Page 23

Nate

W e drove home in comfortable silence, Willa’s hand resting on my thigh as I navigated the familiar road back to her place. The stars were out again—clear and bright, like they were rooting for me.

She had no idea what I was about to say. And I wasn’t sure how to start.

I pulled into her driveway and turned off the truck, but I didn’t move.

Willa noticed immediately. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, then paused. “No. I mean… I will be.”

Her brows furrowed as she turned in her seat to face me, her hand gently squeezing mine. “Talk to me, Nate.”

I stared out the windshield, watching a light flicker on inside the barn. Pancake, no doubt making a late-night round.

“There’s something I haven’t told you yet,” I said quietly. “Something big.”

Willa didn’t say anything. She just waited. Patient. Steady. God, I loved that about her.

“A few years ago, I went on a mission in Iran with my team. It was supposed to be routine—get in, get out, secure the target. But it went to hell fast.”

I finally looked at her. “We got ambushed. They took me.”

Her lips parted, eyes wide.

“They kept me there for eight weeks. No sunlight. Barely any food. A cell made of stone and chains. I didn’t know if I’d make it back. Some days, I didn’t want to.”

Willa’s hand flew to her mouth, eyes brimming. “Oh my God… Nate…”

“I wasn’t alone. One of my buddies was with me for a while, until they separated us. I kept thinking about all the things I never did. Never said. That I’d never fix the crap with my family. That I’d never have a life outside missions and metal doors and violence.”

He took a deep breath, voice rough. “I swore that if I ever got out, I’d find something good . I wouldn’t waste it. I’d stop running.”

Tears slipped down Willa’s cheeks as she reached across the seat and touched his jaw. “I’m so sorry you went through that.”

He leaned into her palm. “When I got home, I was different. I didn’t sleep. I didn’t talk about it. I flinched every time someone knocked on a door too loud. I didn’t think I’d ever feel normal again.”

Her other hand joined the first, cradling his face. “You hide it well.”

“I was hiding it from myself too.”

He exhaled slowly, closing his eyes. “But then I met you.”

Willa’s breath caught.

“You were out there with soap in your basket and a goat tied to your truck, looking like you had your own world and didn’t need anyone. But you let me in anyway. You were patient. Kind. You never made me feel broken. And without even trying, you made me want to be better.”

Tears slid down her cheeks freely now. “Nate…”

He unbuckled and stepped out of the truck, walking around to her side. When she opened the door, he pulled her into his arms and held her like she was air in his lungs.

“I don’t want to waste any more time, Willa. Not a single second. I’ve already lost too much.”

She looked up at him, eyes shimmering. “What are you saying?”

Nate dropped to one knee, right there under the stars in front of her farmhouse, with the soft sound of crickets and goats in the background.

“I’m saying I love you. I want all your mornings. All your soap scents. All your goat-related chaos. I want you. Will you marry me?”

Willa didn’t hesitate. She dropped to her knees too and kissed him, cupping his face, their tears mixing between soft laughter and the sweetest kiss of his life.

“Yes,” she whispered against his lips. “Yes, Nate. A thousand times, yes.”

From the back of the truck, Pancake bleated dramatically.

“I think she approves,” Willa said with a watery smile.

“She’d better. She’s in the wedding.”