Page 18

The sound of the shower running was both soothing and stressful for Weston. He knew where Kayleigh was and that she was safe, but not if she was okay.

How many more hits could one person take? Every time she stared off into space with sightless eyes, he got more concerned she might not find her way back.

Who could blame her? The levels of stress continuously flowing through her body played havoc on her system. The fact that she was keeping it together at all was amazing.

He’d worked in the protection business—military, law enforcement and then San Antonio Security—long enough to recognize and handle the strain from it. His brothers had also.

But trying to find the best way to help someone who wasn’t accustomed to the pressure and tension was difficult. Weston wasn’t great with words and people under the best of circumstances, but he didn’t want to fail Kayleigh when she needed him most.

All he could do was make sure he was here for her and take each moment as it came.

The background noise disappeared as the shower turned off. A few minutes later, he heard Kayleigh’s soft footsteps on the stairs before she entered the room in obviously well-loved shorts and a T-shirt.

Weston’s breath caught. Something about the casual outfit and the way the light struck her, he could almost see the young girl she’d been when they’d met. The way her eyes lit up and her mouth curled when she saw him. It made his heart catch in the best way.

But they weren’t children anymore and Kayleigh had definitely grown up. Even with residual anxiety tightening her features, she was stunning.

This woman .

Seeing her in his kitchen, fresh from the shower, with no makeup, and clothes that announced she was completely comfortable with him, made Weston realize exactly how gone he was for her.

He’d rather have a stressed-out Kayleigh in pajamas with her hair a mess than another woman dressed to the nines. He craved her softness and the way she looked at life the same way he craved solitude and space: near desperately.

Kayleigh tilted her head, smiling softly. “You okay? You look a little...perplexed.”

Weston cleared his throat. He hadn’t meant to stare, but it was hard not to. And now wasn’t the time to share what he was thinking. That needed to be after she was out of this dangerous situation.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. How about you?”

She shrugged without answering, which was answer enough. One shower wasn’t going to fix everything going on in her life.

But he could help a little bit more.

“I still want to show you something. Come with me?”

He held his hand out and tried not to be nervous. If she didn’t feel comfortable following him, that was okay. He’d be disappointed but he would understand.

He couldn’t help his soft, relieved exhale when she took his hand. He smiled and led her to the sliding doors just off the kitchen.

Guiding her through the backyard, he enjoyed the first vestiges of sunset on the horizon. He always enjoyed seeing the sky painted in purples and pinks with the soft clouds adding dimension. Even though he’d seen the Texas sunset a million times before, it never got old.

The sunset was a beautiful reminder that no matter what, even the roughest day ended so a new one could begin. The thought had saved him more times than he could count over the years.

Sunsets and sunrises—the irrefutable proof of time’s passage—had always been Weston’s favorite parts of the day. Didn’t hurt that they were also the most beautiful.

So to be out here in his yard, his happy place, at this time of day was a bonus.

Being here with Kayleigh at this time of day was damned near a dream come true.

His plants were all healthy and thriving as they covered the edges of the yard and the patio. He took a great amount of pride in this backyard, even though very few people saw it. It was his . Caring for the plants was just as important to him as them looking good.

Kayleigh had smiled at the small outdoor furniture set on the back patio where he liked to have his coffee in the morning. He wondered if she’d join him out there. What would it feel like to start and end the day with her at that little table?

He wanted nothing more than to find out.

He led her down a path that cut through the backyard furthest from the house. It was secluded and, though he knew she trusted him, too much had happened lately to let her walk into the situation blind. She was tensing, her breathing becoming slightly more labored, although she tried to hide it.

“If you’re planning to kill me, this is a pretty place to do it,” she said with a wobbly laugh.

“Wrong types of nutrients for these kinds of plants, so you’re safe.” He offered her a smile, glad when she relaxed. “Actually, I’ve never taken anyone out here.”

She stopped, looking surprised. “What about your family? I thought you were close.”

He pulled her forward, just enough to get her feet moving again. “It’s not that I haven’t wanted to, but they wouldn’t really understand.”

“And you think I will?” He could hear the hesitation in her voice.

“I know you will.”

A few more steps and they rounded the higher shrubs and she could finally see it.

“Oh,” Kayleigh breathed, eyes wide as she stared.

The greenhouse wasn’t huge by any means, but it was quite unique. Weston had built it himself using old windows—an eco-friendly home for his plants. The back of the building was a regular room where he’d run electricity, but the main part of the greenhouse was full of greenery.

