Chapter 24
Chapter
Twenty-Four
VIRGIL
B ut I do know how to survive with you.
That does it. Every wall, every excuse, every reason vanishes.
I reach for her. Not because she's broken or needs saving. But because somewhere along the way she became the best part of every day.
My forehead settles against hers. Neither of us speaks. Neither of us has to.
Outside, snow falls softly across Deadfall Ridge. Inside, the fire burns low. And for the first time in a very long time, neither of us feels alone.
The kiss happens naturally after that, slow and tender. The kind built from months instead of moments.
When we finally pull apart, Clara laughs shakily. "So."
I smile. "So."
She reaches for my hand, and this time neither of us lets go.
The fire crackles softly as the afternoon light fades beyond the windows, leaving only warmth, quiet, and the promise of everything still to come.
“I’m not sure how to do this,” she confesses.
"Do what?"
Her gaze drops.
"Move forward."
The words come out small.
"There was only ever Bryson."
I nod once. Can’t imagine something like that. That kind of devotion. And the fear of moving on it must create. But I’ve borne witness to it long enough to feel it to the marrow of my bones.
“We don’t have to rush, Clara.” My voice strains, body taut with too many feelings to express.
Her hands slip around my neck, her eyes large and trusting. Something pulls loose in my chest. Something that’s never going back in place.
“No, we don’t have to. And we aren’t, Virge. I want you.”
“You sure?” I ask, throat knotting tight.
“One hundred percent,” she whispers, head tipping up to claim my mouth again.
My pulse kicks, heat curling low. Shouldn’t let myself feel this. I grimace, fisting my hands.
“What’s wrong?” Clara whispers.
I shake my head, pulling back an inch, not more. Can’t stand being so close. Can’t stand being away from her even more “All I’ve ever wanted is to do right by you, Clara.”
“And you have,” she says in breathy tones, drawing closer. “You always have.”
“But is this really because you want me? Or is it because of the hole in your heart?”
She pauses, her gaze dropping to the side, licking her pink lips, whose taste and feel I know now. “What you’re really asking is a choice I can no longer make. Because he’s gone.”
“No. Not that. I’d never ask you that.”
“But if you’re asking me if this is just a rebound thing? If I’m lonely, or I’ll regret it later?” She presses her lips into a thin line. “It’s not any of those things, Virge. I want you, though I never thought it could be possible. That I could want again. Not like this.”
Restraint falls after that. I pull her hard against my chest, lips descending to hers. Taking my time until we both have to pull apart, breathing hard. Her hands slide up the small of my back, traveling over muscle and bone to my shoulders like she’s memorizing me.
Mine glide lower, to her waist and hips, pressing her against me, finally letting her feel my need for her.
“If this is what you want,” I say, voice dropping at the end. “Then it’s just you and me. This moment.”
“Just us,” she whispers.
That’s all it takes. I sweep her into my arms, starting down the hallway. She giggles, cheeks flushing at the sudden bravado.
“You carry me like I weigh nothing,” she gasps.
“Light as a feather,” I say with a big grin, reaching the back bedroom and feeling my heart stop in my chest. Then start again, only twice as fast. In the bedroom, I set her down gently, barely able to breathe, to think.
All I know is I want to take care of her. To make this right. To make her feel cherished.
“I’m clean,” I say. “But I don’t have condoms.”
“Clean, too.”
She studies the edge of her blouse for one long moment. “I’m not on birth control.”
“No?”
She shakes her head.
"Because that wasn't a concern before."
Silence stretches.
"And because I'm not interested in temporary things, Virgil."
“Neither am I.”
She nods, eyes warm pools. “I know you are because you’re already an amazing daddy.”
The room goes blurry.
Not from lust.
From hope.
A dangerous thing.
The kind I’ve spent almost fifty years teaching myself not to need.
I have to fight for a second to say in raw tones, “You mean, papa Vir-gull?”
She smiles, soft and seductive. “In the flesh.”
I stand there for a moment, just looking at her. Breathing in this moment with every part of my body. So that I always remember it. The woman who chose me despite experiencing a kind of pain that would destroy me. The woman who wants a family and a life with me.
Who made it so damn easy even when it was the last thing on her mind.
I sit next to her on the edge of the bed, tangling my fingers with hers, stroking the back of her hand and wrist with my other.
“You have no idea what this means to me.” I shake my head, so fucking vulnerable it hurts. “That you can see a future with me. And with Helen and Luke.” I fix my gaze on her. “And that’s what I want, too. Today. Tomorrow. Forever.”
Tears fill her eyes. I have to look away, keep myself together. Her fingers curl into my shirt, pulling me closer. Our lips meet.
Pure detonation.
Neither of us is coming back from this.