“I kind of love that we’ve had it to ourselves this long,” I admit. “Just ours.”
“Me, too,” he says, thumb brushing along the edge of the ring. “But I also kinda want to see your mom’s face when she finds out.”
I snort. “She’ll combust.”
He pulls into the long gravel drive, the house coming into view with its wraparound porch and familiar creak of wind chimes. Home. Even better this time. Because it’s not just where we began.
It’s where we came back to. Asus.
I reach for the door handle, but Rowan leans over and hooks his finger into my belt loop, tugging me back into his space.
“Hey,” he says, voice low. “I know this next year might get loud again. Bigger stages, more flights, interviews, flashing lights… But I meant what I said.”
I turn, caught in the quiet storm of his gaze.
“I can exist in your world,” he says softly, “if you can still exist in mine.”
The emotion catches me by the throat, warm and full and gut-punching.
“I don’t want two worlds,” I whisper, brushing my nose against his. “I just wantours.Whatever it looks like. Wherever we go.”
He kisses me then—slow and deep and anchoring.
And just before we break apart, he murmurs against my lips, “Then let’s go show them what that looks like.”
THE END
