He looked at me.
“That’s what I want, too.”
Then he reached across the table and took my hand.
“Willa, I love you.”
The words were quiet.
There was no dramatic music, no perfect sunset, and no audience waiting to celebrate.
Just two people sitting at a kitchen table while rain tapped against the windows.
I felt tears gathering in my eyes.
“I love you, too.”
He stood and came around the table.
“Can I kiss you?”
I smiled through my tears.
“Yes.”
His kiss was gentle and uncertain, as though we were both afraid of what it meant.
When we pulled apart, I rested my forehead against his.
For a moment, everything that had happened seemed very far away.
Then I remembered Delaney.
“Caleb, I need to be honest about something.”
He stepped back slightly.
“All right.”
“Part of me wants her to see us together. I want her to understand that she didn’t destroy me.”
