Page 64 of Meet Me in the Valley (Oakwood Valley #2)

I throw my head back and laugh when he shamelessly shimmies his ass against me, making a scene.

For a moment, surrounded by laughter and joy that lives in snapshots, my stomach falls slightly. Because even in all this magic, my heart longs for Logan.

Audrey and Isabel dance their way over, instantly picking up on the shift in my mood. Without a word, they loop their arms around me, pulling me in as we sway to the music and belt out the lyrics into the open sky.

We dance for what seems like forever until my feet protest from these heels and the champagne bubbles tickle my throat and make my head swim. It’s a perfect buzz.

I glance down at my watch. Five minutes to midnight.

The band makes an announcement, rallying the crowd to get ready for the countdown. Servers weave through the dance floor with trays of champagne, handing out fresh glasses to anyone within reach.

Maybe I can sneak away and call Logan. The ache to hear his voice pulls tight in my chest, quickening my pulse.

I turn toward Audrey, who’s draped around Donovan’s neck, and tap her arm.

“Hey, I’m gonna call Logan real quick. My phone’s inside.”

“Okay, babe. Hurry back, though! I wanna kiss you at midnight,” she croons, her eyes a little glazed from all the champagne, grinning like she means it.

“Not before I kiss you first, Mouse,” Donovan adds, catching her bottom lip gently between his teeth.

It’s playful, intimate, and it hits me like a punch to the gut. And a little to the vagina.

God, I miss my man.

As I make my way inside, I dodge the trays of bubbly, cutting myself off before I end up completely off my face. I find my clutch tucked safely away in Donovan’s dad’s office and pull out my phone to call Logan.

Three minutes to midnight.

He picks up on the second ring.

“Hey, T.” He’s breathless, like he’s been running.

“Hey, Lo. Are you okay?”

“I’m great. Just … missing you.”

I hug myself with my free arm, closing my eyes for a second and letting his voice wrap around me. It’s warm and grounding and exactly what I needed.

“I miss you so much,” I whisper. “I wish you were here.”

It hits harder than I expected. The tears come fast, right behind the words, but I blink them back. It’s been a whirlwind of a day, and somehow I haven’t spoken to Logan once until now. I don’t even know what his plans were tonight. Normally we’d find a bar or crash a co-worker’s party.

Still, I know one thing for sure: there’s no one else he’s kissing at midnight.

“I wish I was there too, baby,” he says softly. “I bet you look absolutely stunning tonight, turning heads left and right.”

I laugh, already walking back toward the sound of the crowd outside. Donovan promised some over-the-top firework show as soon as the clock hits midnight.

“You’re sweet,” I grin. Then I pause—my heart dropping a little. “Wait … oh my God. I completely forgot to call you at your midnight. It’s already 2 a.m. there! I’m so sorry!”

His laugh is easy and forgiving. But I feel so stupid right now. How could I have forgotten the time difference?

One minute to midnight.

“Now tell me who you plan on kissing at midnight?” Logan asks, no doubt grinning over the line.

“Well,” I start with a smirk, “Audrey said she’d kiss me. But I don’t know …. maybe I’ll find some lonely shmuck to lay a fat one on.” I stifle a champagne giggle, eyes locked on the countdown screen as the numbers tick closer to zero.

“Over my dead body, minx. The only lips you’re kissing tonight are mine .”

I stop mid-step, letting out a soft gasp.

The words echo, looping in my head like I might’ve imagined them.

But I didn’t.

That’s when I feel it. The gravitational pull. The thread that, no matter what happens between us, could never break.

My eyes dart frantically through the crowd, wild with hope. I dodge between bodies, bumping shoulders, my phone clutched tight to my ear like a lifeline.

“Damn, baby. I was right,” Logan says, his voice low, full of awe. “You look gorgeous tonight. The most beautiful woman in the crowd.”

Ten. Nine. Eight.

The line goes dead.

Panic shoots through me as I spin in every direction, tears already stinging my eyes. Until suddenly … I see him.

And everything else disappears.

The man of my dreams. The love of my life. My best friend in the entire damn world.

“Logan,” I breathe. The phone slips from my hand, hitting the ground without a second thought. I couldn’t care less. Not when he’s here in a black suit, undone bow tie, messy hair, and that look in his eyes that says everything.

Seven. Six. Five.

We rush toward each other like we’ve waited a lifetime, like the universe has finally snapped the tether back into place. I collide hard with his chest, arms wrapping tight around him, my face buried in his neck, breathing in the scent I’ve missed like oxygen.

“You’re here.”

“Our time, baby. I love you.”

Four. Three. Two.

“I love you,” I whisper, meaning those words with my entire soul. Tears slip free as he cups my face, breaths tangling, hearts beating out of sync but desperate to realign.

One.

And then he kisses me.

Not gently. Not carefully. But like he’s starving. Like kissing me is the only way to come back to life. His mouth claims mine with a force that undoes me completely—hot, urgent, trembling with everything we’ve held back. I melt into him, clutching his jacket like I might float away if I let go.

I don’t dare let go.

He tilts his head, deepening the kiss with a kind of hunger that’s both new and achingly familiar.

And in that moment when the band plays “Auld Lang Syne” with fireworks exploding above and the crowd cheering all around us—I don’t feel the cold or the noise or the sorrow I’ve been carrying during our time apart.

All I feel is whole. Complete.

Finally home.