Page 78 of Say You're Mine

"Looks like we'll have to practice a lot," he says with an exaggerated leer, waggling his eyebrows. "You know, to get the technique down."

I giggle, swatting at his wandering hands. "Oh, is that what we're calling it now? Practice?"

He nods, all faux-solemnity even as his eyes dance with mischief. "Absolutely. In fact, I think we should start practicing again. Right now."

He rolls me beneath him, his body already stirring with renewed desire. I welcome the weight of him, the delicious ache of his possession.

And as he begins to move within me, as pleasure burns through my veins like the sweetest fire, I let myself believe.

In him. In us. In the beautiful, messy, imperfect life we're going to build together.

It won't be easy. The demons June battles, the trauma he's endured... those don't disappear overnight. There will be setbacks and dark days, moments when the darkness seems to eclipse the light.

But we'll weather those storms. We'll hold each other through the nightmares and wipe away each other's tears. We'll celebrate every victory, no matter how small, and find joy in the quiet moments in between.

Because in the end, that's what love is. Not grand gestures or fairytale endings, but the choice we make, every day, to fight for each other. To believe in each other. To never, ever give up on the dream of forever.

Chapter twenty-three

June

The morning light filtering through the curtains is soft, muted, a gentle caress on my skin as I slowly drift into wakefulness. For a moment, I'm disoriented, the warmth of Cara's body nestled against mine feeling too good to be true after the endless nights of cold, lonely longing.

But then she stirs, her hand splaying across my chest, and the reality of our reunion crashes over me in a wave of overwhelming emotion. She's here. She's safe. And for this one perfect, crystalline moment, nothing else matters.

I bury my nose in her hair, breathing in the scent of jasmine and something uniquely Cara. It's the smell of home, of love, of everything I've been fighting for these past harrowing months.

A soft knock at the door shatters the peaceful stillness. I tense, old instincts kicking into high gear, but Cara's sleepy murmur and the recognition of Judith's distinctive knock pattern eases the spike of adrenaline.

I extract myself carefully from Cara's embrace, brushing a kiss to her temple as she grumbles in protest. Pulling on a pair of discarded sweatpants, I pad to the door, opening it just wide enough to slip outside.

Judith's waiting in the hallway, her usually impeccable composure ruffled around the edges. There's a weariness in her eyes, a tightness around her mouth that sets my teeth on edge.

"We need to talk," she says without preamble, her voice low and urgent. "It's about Elaine."

The name is like a bucket of ice water down my spine, a visceral reminder of the danger still looming over us. I nod, casting a glance back at the bedroom door. "Give me a minute to get dressed. I don't want to wake Cara."

Judith's expression softens, understanding mingling with the strain. "Of course. I'll put on some coffee."

Ten minutes later, I'm sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a mug of black coffee and trying to ignore the coil of dread tightening in my gut. Judith sits across from me, her fingers drumming a restless pattern on the scarred wood.

"Elaine contacted me last night," she says, cutting straight to the chase. "She's threatening to expose some... sensitive information about my personal life if I don't go through with a 'real' wedding."

I feel my hackles rise, a snarl building in my throat. "That fucking bitch. I swear to God, I'm going to-"

"June." Judith's voice is sharp, cutting through my building rage. "There's more."

She takes a deep breath, and I brace myself for the worst. But what comes out of her mouth next is so unexpected, it feels like a physical blow.

"The thing is... Drew, Caleb, and I have been talking about making our relationship official for a while now. The fake wedding was just a convenient cover."

I stare at her, my mind struggling to process this new information. "Wait, what? You mean you're actually marrying the rancher? And Drew is okay with this?"

To my surprise, Judith's lips curve into a small, secret smile. "That's how it started, yeah. But things have... evolved. Drew, Caleb, and I... we've grown close. Closer than I ever thought possible."

Understanding clicks into place, and I feel my eyebrows climbing towards my hairline. "Hold up. Are you telling me you're in some kind of polyamorous throuple situation with a rancher and an oil tycoon?"

Judith's laugh is a welcome sound, a momentary break in the tension. "Leave it to you to make it sound like a bad romance novel. But yeah, I guess that's the gist of it. Surprised?"

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