Chapter 33

33

G ennie grabbed the handle as Nathan’s Land Rover tore up the winding road. The old forest blurred past in shadows and moonlight.

She had no idea where they were going.

Doubt, thick and choking, gathered in her stomach. The words he’d hurled at her and the memory of him kicking her out still stung. No matter how much she wanted to buy his apologies.

As they drove, she noticed familiar landmarks: the old oak tree with its twisted branches, the stone wall with patches of moss. Moments later, the vehicle came to a halt in a small clearing in the forest.

‘We’re here.’ Nathan switched off the motor and turned to her, eyes gleaming in the soft glow of the dashboard.

‘Wait. We’ve been here before. That’s the path to the viewpoint, isn’t it?’ She flung the door open.

‘Aye. We better hurry. There’s a thunderstorm rolling in tonight. At least that’s what the app says.’

‘Oh, no. Please not another one of those stupid deadly light shows.’

But to be honest, since the night she’d snuck into his bed, touched and kissed him for the first time, Gennie hated thunderstorms a tad less. That night had changed her.

As her boots hit the ground, she caught the weight of his stare and desire coiled low in her belly.

Gennie jerked her chin towards the narrow path. ‘Lead on, MacMillan.’

‘Do keep up, Rivers.’

He took her hand, and the air hummed with static – whether from the approaching storm or the tension between them, she couldn’t tell.

Leaves crunched underfoot as they made their way down the path, shadows shifted through the towering pines. ‘Something tells me you didn’t drag me all the way out here to admire the view. I mean, it’s almost pitch dark.’

His fingers curled around hers. ‘Impatient as ever. Don’t worry. You’ll see soon enough.’

She smiled and fell into step beside him. Doubt still rattled around in her head like a pebble in an empty can, but with each step, that prickly voice slowly shut up a bit more. The sharp edges of her scepticism wore down and filed themselves smooth as silk against the steady, grounding heat of his hand in hers.

The forest parted and revealed the small clearing of the viewpoint bathed in specks of moonlight.

That’s when she saw it.

It hadn’t been here before. Because she would have remembered that. One million per cent.

There, in the middle of the clearing, was a simple wooden swing, its new ropes swaying in the wind.

Gennie eyed the sturdy construction between two massive trees, the smooth wooden seat. Suddenly, the sting of his rejection, the agony of his words, faded away, drowned out by the deafening thrum of her heart.

‘Oh my God, Nathan. Did you do this?’ The words spilled from her lips. ‘Did you… Is this…for me?’

His gaze was tender, a hint of that roguish grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. ‘Aye. You said you’ve always wanted a swing. And I…I’m so sorry, Gennie. For doubting you, for accusing you.’

She opened her mouth, but he held up a hand. ‘Let me get this out before I lose my grip. When I saw those photos, the way the press was making us out to be…it dredged up all that old shite. The betrayal. The shame. Scared the piss out of me, the thought of going through that again, of Abby getting caught up in that mess.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me sooner? You could’ve texted me, you know? That’s what normal people do.’

He rubbed his neck with one hand. ‘The truth is… I was terrified that you’d tell me to fuck off. Of losing you. Of you deciding I wasn’t worth it. All I could see was heartbreak. I should have listened to you. Can you… Can you forgive me?’

Tears stung her eyes, the ache in her chest so acute it was crippling. ‘You gutted me. I thought—’ She swallowed and blinked back tears. ‘I thought you saw me as another backstabbing fame-monster. But hey, I understand. Your past scarred you, and that stuff doesn’t just go away. But you better believe me when I say there’s no way in hell I would ever hurt you or Abby.’

‘I know, baby. I know.’

He looked almost crumpled in his regret.

Yeah, she had no chance.

All her life, she’d been the one to clean up the messes, to seek solace in her own company when the world had failed her and her mum had done her own thing. But here stood this man – this infuriating, irresistible Scot – who had somehow managed to peel back her layers, to see the lonely little girl inside. And built her a fucking swing.

She rushed forward and crashed into his arms. His solid warmth enveloped her. She tucked her face into the nook of his neck and inhaled the woodsy scent that clung to his skin.

‘Hell yeah, I forgive you. You remembered the swing.’

His palms traced the length of her spine. ‘Of course I remembered.’

‘You’re making me cry, you know that?’ She let out a quivering laugh, wiping away the tears.

‘No need to play hardball.’ His smile could have outshone the sun and the moon and all the stars. ‘As long as they’re happy tears, that’s fine with me. Now, how about you try it out?’

‘Nathan…I…I don’t know what to say. It’s amazing.’ Gennie settled into the wooden seat and the ropes creaked as they took her weight.

‘Just don’t do a backflip mid-air or anything,’ he said. ‘You’ll give me a heart attack.’

She snorted. ‘Please. You may be older than me, MacMillan, but not that old.’

He came up behind her and wrapped his hands around the ropes. ‘Your name is all wrong,’ he murmured, his breath warm against her neck.

‘As I said before, my mum is a—‘

‘That’s not what I mean. You’re not a Gentlestorm. You came into my life like a hurricane. Swept away everything in your path. And now… I can’t imagine my world without you.’ He leaned closer, his chest resting against her back. The swing moved with a push from his hands.

‘For so long, the weight of my past crushed me. I’d resigned myself to a half-ass life in the shadows. Spent years hiding from the pain. Then you storm in and bring me to my knees without breaking a sweat. And you didn’t even have the decency to look smug about it.’

She laughed.

