss. Jack retrieved it, fingers brushing mine as he handed it back. "Maybe we should pause the adventure for now."

I accepted the book, tucking it safely beside the beanbag. "Probably wise."

The fort felt too confining. I ducked through the blanket entrance, emerging into the relative openness of the café proper. Jack followed, pausing to tuck the blanket more securely around Cody before joining me.

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