Page 93 of Saddle and Scent
"When?" I ask, though I'm not sure I'm ready for the answer.
His smile turns almost sheepish.
"Over the years, Junebug."
Over the years.
They've been buying furniture for me for years.
Collecting pieces, planning spaces, creating a home for someone who might never return.
Hoping I'd come back.
Believing I'd come back.
Preparing for the possibility that someday I'd need a place to belong.
The realization hits me like a physical blow, stealing my breath and making my eyes burn with tears I refuse to shed. Because this isn't just about a bedroom or furniture or expensive pajamas.
This is about love.
The kind of love that persists across years and distance and hurt.
The kind of love that plans for reunion even when logic suggests it will never happen.
The kind of love that believes in forever even when forever seems impossible.
Before I can find words for the tangle of emotions churning in my chest, Wes presses another kiss to the top of my head.
"I'll go make you some breakfast since Beckett's out with Callum back in town," he says, heading toward the door. "Take some time to explore everything. It's all yours."
He's giving me space to process, to absorb, to feel whatever I need to feel without an audience.
It's exactly what I need, even though I didn't know I needed it.
As he reaches the doorway, I find my voice.
"Thank you, Wes."
The words are inadequate for what I'm feeling, but they're all I have.
He pauses, looking back at me with an expression so tender it makes my chest ache.
"Anything for you, Junebug."
18
TESTING BOUNDARIES
~WES~
"Oh my God, Wes," Juniper moans around a mouthful of pancakes, her eyes rolling back in genuine bliss. "These are incredible. You might be giving Beckett some serious competition, but don't tell him I said that."
I'm gonna get a boner if she moans like that again.
The thought hits me like a freight train, and I have to grip the edge of the counter to keep myself steady. Watching her eat shouldn't be this erotic, but everything about Juniper turns me inside out.
The way her tongue darts out to catch a drop of syrup from her bottom lip makes those lips look far too inviting for my sanity.
