Page 36 of Fern's Date with Destiny
The game settled into an easy rhythm.Bickering and cheering, the four of them slipping into that comfortable space Cody hadn’t realized he’d been starving to experience again.It felt good, like coming home to himself.
As if remembering who he’d been before the fear had crawled into his gut and made him someone who ran instead of staying to fight.
It didn’t escape him that this type of game, one requiring dexterity and coordination, he might not be able to play forever.The idea scared him even as it kept his ass right there in the chair, playing.
If he only had a limited time, he’d better enjoy it while he could.
By the time Rose and Fern landed their last shots, the ladies were ahead by exactly ten points.Enough to crow about for the next month.
Chance groaned.“You realize they’re never going to let this go.”
Fern fluttered her lashes.“Victory tastes sweeter when it’s shared with family.”
“You two are monsters,” Chance declared, but he leaned over and pressed a kiss to Rose’s cheek, whispering something in her ear that made Rose’s eyes shine.
Cody’s throat went tight watching them.Simple happiness.No big declaration, no show.Just…belonging.
He wanted that.Someday.
Fern softly nudged his knee under the table.When he looked over, she gave him the smallest nod, as if she’d read every thought in his head.
Maybe she had.
After everything was cleared away, Cody stood to stretch.“I’ll walk you home.”
Fern tilted her head.“Sure?”
“Yeah.”He looked to Rose.“Thanks for the invite.”
“You’re welcome anytime,” Rose said softly, her gaze warm but perceptive.As if she understood exactly how hard it had been to show up tonight.
Chance clapped him on the shoulder.“Don’t be a stranger.”
“I won’t.”This time, Cody meant it.
They stepped out the back door together, boots crunching on the path between the yards.Moonlight silvered the fences and the brittle stalks of last year’s perennials.The air was sharp enough to bite his lungs, but Fern’s gloved hand slipped into his, and happiness warmed him deep inside.
When they reached her porch, she paused.“You okay?”
He nodded.“Better now.”
“Good.”She touched his cheek, her mittened hand clumsy but perfect.“You can tell me when you’re not.”
“I’m working on it,” he admitted.
“Work faster,” she teased.
Then she kissed him.Soft.With heat behind it, but mostly warmth.Comfort.A promise.
It wasn’t the kind of kiss that knocked the world off its axis, but the kind that reminded him the ground was still there.
When she pulled back, she smiled up at him.“Night, cowboy.”
“Night, sweetheart.”
The door swung open behind her, and Malachi Fields appeared, taking in the scene with a raised brow.“Everything all right out here?”
“Just fine,” Fern informed him.
