Page 230 of Twins for Three Bad Boys

I slide one hand up to the side of her neck, careful of the marks there, thumb brushing just below her ear before I kiss her.

Because I love her.

And because she just said it back.

She opens for me immediately, soft and warm and real, one hand sliding higher against my chest as if to steady herself or me or both. I kiss her deeper, slower, letting it mean everything I don’t know how to package as neatly as I’d prefer. That I’m here. That I’m not leaving. That the road can wait for once.

She sighs against my mouth, and it nearly ruins me.

When we part, it’s only enough to breathe. My forehead rests against hers. Her fingers are still twisted into my jacket.

“Well,” I murmur.

“Well,” she echoes.

“I’m feeling pretty good about this gas station detour.”

She laughs softly. “Me too.”

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

June

As we approach the turn into Redwood Run, my body feels heavy, like the weight of everything that’s happened is catching up to me all at once. I inhale, but the air feels too thick and hard to breathe.

Wayne glances at me from the driver’s seat. “You okay?”

I nod, though I know my face isn’t fooling him.

“Just… a little dizzy,” I admit, the words coming out slow. I press a hand to my stomach, instinctively. “But I’m okay.”

Rex looks at me from the rearview mirror. “You need to take it easy when we get home, June. You’ve been through enough today.”

Wayne slows the truck as we turn onto the familiar road leading back into town, gravel crunching softly under the tires, and I realize I’m not dreading what comes next anymore. I’m not running through worst-case scenarios in my head. I’m not trying to prepare myself for something going wrong.

I’m just here.

And I want to be.

I lean back in my seat, exhaling slowly as the last stretch of road opens up in front of us. “That feels weird.”

Wayne glances at me. “What does?”

“I thought I’d feel… I don’t know. More shaken, maybe. Or like everything would still be sitting on top of me.” I shake my head a little, searching for the right words. “But it’s not. It’s like… it’s behind me now.”

Fletcher leans forward slightly from the back seat, his forearms resting against the top of Wayne’s seat. “Because you faced it.”

“And it didn’t break you,” Rex adds.

I glance back at them, warmth settling low in my chest at the way they’re looking at me. Not like I’m fragile, or need handling.

The thought makes my stomach flip in a way that has nothing to do with nerves.

Wayne’s hand shifts against my knee again. “You’re alright.”

I nod, my fingers curling lightly over his. “Yeah. I think I actually am.”

And I mean it.