“Home until I move.”
“Still set on moving, huh?” I can sense the weight behind the question. He hasn’t pressured me for answers the way everyone else in town has.
“It’s where the opportunity is. And I have seven thousand dollars saved for opening my business since I started doing more orders,” I say. “It’s a start.”
“I’d support you no matter what you decide,” he says. “Though I have to admit, the selfish part of me hopes you’ll consider staying. Maple Falls wouldn’t be the same without you.”
“But you’ve only known me for, what? Less than two months?”
“I know enough,” he says. “I know you stayed up all night baking cupcakes for a town fundraiser, even though you were exhausted. I know you take care of everyone around you—including hockey players who don’t deserve it.” He reaches across the table, his fingertips barely grazing mine before I make a choice that surprises us both—I open my fingers and let him take my hand.
“I’m trying to be brave here,” I say quietly. “With you. It’s not easy for me. You scare me, Lucian. Not because you’d hurt me, but because you make me want things I promised myself I’d never want again.”
“I know,” he says, and for a moment, he looks like he wants to say more.
“My mom would have liked you,” I add.
Mom never liked Nate. She had certain impressions about people and I’ve inherited that instinct. Nate was the one mistake that made me mistrust myself ever since. “Cooking was her love language. She would’ve gladly filled up your freezer.”
“I wish I could’ve met her,” he says.
“Me too. She used to tell me I’d know when I found the right person because I wouldn’t want to run anymore.” And sitting here with him, I realize I don’t. It’s the most honest thought I’ve had in months—that maybe I could stay, at least while I’m inMaple Falls. He’d be gentle with me, careful with all the broken pieces I’m still putting back together.
Under the starlit sky, with the scent of crisp leaves and fireplace smoke, I feel something unlock inside me—a door I thought I’d sealed.
And suddenly I’m not afraid of my own messy, complicated heart anymore. Like all those broken pieces I’ve been hiding feel like they might actually be worth putting back together.
I’ve spent so long protecting myself from men who would take my vulnerability and twist it into something ugly. But Lucian is different. He’d take my heart in his hands like he was holding something sacred, like breaking me would break him too.
For the first time, I’m not scared of being seen. I’m scared of how much I want to belong to him.
Lucian stands and offers his hand. “Dance with me?”
I hesitate before rising from my seat. “But we don’t have a band like we did at Maple Fest.”
On cue, he taps his phone and soft music begins playing from speakers hidden inside the potted plants on the rooftop.
“You planned everything,” I say as his arm circles my waist, pulling me flush against him until there’s no space left between us. I can feel his heartbeat against my chest, and when I look up, his eyes are dark with something that makes my knees unsteady.
“I had help,” he admits. “The book club ladies and my teammates’ girlfriends areveryinvested in tonight.”
“Why am I not surprised?” I laugh, relaxing into his arms as we sway beneath the stars, his scent washing over me like the cool night breeze. This time, there’s no audience, no complicated steps to follow. It’s just us, moving together like we’ve done this a hundred times before—the same way it felt when I was in his kitchen and we were making waffles together.
Finding your person feels like finally exhaling after holding your breath your whole life. It’s the most natural thing in the world.
“Do you remember when we danced together at Maple Fest?” He rests his cheek against my hair, breathing it in.
“How could I forget?” I say quietly. “That’s when everything changed for me. When I realized you weren’t just some guy I was practicing with.” My heart is pounding in my chest, but I can’t slow it down, not when he’s holding me like this.
“I told myself I was just helping you get comfortable again,” he says. “But I was already picturing a hundred more dances like that.” He pauses. “Then there was that night when you fell asleep in my arms.” He strokes his thumb over my cheekbone. “I knew I was in trouble. Because holding you felt like the missing piece I didn’t know I was looking for.”
He pulls away just slightly, his eyes dropping to my lips, and for a breathless moment, I think he’s going to kiss me right here under the stars. Instead, he cups my face gently, like I’m something precious. And that’s what I see so clearly for the first time—this isn’t a rehearsal. It never was.
“I know this is crazy,” I say. “I know I have plans for leaving. But what if this isn’t just for practice tonight? What if we pretend we have all the time in the world?”
His palm cups my chin, tipping my face slightly toward him.
“I’m falling for you, Neesha. Have been since the day you fell down on my porch like a beautiful disaster.” His smile turns softer. “So yes, tonight we can pretend like we have all the time in the world. And when I take you to the next place, I need you to know this isn’t practice anymore. Not for me.”
