Page 132 of The Lilac River

I’d imagined this moment more times than I could admit, always wondering what it might feel like. The butterflies, the nerves, the rush. But nothing compared to the reality. He tasted like peppermint gum and sun. And when he pulled me closer, when his chest pressed against mine, I felt like I could finally exhale.

He pulled back, just slightly, and I opened my eyes to find him already looking at me. The golden light kissed the edgesof his face, lighting up his cheekbones, casting shadows under those dark, intense eyes. My breath caught.

“I’ve never been kissed like that before,” I whispered, still dazed.

His smile widened, a flicker of pride softening into something tender.

“Good,” he said. “I like being your first.”

The possessiveness in his voice sent a thrill through me. Not the scary kind. The kind that made me feel wanted. Safe.

“You were worth waiting for,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt.

The way he looked at me then, like I’d handed him the moon and stars made my heart ache in the best way.

“Lily Jones,” he said, fingers brushing the curve of my jaw like a promise, “I think I’m falling for you.”

The honesty in his voice made my throat tighten. Boys like Nash didn’t fall for girls like me. Not the quiet girl with secrets she couldn’t even say out loud to herself. Not the new girl with a mess of a past and a mom who cried behind closed doors. But somehow, impossibly, he was.

“I think I’m already there,” I whispered.

And when he kissed me again, slower, deeper, with both hands cradling my face, I felt something inside me unfurl. Like a flower blooming in the late evening sun. Like I’d been holding my breath for months, and now... now I could finally breathe.

The lavender field danced around us, the scent weaving between our skin and the wind, and as the first stars blinked into the dusky sky, I made a silent wish.

That this moment, this boy, this kiss, this feeling would never end.

Because Nash Miller hadn’t just kissed me.

He’d stolen a piece of my heart.

And somehow, I knew I’d never want it back.

Chapter 47

Confident – Demi Lovato

Nash

“Are we ready for this?” I asked my brothers, standing outside the Town Hall meeting room.

The sun had dipped below the mountains, casting long shadows over the cracked asphalt of the street. The evening air in Silver Peaks clung to us. It was thick, unmoving, and tense with anticipation. Somewhere nearby, a cicada buzzed in the brush, the only sound in the silence between us.

Gunner and Wilder nodded, both stiff with fury, nerves barely kept in check. We were dressed like ranchers but moving like soldiers united, armed with the truth, and ready for war.

Inside, the townsfolk were gathered, completely unaware that their entire perception of the man behind the podium was about to be ripped apart.

“Okay,” I whispered, glancing down the hall to make sure no one overheard. “We go in, listen for five or ten minutes, then I stand up and let the bomb drop.”

“When’s Sheriff Jackson getting here?” Gunner asked, eyeing the large clock mounted high on the wall. It ticked loudly, like it knew time was running out for Dad.

“In five,” I said. “He’s agreed not to arrest Dad until after the meeting.”

“He should do it during,” Wilder snapped, his jaw tight. “He doesn’t deserve any respect.”

I placed a hand on his arm, grounding him. “I know. But I don’t want any of Dad’s bullshit about Lily or her mom spilling out to the town. If he’s cornered, he’ll lash out, and he knows she’s my weak spot.”

“He doesn’t know you two are back together though, right?” Wilder asked.