Page 73 of Entwined Hearts
The next tenminutes were torture.
“Give me yarn, angel,” Weston whispered, stroking my arms.
I shook my head. “You don’t want this yarn. It’s legal jargon yarn.”
“Oh yeah, I don’t want that,” he chuckled, making me smile. He grabbed my hand and tapped it against his left bicep, where his tattoo of me was. I frowned at him, and he shrugged, grinning. “It’s good luck. Always worked for me, maybe it’ll work now, too.”
God, I absolutely adored him.
“You did all that you could, Sav, and that’s what matters. Okay?”
I glanced across the room. Sterling was red-faced, scolding Roger like he had gotten caught stealing cookies before dinner. It made me feel slightly better. “Yeah. Now we just have to wait,” I murmured.
When Judge Lancaster returned, I nearly puked on the floor.
She sat down, scanning the silent courtroom once. “In review of the proposed expansions, submitted materials, and zoning code—including the recent veteran rehabilitation amendment—I find that Golden Circle’s plans fall within the parameters of the Agricultural-Residential code.”
My breath caught. I gripped my chair, feeling like I was going to pass out.
“Motion to deny the expansion is hereby overruled. Golden Circle may proceed.”
The courtroom erupted. I collapsed into my chair, hands over my face, unable to stop the tears. Wes crushed me in a hug before anyone else could, pulling me to my feet and spinning me around as everyone cheered. Beau clapped my back, grinning so hard I thought his face might split.
“Oh my God, Savvy,” Claire cried as she pulled me into a hug so tight I could hardly breathe. “Mama and Dad would besoproud of you.”
Later that night,under the twinkle lights strung up at the McLeod house, I looked around at my family. Emmett was grilling steaks. Colt and Brittany were playing corn hole with Levi and Tess. Henry chased Luke through the grass. Beau and Claire were making s’mores with Anna and Joseph, who had baby Hattie on his lap.
Weston’s arms wrapped around my waist from behind. “You saved it, angel,” he whispered against my neck. “You saved the whole damn thing. I’m in awe of you.”
“I can’t believe it,” I replied, my eyes burning with gratitude for this place, these people.
He pulled back, his eyes meeting mine. “You don’t regret staying?”
I shook my head. “This is where I’m meant to be. Here with everyone. With you.”
He kissed me slow and soft. “Let’s stay up and watch the sun rise like old times.” I nodded, loving that idea, and kissed him again.
And for the first time in years, I didn’t feel like I was running.
I was right where I belonged. Wild Creek. Home.
Epilogue
TESS
Two days later…
“Mommy, can we get nachos wike wast time?” Luke looked up at me as we walked hand in hand into the arena, his little red curls bouncing with each step.
I laughed, loving how his Ls always came out as Ws. “Yes, baby.”
He did a little fist pump in the air and ran off towards Emmett, who I was convinced was my son’s favorite human being on Earth. But he needed that, needed a strong male role model to show him how to be a good person. And I couldn’t think of anyone better for the job than my big brother.
I glanced around the parking lot again, triple-checking that Luke’s father hadn’t somehow found us. It’d been nearly two months now since we came—escaped was more like it—to Wild Creek. But even after all this time, I still checked over my shoulder every few minutes, still had nightmares, still woke up thinking I was trapped in my old, dingy apartment in Corpus Christi for a few seconds before I realized where I was.
My phone buzzed in my back pocket, and my blood turned to ice when I looked at all the notifications that sat ignored fromthe last two days while we’d been celebrating Savvy’s win and gearing up for Weston’s last ride.
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