Page 65 of Drowning Her

“I love you,” I said. A sadness flashed through Wilder’s eyes, his focus fluttering away. My heart dropped. But it wasn’t like him to commit to something like love, especially out loud. And who could blame him? He had never known love before. And he might not have realized that love was what we had now.

His eyes stayed on the ground. “This is who I am, Maisie,” he said calmly. “I was born a killer. It’s who I am. I can’t change that.”

“I wouldn’t want you to.”

Finally, he turned to me, his gray-blue eyes clearer than they had been in a long time, as if he could finally see the future we could have together.

“I can’t promise that I will keep you safe,” he said. I lowered my head, knowing that his words were true. There were no guarantees in our lives, only that we would all meet the same end. Maybe we would find the path on our own, and maybe someone would help us get there faster. Like Wilder. “But I can promise that I will do everything I can to protect you.”

And that was enough. We kissed again, my hands wrapped behind his head, tangled in his hair. My heartswelled, knowing that those werehiswords,his truth.He loved me in his own way. And this was how he said it.

For the rest of the day, he didn’t work. We were quiet, lying in each other’s arms, processing everything that had happened. And that night, as we laid in bed, right before I fell asleep, Wilder twisted, pulling me into his arms. His breathing shallowed. I closed my eyes, relaxing for the first time in a long, long time. I had no idea what tomorrow would bring, but I looked forward to it. Because tomorrow meant a life with him, someone who saw me. All of my strengths. My mistakes. And still, he wanted me.

“I’ll protect you, Maisie,” Wilder whispered. “I love you.”

I pulled his arms closer, pretending to stir in my sleep, giving him that moment to himself. Maybe one day, he’d say it to my face.

But for now, I’d hold on to this moment, where he whispered it in the dark.

Epilogue

Maisie

one year later

The morning lightcame through the curtains, stirring me awake. The other side of the bed was still warm. Sleeping in for Wilder meant seven a.m. The man rarely slept.

By the time I shuffled into some pajamas and slippers and started a pot of coffee, Wilder emerged, clean and ready for a day of work.

“You’re getting a shift in before the party?” I asked.

“An hour or two,” he said.

Was he getting ahead for tomorrow’s livestock orders, or catching up on leftover orders from yesterday? It was impossible to tell. But the sooner he was done, the sooner he’d get home, the sooner we’d be able to enjoy our time together.

Our one-year-anniversary party was wholly unnecessary, but because my parents hadn’t been at the wedding, it was a chance for them to enjoy our legal—and now, romantic—union. The Feldman brothers had paid for most of it, butmy mother had insisted on making a cake. It was three tiers with red roses on white frosting. It was gorgeous. And it belonged at aproperwedding, but no one minded that.

We had rented this ballroom in Pierce. The brothers thought it was best if my parents never came to the farm, and I definitely agreed. My parents honestly believed my husband owned a ranch with his brother, which was technically true. Fiona knew something was up, but she never asked questions. She knew better when it came to me now. She was simply relieved that I was happy for once.

Sheer drapes cascaded along the edges of the ballroom. Endless bottles of champagne were downed, appetizer plates emptied. And after the expected greetings, my parents found a table to themselves at the back of the room, so they could people-watch the dance floor. Almost like what Wilder and I were doing now.

Wilder kept an arm around me, eyeing the crowd, a sudden blank stare rolling over his eyes. I knew that look.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“We invited Hatchcom Focus here.”

In the last year, with Forrest out of the picture, Sawyer had expanded the company, but that meant more competition, like Hatchcom Focus. Sawyer had been opening discussions for an acquisition, but nothing had been set in stone yet. The Feldman Farms had been in business for a long time here, and though the brothers liked to believe they were invincible, they knew they had to stay one step ahead of all others. Including Hatchcom Focus.

I kissed Wilder’s cheek, eyeing my sister. “Sister time,” I said. “Have fun with Hatchcom Focus.”

Wilder nodded. “Meet me at the pool after.”

We kissed, then I bounced over to Fiona. She crossed her arms, sipping the champagne like it was water.

“Slow down there,” I said. “When was the last time you drank that much?”

“I can’t shake it,” Fiona said. “It’s like I know him.” She subtly nodded at Sawyer, then turned away, as if she was afraid of him seeing her. She focused on me, though it was obvious her mind was on him. “Is he staring at me?”

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