Page 106 of The Back Forty
“Lawson,” I say, cupping his face in both hands. “A name doesn’t make a person. I didn’t fall in love with you because you’re a Marshall.”
His eyes soften as they lift to mine, and I swear, in that moment, all I can see is the boy he used to be, the one who was left behind by his mother to make his home safe, and then brought in, loved fiercely but still unsure if he deserved it. Unsure if he could ever feel safe and settled.
He reaches up, brushes a strand of hair behind my ear. “My whole life’s been about making sure I don’t screw up the second chance someone else gave me. Making Kent and Anne proud.”
I nod. "I get that. My parents are immigrants and me and my sisters have always felt that way too, but that's not a way to live. You can work hard to make them proud, but you have to be proud of yourself, too. You've far from already achieved that.”
He listens quietly.
“Also, I wouldn’t care if your last name was Smith, like your mom’s. Or Miller, or any other name that you can think off.”
His whole body tenses. “Fuck no. Miller was my birth father. A real piece of shit. He got another woman in town pregnant years later and abandoned herwith their son too.”
My brows lift. “Wait… you have a half-sibling here?”
He nods cautiously. “Yeah, ah, you know Rhett Miller? The guy who ownsWhitewood Creek Plumbing?”
My jaw drops open. “Yes?”
“Yeah. That’s the one. He's around six years younger than me.”
“Oh my god.Does he know that you're his brother?”
Lawson shakes his head. “Doubt it. None of my siblings know that I'm not their brother except for Troy and Kent and neither of them would ever say anything. I don’t even know if Rhett's mom knew who his dad really was. She got pregnant and got out of the relationship quicker than my mom did. Settled in town to raise her son as a single mom.”
"Wow," I say softly. He's quiet, watching me carefully.
"It doesn't change the way you look at me?" he asks gently.
I reach for his hand, threading my fingers through his. “Lawson… I mean it. The name doesn’t define you. Youmake the name.”
“I know, baby,” he says, voice rough. “But thank you for saying it.” He leans in, presses his forehead to mine. “You’ve changedmy mind about a lot of things. Made me see that I can slow down. That I’m allowed to. That I deserve to have joy, peace and love. You make me want to be better. And no matter what name we choose for our family's last name someday, I’m changing yours soon too.”
“Promise?”
His eyes soften as they look at me. “It’d be tomorrow if I had my way.”
“Whoa there, daddy. Wejuststarted dating.”
He laughs softly, but then his expression shifts and grows quieter. “It feels like I’ve been dating you for the past year. Feels like I’ve loved you my whole life.”
My breathing picks up.
“I love you, Dani,” he says simply. “Not afraid to say that so soon.”
I lean in, kiss him slow and sure and full of everything I’ve been holding in.
“I love you too, Lawson.”
And I do. Not because of the Marshall name. Not because of the legacy. And not because I respect the hell out of him. But because he’s him.
Lawson.
My boss that I thought I’d never feel safe to fall for.
Chapter 41 – Lawson
My boots crunch over the gravel of the narrow driveway atWhitewood Creek Trailer Park, each step loud in the heavy hush of early evening.
