Page 102 of Falling For You

Finally, Owen broke the quiet, his voice steady but soft. “I meant what I said earlier. I can’t keep pretending that I’m okay without you, Violet. My life isn’t good when you’re not in it.”

I swallowed, the weight of his words settling over me. “I’ve missed you too. More than I thought I would.”

His eyes searched mine, and he took a step closer.

Owen’s hand reached out to gently brush against mine. “Then let me make this right. I want to spend every moment I can making up for my mistakes.”

I looked down at our hands, his thumb tracing small circles on my skin. The warmth of his touch was comforting and familiar, but there was still that part of me that held back.

“I want that too, Owen, but… I’m scared.”

He frowned slightly, his brow furrowing as he looked at me. “Scared of what?”

“Scared that this town will never be enough for you,” I admitted, my voice shaky. “Scared that you’ll get bored of me, that you’ll wake up one day and realize you don’t want to be with the llama. That you’ll leave.”

“I won’t leave. I’ve been here the entire time.”

Surprise bounced off me. “You have?”

Owen’s eyes softened, and he took my hands in his, holding them firmly as if to ground me. “Violet, listen to me. I don’t care if this town is small or slow. I don’t care where I am as long as I’m with you. I’ve spent so much of my life chasing things that don’t matter. But you—you matter. Being here with you, in this town, in this cabin, is enough for me.”

I bit my lip, feeling the tears welling up in my eyes. “But what about your business? Your life in the city?”

Owen laughed softly, though there was no humor in it. “I don’t care about any of that. My partners—” He paused, his jaw tightening slightly. “They can deal with my lawyers.”

My eyes widened. “What? Owen, are you serious?”

“I’m done. It’s not the life I want any longer.” He nodded, his expression serious but calm.

I stared at him, still trying to process what he was saying. He was risking everything—his career, his fortune—all for me. It was overwhelming, and part of me couldn’t believe it was real.

“Why?” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Why would you do all of that for me?”

Owen smiled softly, his eyes full of warmth. “Because you make me a better person. And I won’t let fear, money, or anything else stand in the way of our being together. And I did it for me.”

Tears slipped down my cheeks before I could stop them, and Owen gently reached up to wipe them away with his thumb. The tenderness in his touch and the sincerity in his voice felt like too much, but in the best possible way.

“You do the same for me,” I whispered.

Owen’s smile widened, and he pulled me into his arms, holding me close against his chest. I wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his shirt as I let myself melt into the moment. It felt like coming home, like everything I had been missing was finally back in place.

We stood holding each other for a long time. The fire's warmth and the woodstove's soft crackle filled the room.

“So, what do you say?” he asked, his voice full of hope. “Can we start over? Can we make this work?”

“Yeah,” I whispered. “I think we can.”

Owen leaned down, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to my forehead. I closed my eyes, savoring the feeling of his lips against my skin.

For the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn’t scared anymore. I wasn’t worried about the future or about what might go wrong. All that mattered was right now—being here with him, in this cabin and town that we both loved.

And I knew, deep down, that we could make it work.

We had to.

I looked into his eyes and smiled. “Since you’re busy on Christmas, would you like to spend Thanksgiving here with us?”

His gaze locked on mine, and he smiled. “Absolutely. It would be the best Thanksgiving ever.”

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