Page 58 of Simply Yours

And he couldn’t stop staring.

Something in his chest clenched—something that had been locked up for too darn long.

Caitlin had stayed – for him.

She had seen him break down, seen him at his lowest, and instead of running, she had chosen to be here. She hadchosenhim.

Jason swallowed hard.

He had spent his entire life giving—to his family, to this farm, to this darn town. He had never asked for anything in return, never taken for himself. But this?

This felt like something he wanted to hold onto.

Slowly, carefully, he shifted, brushing his lips against the tip of her nose. A quiet, reverent kiss. Then, unable to resist, he pressed another against her lips, softer this time, barely a whisper of contact.

She stirred.

Her breath caught, her body tensing as she woke, and he felt her stiffen beneath his touch.

“Shh,” he murmured, his voice low and rough. “You’re safe.”

Her eyes fluttered open, still hazy with sleep. “Jason…”

“Stay,” he urged softly. “Stay here for a moment, hold me, and then I’ll make us some breakfast. Some coffee.”

He saw the hesitation flicker across her face, the war waging behind her tired eyes. “I should go,” she whispered. “I’m parked out front, and anyone driving from Yonder to Ember Creek will see my car if they look down the driveway.”

“So?” he shrugged.

“So, that’s how rumors get started,” she countered pointedly.

Jason exhaled, running his fingers down the curve of her cheek. “I want people to know we’re a couple.”

Her eyes widened slightly, startled by his bluntness.

“I want to tell people we’re dating,” he continued. “And if we’re not a couple yet in your mind, just know that we are in mine.”

Caitlin’s lips parted, her expression torn between disbelief and something softer. “Are you serious?”

“Very.”

“I mean, once word gets out…”

“Then everyone will know that I’m dating Caitlin Barnes and that it’s serious between us.”

He chuckled, brushing his knuckles against her cheek, feeling the way her skin heated beneath his touch.

Her throat bobbed. “Are you sure?”

Jason met her gaze, unwavering. In her eyes, he saw something raw, something fragile—hope, fear, longing. It made his heart twist in his chest.

“You’re mine,” he murmured, closing the distance between them, his lips capturing hers in a slow, deliberate kiss.

She melted.

And gosh, it was the best darn thing he’d ever felt.

When he finally pulled back, she was breathless, her cheeks flushed, her eyes shining with something unspoken.

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