Page 86 of By Your Side
“Me too,” I whispered, my throat tight. “It feels a little like that right now. Like the whole world’s out there, but you’re the only thing I can see.”
For a beat, we just looked at each other, the jukebox humming in the background, the tavern bustling with life all around us. But the moment felt suspended, private, just ours.
He leaned closer, his voice low enough that only I could hear. “Happy birthday, Paige.”
My breath caught, a nervous laugh slipping out. “Thank you.”
“You’re so fucking gorgeous. I can’t keep a thought in my head.” His eyes held mine, steady and unflinching.
I drew in a shaky breath, my heart thudding unevenly. “You can’t just say things like that in the middle of my bar when it’ll be hours before we can be alone together.”
He gave me that slow, dangerous smile—the one that made it impossible to breathe properly. “No, this is the best time to say these things to you.”
The words hit me low, true, leaving me unsteady. My hand tightened over his, the only answer I could give him without unraveling completely. And before I could second-guess myself, before I could talk myself out of it, I leaned closer.
“Hunter?”
“Yeah?” His voice was rough; his attention was locked on me like there wasn’t anyone else in the room.
“Maybe we should have dinner together. Just us. No crowd, no town, no gossip. Just me and you. Like you asked me on your birthday, we need to talk this all through. Make plans. Figure this out. I mean, we’re both forty now. All grown up—allegedly.”
His expression shifted—surprise, then something so fierce and warm it stole my breath. “I’d like that,” he said quietly. “More than you know.” Then his eyes went dark, his lips curving in a way that made my pulse skip. “But, Paige,” he murmured, leaning closer so I could feel his breath against my cheek, “if you knew how long I’ve been waiting to hear that from you, you’d know dinner’s not exactly the first thing on my mind.”
Heat flushed my skin, traveling down my neck. My fingers tightened on his. “Dinner was the safe version,” I admitted, smiling despite myself. “What I really want is?—”
His brow arched, teasing, but his voice was husky. “Say it.”
The party buzzed along, surrounding us, but suddenly it was nothing but background noise. All I could feel was the way his thumb stroked the back of my hand, his gaze steady, pulling me closer without moving an inch.
“I want to leave,” I whispered, the words slipping out before I could stop them. “Right now. With you.”
His jaw flexed, a quiet sound escaping him, like he was barely holding himself together. He leaned in, lips brushing just below my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. “Careful,” he whispered. “You say things like that, and I’m not going to let you change your mind.”
I tilted my head toward him, my pulse racing. “Who said I wanted to?”
His soft laugh was threaded with something darker, something that set every nerve in my body alight. “You’re killing me, Paige,” he said, pulling back just enough to meet my eyes. “Standing here in that dress, saying things like that, looking at me like you do—do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?”
“Maybe,” I teased, though my voice shook. “But I like it.”
He exhaled slowly, his hand sliding from mine to rest on my hip, grounding me. “We can slip out the back door,” he murmured, half-teasing, half-deadly serious. “Nobody would notice.”
“Let’s not fool ourselves. Everybody would notice.” I bit my lip, laughing softly, though I wanted to say yes. I wanted to let him take me away from the noise, from the crowd, from everything but the heat simmering between us. “Don’t tempt me.”
“Too late,” he said, his smile slow and devastating. “You already tempted me first.”
For one breathless second, it was all I could do not to take his hand and drag him toward the door. His gaze lingered on my mouth, and I swore my knees went weak.
But then, just beyond his shoulder, I caught sight of Briar and Lark laughing with Eliza by the jukebox, Noah leaning against the bar with Grandpa and Deacon. My family. My whole world. And I knew I could be patient, because Hunter was part of my world now, more than ever.
Reality slipped back in, soft but firm. As much as I wanted to sneak out with Hunter and disappear into the night, I couldn’t—not with my kids here, not when tonight was as much about them seeing me happy as it was about the party.
I forced myself to lean back a little, though I kept my hand in his. “My kids are here,” I whispered, more to myself than to him.
He nodded once, his thumb brushing against my skin in quiet understanding. No judgment. Just that steady patience that undid me every time.
My phone buzzed in my pocket—because my mother would never buy a dress without pockets—I pulled it free, heart still racing, and read the message lighting up the screen.
Piper: I can feel the heat from over here. Woo Hoo! Slumber party at Auntie Piper’s place so you two can be alone? Bow chicka wow wow…
