Page 11 of Forever In Willow Creek

The storm rolled in overnight.

Wind howled against the shutters, and rain tapped furiously at the cottage windows like it was trying to claw its way in. Zoe sat curled on the couch in an oversized sweatshirt, the untouched mug of tea in her hands long gone cold.

She hadn’t gone to see Luke since their conversation at the garage.

He hadn’t come by either.

There was no anger between them. No slammed doors or accusations. Just space. A silence that grew heavier with each passing hour.

Her inbox blinked on the laptop screen from the table beside her. Kristen had sent the contract. Friday at noon. A promotion, a future, a return to the life she’d built with such meticulous care.

And yet, all she could think about was how empty that life had begun to feel.

This is what you worked for, she reminded herself.

The title. The respect. The money. The grind.

But Luke’s voice lingered in her mind.

“I’m not going to fight for someone who doesn’t know if she wants to stay.”

A knock at the door startled her.

Zoe crossed the room slowly, heart beating fast.

It wasn’t Luke.

It was Sarah, rain-damp and frowning.

“I figured you weren’t going to show, so I came to check on you.”

“Show where?”

“Granny Mae’s,” Sarah said, slipping inside. “They’re loading baskets for the community drive. You signed up last week.”

Zoe blinked. She had. But that was before the offer. Before everything turned gray again.

“I forgot,” she said softly.

Sarah studied her for a beat. “No, you didn’t. You’re just somewhere else right now.”

Zoe sank onto the couch. “I feel… pulled.”

Sarah sat across from her. “Then pull yourself toward the place that feels like home. Not the one that just looks good on paper.”

“I don’t know if I belong here, Sarah. I don’t know if I’m enough here.”

“You don’t have to be anything here,” Sarah said. “That’s the point.”

Zoe let her sister’s words settle before whispering, “I think I’m scared that choosing this life means I failed at the other one.”

Sarah reached across and took her hand. “Choosing peace is never failure. Choosing love… that’s the hardest, bravest thing you can do.”

Zoe looked down at their hands, then out the window at the rain.

Later that evening, the storm eased, and Zoe found herself walking through town. The roads were slick, the lights glistening on the pavement. She didn’t have an umbrella. She didn’t care.

She ended up at the garage.

The lights were off inside, but the office was still open. She found Luke sitting behind the desk, staring at nothing in particular. A box of tools sat at his feet, untouched.

“I didn’t think you’d come,” he said without looking at her.

“I wasn’t sure I would,” she replied honestly.

He finally met her eyes. “Well?”

“I got the offer. Senior Partner. All of it.”

Luke nodded. “Are you going to take it?”

She stepped closer. “No.”

That one word landed like thunder in the room.

“No?”

Zoe shook her head, voice stronger now. “I spent so long climbing that ladder I didn’t stop to ask if I even leaned it against the right wall. I thought success would fill the empty places. But it just made them quieter.”

Luke stood, his breath catching.

“And now?” he asked.

“Now I want something different. Slower. Truer.” She smiled softly. “I want to choose my life, not just react to it. And I want you in it.”

He crossed the space between them in two strides, pulling her into a hug so fierce, so relieved, that she felt something inside her finally unlocked.

“You sure about this?” he murmured into her hair.

“I’m still figuring it out,” she whispered. “But I’ve never been surer of anything.”

Luke leaned back just enough to look at her, his fingers trembling slightly as he brushed the rain-soaked strands from Zoe’s cheek.

The storm outside had raged for hours, but now, in the dim light of her cottage, the world felt still—like it was holding its breath.

His voice was soft, almost lost in the drone of the fading rain. “I missed you.”

Zoe’s lips curved into a smile, her eyes glistening with something deeper than the tears she’d wiped away earlier.

She leaned into his touch, her hand resting on his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

“Then don’t let me go,” she whispered, her voice barely audible but carrying the weight of everything unsaid between them.

He kissed her then—not the kind of kiss that demanded or devoured, but one that whispered of longing and promise.

His lips were gentle against hers, his hands cradling her face as though she were something fragile, something he couldn’t bear to lose again.

The world outside didn’t matter. The rain, the wind, the chaos—it all faded into the background.

Zoe’s fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer.

She kissed him back with a quiet intensity, her breath mingling with his as their bodies pressed together.

The warmth of him seeped into her, chasing away the chill that had clung to her skin for weeks.

His hands slid down her arms, leaving trails of fire in their wake, before settling on her waist. He held her like she was his anchor, like she was the only thing keeping him grounded.

When they finally pulled apart, neither of them spoke. The silence between them was thick, charged with emotion and the unspoken words that lingered in the air. Luke rested his forehead against hers, his breath shaky as he inhaled the scent of her—vanilla and rain and something uniquely Zoe.

“I can’t believe you’re really here,” she murmured, her voice trembling. Her hands moved to his neck, fingers brushing against the soft hair at the nape of his neck.

Luke’s eyes closed briefly, savoring the feel of her touch.