‘You’ve seen the ugliest parts of my past. Of me. My weakness, my fears, my mistakes,’ he said. ‘But you’ve not shied away, not judged me for it.’

‘No need. We all have a past. Yours is different from mine – and yeah, longer – but that’s life.’

‘Cocky much?’ There was undeniably a grin in his voice. ‘I don’t care how young you are, Gennie. You’re fierce, brave, and wild in all the right ways. You’ve shown me what love can be like. The way you love, it’s fearless. No holding back. I could never be happy with anything less.’

The swing’s rhythm was soothing, hypnotic. She was flying inside and out.

‘I never bought into this “two bodies, one soul”-crap,’ he continued. ‘That is until I held you. Felt like… I don’t even know how to put it into words. But we just fit .’

‘Agreed.’ She slowed down a bit and turned her head, catching his gaze. ‘I’ve never…with no one… You’ve shown me what it means to truly let go, to trust that you’ll catch me.’

‘I always will.’ He let the swing come to a stop and walked around until he stood in front of her. ‘You make me want to be a better man, Gennie. For you, for Abby, for myself.’ His hand covered hers on the rope and his fingers curled around hers. ‘And the way you are with my daughter… It’s everything. You saved her life. When you jumped in to protect her… The way you care for my child… God, I…’ His voice caught.

‘No, the way you love Abby, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.’ She stood from the swing, the wood creaking beneath her. ‘Makes my heart swell up two sizes. You’re the kind of dad I always wished I had, the father every girl deserves. My childhood was a mess. You letting me in, being a part of your lives? Means more to me than you’ll ever know.’ A weight compressed her chest and tears burned her eyes. The scent of impending rain hung heavy in the air, the aroma of damp earth and pine.

‘I know I hurt you, Gennie. I was a bastard. But I swear to you, it will never happen again. I’ll spend every day proving that you can trust me. That I trust you.’

She nodded, and her hand came up to caress his face. ‘I believe you. But I need you to be honest with me, always. No more doubting me, no more lashing out. Can you do that?’

‘Aye, I can.’

Gennie walked a few steps and her fingers trailed along the bark of a pine. ‘The age gap never fazed me. And I wasn’t planning on falling for your grumpy ass in the first place. But then you go and bare that big heart of gold in that broad chest of yours.’

She circled back and took his hand. ‘Didn’t even know I needed that, but you showed me it’s okay to lean on someone, to not be tough all the time.’ She placed his hand on his heart. ‘I mean, you made me breakfast every day. I…I never had that.’

Tiny raindrops began to dot the ground.

‘I will have a word with your mother about that.’

She chuckled. ‘You’re so protective and supportive. I don’t even know if I deserve all that.’

‘What the fuck are you on about? Of course you do! You are an incredible powerhouse of a woman. And aye, you still have much to explore. But that’s okay. I swear, I won’t ever hold you back. But I will hold your beer, your earrings, or whatever the hell you need me to hold while you kick ass.’ He smiled and wiped raindrops from her cheek. ‘I’ve always wanted a family. But I didn’t know I’ve always wanted it with you. It’s like we’ve been waiting for you, Abby and I.’ The wind picked up, making the swing sway behind them. ‘You’re it for me, Gennie. My heart, my home, my everything.’ He tipped her chin up. ‘I want you. I want us. You and me, and Abby. I want it all.’

‘But what if Abby…doesn’t?’

He threw his head back and laughed. ‘Have you met my daughter? She worships the ground you walk on. She even had me frame the drawing you made for her.’

Abster. The coolest, kindest, most wonderful kid on the planet.

She sniffled. ‘I love the little munchkin, you know?’

‘I know. And believe me when I tell you that the feeling is mutual.’

The tenderness in his eyes stole her breath. ‘Nathan… I’ve never felt safer or happier than with you. More me. How do you even manage that?’

‘Easy,’ he said and pulled her close. ‘I love you.’

Then he sounded like a boy again. ’Will you stay? With us? Let me give you a home? I swear, you’ll never have to sleep in a car again.’

No idea how she’d pull it off. But that was a problem for future Gennie. Right now, she didn’t have to think twice.

‘Yeah. Cause… I love you, too.’ She put her arms around his neck. ‘Home is you. You and Abby.’

Her breath synced with his, and he just held her, sheltered her, as the rain began to pour in earnest. The water ran in rivulets down their faces, soaked through their clothes, plastered her long ponytail to her back. He took it in his hand and his fingers dug into the wet strands as if trying to hold on to this moment forever. The rain was a silver curtain, the swing creaking gently in the background.

‘Gennie, I love you so much.’

And then his lips were on hers. Soft and rough and all him. His mouth moved over hers with a slow sweetness. Drops clung to her lashes, blended with tears, washed away past hurts. He let her hair go and his hand travelled down her back, pressure firm and protective. He pulled her flush against him until there was no more space.

Him. Him. Always him.

When they finally broke apart, they held on to each other in the deluge, foreheads pressed together as they struggled to catch their breath. His eyes were closed, his lashes spiky against his cheek, his lips kiss-swollen and glossy in the moonlight.

The most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

She saw her future.

Laughter and tears, triumphs and challenges, a lifetime of love and companionship and belonging.

And lots and lots of sex.

Gennie quirked a brow at him and a slow grin spread across her face. ‘By the way, Captain Pirate. Should you die of a heart attack one day – it will be happily wedged between my thighs.’

Nathan laughed. ‘Every man deserves to dream, Miss Croft.’

And this, right here, was hers.