Page 92 of Slow Burn
The someone he wanted was her.
“It’s a nice place,” she said after a beat, sparking a little hope in his chest.
“It is,” he agreed, holding steady. “But you and this town have a history. And not a pretty one.”
She frowned, chewing on that. There was that history, and her family that'd been torn up by what'd happened the day before—a scandal that had rocked the town and their place in it. With all that drama and all those memories, he wouldn't blame her at all.
“You’re right," she finally said. "But I also have the possibility of a future—one I can shape myself.” Tilting her head up, she offered him a slow smile. “And I know I’d have some help.”
“Damn right you would,” he said, his voice rough. “You’re sure?”
She laughed. Maybe she could hear his doubt, the fear in the question. “I’m sure of you.”
He cupped her chin, smiling like a fool. “Should be. If I make a decision, it sticks.”
“Long as you stick with me.”
He brushed her mouth with his, just for a taste of those lips before he said, “You got it, Darlin’.”
Epilogue
“Love in its essence is spiritual fire.” - Seneca
ONE YEAR LATER
Cole paced in front of the steps, painted a smokey blue, energy pinging through him. It was later than he’d planned, took longer than it should’ve. Cicadas hummed from the trees surrounding him, the constant buzz adding to the unease in his bones.
Natasha had been and gone, helped him set everything up, gave him an encouraging hug before she headed off, laughing about the scowl that haunted his face. She gave as good as Terra, and that was all he needed—more people to bust his balls.
What he had needed today was Natasha’s touch, her eye for detail, for pretty.
When he heard the crunch of tires on the gravel drive, his lunch threatened a reappearance. He swallowed it down and stopped his pacing, trying to school his features as Jocelyn’s car eased up to the small concrete slab he’d had poured in front of the garage.
She got out of the car and turned, the sun painting her hair. But nothing could outshine the smile on her face as she looked at him.
That eased his nerves some, and he grinned. “Hey, Darlin’.”
She walked forward, straight into his arms, and damn if she didn’t smell like his dreams. Her long hair brushed over his arms as he held her. She left it down almost always now because he preferred it.
“Tash said you had somethin’ to show me.” Her accent was thick and strong now, teased out from being back in Cedar Hollow a year.
He let her step back but snatched her hand before she got too far. “Pull you away from anything important?”
She shook her head, a soft grin on her face that lit him up. “I’m glad for it. Nan and Joe were arguin’ about whether to add square footage to the floor plan. County allows half again as much as what was original. Even at their age, they bicker like school children.”
“Siblings,” he said. Not that he knew from experience, but she did, at least a little these days.
She gave her body a quick shake as if to rid herself of the mild frustration. “So what’d you want to show me?”
He tipped his head toward the house. “Inside.”
One dark brow arched up. “You showed me the new counters the other day. You can’t go draggin’ me out here for every update.”
“The hell I can’t,” he said, tugging her up the steps with a grin.
Now that he had her there, the nerves had died down. With her hand in his, all was right in the world, even if everything in it was about to change. Or maybe not. It was just the next step in the line he’d been walking toward anyway.
Jocelyn eyed him with suspicion and even tried peeking through the front window. He’d expected as much and asked Natasha to do up some curtains.
