Page 46 of Why We Break

I smile at him, shaking my head because I’m convinced the man’s a mind reader. “How in the hell did you know that’s what I was thinking about?”

“Because I know you, Han. And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it either,” he admits, and I feel my heartbeat speed up a little at his admission.

“God, I’m obsessed with you,” I tease, trying to hide how true that statement is.

“Back at you,” he says, kissing the top of my head. “So, I know you’re getting your degree in education, but after that, what’s next?”

“Um, well. I’m not exactly sure,” I admit, feeling a little sheepish at my admission. “I’m probably going to go for my master’s as soon as I finish my bachelor’s degree since there’s such a pay difference. And after that, I’m thinking about moving back here. I didn’t ever see myself moving back home after school, but my gramps can’t run this place by himself, and this place means a lot to him, you know?”

Will nods in understanding and brushes his hands through my hair. “Yeah, I get that. I’m thinking about moving back too, to coach. I figure they’ll let me start at the bottom of the coaching staff and see what happens. My youngest three siblings will still have a couple years of school, and I want to be able to support them when I can.”

I nod in agreement, smiling at the thought of both of us teaching at our old high school. “So we both want to move back here?” I ask, not believing that we could actually want the same thing.

“Sounds like it. I told you, we’d find a way to be together,” he teases, brushing his hand softly over my lips.

I roll my eyes at him, ignoring the way that his admission makes me feel. “Okay, fine. But we can’t agree on everything. What else do you want?”

I feel his eyes on me, and I look up, expecting him to make some joke about the future, but instead, he looks more serious than I’ve ever seen him. After a moment, he whispers, “A family, Han. I want the family I didn’t get after my dad left. I want to have a house full of kids. A house full of chaos, laughter, and dirty clothes. I know it’s too fast but, God, is it really? We’ve known each other for a while. I just needed the time alone with you to realize how perfect we are together. I’ve thought a lot about where this might be going, and I’ve decided to just say fuck it. I can’t stop thinking about how much I want to do it all with you.”

My heart stops for a moment at the serious turn our conversation just took, but I can’t help the smile that spreads across my lips at his admission.

“Are you serious?” I whisper, waiting for him to act like it was all some big joke, but he doesn’t. He just nods, opening his mouth, probably to apologize or try to take back part of what he just admitted, but before he can, I throw myself at him, kissing him hard.

“You literally just described everything I’ve ever wanted, Will. I watched all of my friends growing up with these wild, fun families, but it’s always just been me. I mean, I want to finish school first, don’t get me wrong. I actually called and made an appointment to get on birth control later this week, but the idea of raising a family on this land just feels like everything I’ve ever wanted,” I admit quietly, realizing I’ve never even told Caroline all of this.

He smiles at me, kissing me again, before holding me tighter against him. “I’m glad we’re on the same page, Han, because it’s all I want, but I don’t want it with anyone else.”

CHAPTER 35

WILL

WILL: I’m heading your way.

Hannah: Sounds good… I’m in the middle of something in the barn, but you can just wait inside the house.

Reading her text, I throw my phone in the seat beside me and tell myself not to speed too fast down the country roads toward Falling Oaks. I’m pretty sure this has been the longest week of my life, and I’m so ready to finally spend some time with Hannah. Every spare moment has been consumed with thinking about her, and I’ve had to fight the urge to skip out on some of my coaching duties to see her.

After pulling into the driveway, I veer off toward the barn knowing there’s no way I’m giving up any time with her after staying away all week. I throw the truck in park just as I hear the sound of a loud shriek coming from inside. My heart stops, and I sprint inside, feeling my anxiety rise at the idea of finding Hannah hurt.

The door is latched from the inside, so I pound on it, desperate to make sure she’s okay. It doesn’t budge, and I growl in frustration as the screeching continues. Finally, I lean back and run at the door, hitting it hard and knocking the hook off the back. I look around the large space, trying to find the sound of the noise before hearing Hannah yell, “Leroy, stop it!”

Running toward her, I’m completely confused about what’s going on until I’m close enough to take it in the scene in front of me, and I can’t help but laugh at the absurdity.

Hannah is standing over Leroy and holding his front hoofs in her hands as he wiggles and throws his head back and forth, trying to get away. As soon as he sees me, he lets out another ear-splitting squeal like he’s begging for me to save him.

“Leroy, you’re so damn dramatic. You know I’ve got to trim your nails before they start hurting you,” she says, gently using a small set of clippers on his hooves as he continues to wail away. “I’ve never been so glad to not have neighbors. I swear if we did—Oh, Will! What are you doing here? I told you that you could wait at the house,” Hannah says, finally noticing me standing in front of her.

“Yeah, well, I pulled up and heard the ruckus, so I came to make sure you were okay,” I admit, trying not to feel silly about the misunderstanding. “Did you really not hear me trying to get in? I broke the lock off trying to get through the damn door.”

Hannah lets out a laugh at that, finishing with Leroy’s last hoof before straightening and letting him go. As soon as he’s released he darts toward the open door and runs off into the darkness while Hannah reaches up to pull a set of earplugs out of her ears. “Not a hundred percent sure what you’re saying because even with these stupid things I’m pretty sure my ears will be ringing for the next three business days. But I’m sorry that you were locked out. If I don’t close off all the exits, Leroy tends to get ideas about becoming a runaway. “

“Sorry, I was just worried something was wrong,” I admit sheepishly.

“It’s fine. I’ll just have to reattach that latch sometime over the next few days.”

“I’ll take care of it,” I tell her, walking over to pull her into my arms. “But first, I need to kiss you for a while. I’ve been thinking about tasting that sweet mouth against mine for the last week.”

Her eyes widen for just a moment before she runs at me, all but tackling me to the ground and kissing me hard while she threads her fingers through my hair.

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