“I couldn’t stay away,” he admitted, his voice rough with emotion.

His hands tightened on her waist, pulling her even closer until there was no space left between them.

“I tried, Zoe. I tried to stay away, but… I can’t. Not when it comes to you.”

Her heart ached at his words, the raw honesty in them making her chest tighten.

She knew what it cost him to say that, to admit how much he needed her.

It wasn’t easy for him—Luke had always been the one who kept his emotions locked away, who built walls around himself so high she’d thought she’d never reach him.

But now, in the quiet of her apartment, those walls had crumbled, and she could see the vulnerability in his eyes.

Zoe pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth, her lips lingering there for a moment before she whispered, “Stay with me.”

His breath hitched, his hands sliding up her back to tangle in her damp hair.

“Always,” he promised, his voice low and rough.

He kissed her again, this time with a little more urgency, a little more heat.

His tongue brushed against her lower lip, and she opened for him with a soft sigh, her fingers tightening in his hair.

The kiss deepened, slow and sensual, each movement of their lips and tongues speaking of a connection that went beyond the physical.

Luke’s hands roamed her body, tracing the curve of her spine, the dip of her waist, the swell of her hips.

Every touch was deliberate, every caress meant to remind her that she was his, that he was hers.

Zoe’s hands moved to the buttons of his shirt, her fingers trembling slightly as she worked them open.

His chest was warm beneath her palms, the hard planes of muscle shifting as he breathed.

She leaned in, pressing her lips to the center of his chest, right over his heart.

She could feel it beating—steady and strong, just like him.

Luke’s breath caught, his hands tightening in her hair as he let out a low groan. “Zoe,” he murmured, his voice strained. He tilted her face up to his, his eyes dark with desire and something else—something deeper. “You’re beautiful,” he said, the words soft but sincere.

Her cheeks flushed, her heart swelling at his words.

She didn’t say anything, just kissed him again, pouring everything she felt into the kiss.

Her hands moved to his belt, fumbling with the buckle for a moment before it came undone.

She pushed his jeans down his hips, her fingers brushing against the hard length of him through the fabric of his boxers.

Luke groaned again, his hips bucking involuntarily as her hand closed around him.

“Zoe,” he breathed, his voice rough with need.

His hands moved to her waist, tugging at the hem of her shirt until it was over her head and tossed aside.

Her bra followed a moment later, leaving her bare to his hungry gaze.

He stared at her for a moment, his eyes roving over her body as though he were memorizing every curve, every inch of skin.

Then he leaned in, his lips brushing against the hollow of her throat before moving lower, tracing a path down her collarbone to the swell of her breast. He took her nipple into his mouth, sucking gently until she was trembling in his arms, her hands clutching at his shoulders.

“Luke,” she gasped, her head falling back as his teeth grazed her sensitive flesh.

His hands slid down her body, cupping her ass and lifting her until she was pressed against him, her legs wrapping around his waist. He carried her to the couch, laying her down gently before settling between her thighs.

He kissed her again, slowly and deeply, his hands roaming her body as though he couldn’t get enough of her. His fingers dipped between her thighs, stroking her through the thin fabric of her panties until she was writhing beneath him, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

“Please,” she whispered, her voice breaking on the word. She didn’t have to say more, Luke knew what she needed. He hooked his fingers in the waistband of her panties, dragging them down her legs and tossing them aside.

He kissed his way down her body, his lips trailing over her stomach, her hips, her thighs. She trembled beneath him, her hands tangling in his hair as he moved lower, his breath warm against her skin. When his tongue flicked against her clit, she let out a cry, her hips arching off the couch.

Luke’s hands tightened on her thighs, holding her in place as he licked and sucked at her, his tongue working her into a frenzy. She cried out again, her back arching as pleasure coursed through her. Her hands tightened in his hair, pulling him closer as her thighs trembled around his head.

“Luke, I’m—” she gasped, the words breaking off into a moan as she came, her body shuddering with the force of it. He didn’t stop, his tongue coaxing every last wave of pleasure from her until she was boneless beneath him, her breath coming in shallow gasps.

He kissed his way back up her body, his lips brushing against hers as he settled between her thighs. She could feel him, hard and hot against her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer.

“I need you,” she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.

Luke’s breath caught, his eyes dark as he looked down at her. “Always,” he promised again, his voice rough with need. He kissed her slow and deep, as he slid into her, the heat of him filling her completely.

She gasped, her body arching against his as they moved together, each thrust a testament to the connection between them. His hands tangled in her hair, his lips brushing against hers as he whispered her name, over and over, like a prayer.

Her hands roamed his back, her nails digging into his skin as she clung to him, her body trembling with the force of her pleasure.

When she came again, it was with his name on her lips, her body shuddering with the intensity of it.

He followed her moments later, his hips stuttering as he spilled himself inside her.

They lay there for a long time after, their bodies tangled together, their breaths mingling in the quiet of the apartment. Outside, the rain had stopped, the sky clearing to reveal the first hints of stars. Inside, something new had just begun.