Maggie beamed, pulling a sugar cube out of her pocket for Daisy. The two of them wandered off for another lap around the paddock with Logan trailing closely.
Dust hung in the air, glowing in the late afternoon light, making Celine’s features look softer.
She lingered at the fence, watching her daughter, breathing in the moment.
“You don’t have to adopt a damn horse,” she whispered.
“I know,” I said. “But I like seeing her so happy, and Logan can’t keep her here forever.”
With a quiet laugh, she turned to face me.
When her eyes locked with mine, I forgot how to speak. They were bright and full of joy and tears. Like her heart had stretched in a way that both hurt and healed at the same time.
She opened her mouth and then closed it. Like she wanted to say a hundred things but didn’t trust any of them to come out right.
“You made her dream come true.”
I took a step back and stuffed my hands into my pockets, suppressing the urge to pull her into my arms.
“I don’t know how to hold on to all of this,” she admitted, looking away. “The joy. The excitement. The…” She sighed. “The ache of wanting more.”
I understood the sentiment. I felt that ache too. But I had no idea how to reassure her. How to survive the riot of emotions she caused inside me.
“I did this for Maggie,” I told her. “You don’t owe me anything in return, okay?”
Frowning, she dipped her chin.
“Logan told me he was going to see about a horse, and it felt like the perfect opportunity.”
Her gaze softened. “You’re a good man. Too good. So good I don’t deserve you.”
“Hey—”
She held up a hand. “Let me finish. The way I feel? It scares me.”
The space between us was charged, a deep, complex pull making it impossible to stay away from her.
“I can live with scared,” I said.
She sniffled. “You shouldn’t have to.”
“I’m not in a hurry. I’m waiting for you.” That was the truth of it. The real offering. Right out in the open. I would wait forever. And I’d be damn happy to do it.
She stepped closer, making it so damn tempting to reach out and touch her.
“Thank you,” she said, looking at me from beneath wet lashes. “Not just for the horse, but for everything. What you’ve done and who you are.”
Warmth bloomed in my chest as I smiled at her. “Anytime.”
We stood there a moment longer, the barn breathing around us, the unspoken words hanging heavy and tender between us.
It was only interrupted when Julian and Ellie came running, talking over one another and asking for a turn brushing Daisy.
Celine followed them to where Maggie and the horse were bonding.
I couldn’t stop smiling.
Because this wasn’t nothing.