He nudged Kayleigh forward again, opening the door for her. While she took in the rows of plants and workbenches, he watched her face. The way she smiled at the bean pods crawling up one wall; the way she laughed at the white star clematis hanging from the ceiling, the vines dipping low to nudge at their heads as they passed.

Just being inside this place was enough to take some of the weight off Weston’s shoulders. It had always been like that for him, as though the greenhouse stole his stress with its very air. He loved it.

Kayleigh bent over to sniff the sweet pea. “God, this smells amazing. Did you build this?”

Weston shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yep. After I had my yard landscaped the way I wanted, I decided to build this. Traveled to estate sales all over Texas to find the windows that would work and then pieced it together.”

“And the plants? Any rhyme or reason to them?”

He looked around. “No. Just whatever struck my fancy.”

She smiled hugely at that.

As she looked around, he tried to see things from a newcomer’s perspective. A random assortment of flowers and herbs growing in the room gave it a heady smell. The potted mint in the corner pierced the savory scent of the rosemary the next row over.

A bundle of lavender grew in a bucket in the far corner, a test to see how the plant would handle being bound in a smaller space. His mother’s favorite marigolds were bright against one wall, the orange and yellow petals lightening the area.

“It’s beautifully-cared-for chaos. Each flower and bud tended to. It’s wild in every way, Weston.”

Kayleigh’s eyes flicked to his. When she looked at him that way, he felt like he could see all the way to the artist’s soul that made up so much of who she was. It was the closest to magic he’d ever been.

He was a little sad when she turned away to study more of his precious plants. “I love everything about this place.”

Weston chuckled, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “I knew you would. Let me show you the best part.”

He led her through the rows to the back wall so he could open the door there. Connected to the greenhouse proper was a small room he’d built for himself. It had taken him years, only putting in a weekend of work here and there, but the space was practically an oasis to Weston.

It was a simple room, hooked up for electricity but no water, phone or internet. A haven for him on his worst days. A place that was just his. The furniture was minimal—a bed and a huge old reading chair.

Sparse and simple, just what he needed.

“This is the coziest place. I don’t think I’d ever leave here!” Kayleigh said, sitting in the chair and peering through windows connected to the greenhouse they’d just been in. “It looks like a jungle in there.”

Kayleigh’s passion for life bled into everything she did, even mundane things like looking at plants. He wanted her close so he could revel in it and her for as long as she’d let him.

“This is where I come to recenter. It’s my safe space, I guess. You’ve been through a lot lately and I thought maybe it could be the same for you.”

“Weston,” she choked, standing on shaky legs before she reached for him. He wrapped her up, nuzzling the top of her head when she sighed and relaxed into his embrace. “Thank you for sharing this with me.”

“I’ve never wanted to share this place with anyone but you.”

She leaned back, looking over his face like she was waiting for the punch line, but there wasn’t one. Weston had never had an inkling of a desire to show anyone the greenhouse cabin before. Not even his mother. It was the only place in the world that was truly just his.

And now it was Kayleigh’s too.

They stood there quietly holding each other until Kayleigh sighed again and loosened her arms. She chuckled, disentangling herself, and he tried not to miss the feel of her against him.

Spying the leather-bound cover of a scrapbook near the bed, Weston debated on whether or not to show it to her. Finally, he decided he had to let her see.

Hopefully, she’d understand, not think it was creepy.

He sat on the bed, patting the space next to him. She joined him, eyes darting between his face and the album as he handed it to her.

“What is this?”

“Open it.” He didn’t want to tell her; he wanted to see her reaction.

She opened the book and promptly stopped breathing.

“Oh my gosh,” she whispered, her eyes scouring the pages of the scrapbook like she’d never seen the pictures before. Ridiculous, because she was the one who’d taken them.

Since she’d gone professional with her photography, Weston had followed her career. Every project she’d been a part of, he’d printed and put in the scrapbook, along with any news articles raving about them. He had clippings of her winning awards and volunteering with young kids glued in place beside the photos she’d taken. Pictures of small villages in far-off continents and animals who’d crept up while she’d been distracted. Beautiful forests and barren deserts.

“Why?” she asked, her voice heavy with emotion.

“Because they’re you. Because your love for nature shines through in every image. Plus, each picture is like seeing the world through your eyes. It was the closest thing I could find to having you in my life again.”

She flipped through the book, laughing at certain pages and telling him the stories behind some of his favorite photos. Wading through thigh-high water to cross a flooded creek for a picture of a single bird. Getting snowed in to a hotel for over a week so she could take a picture of a frozen waterfall. Weston laughed as she talked about falling off low branches in trees and embarrassing herself with locals.

When the stories were done and she’d seen the whole scrapbook, she turned to him. “I’ve been working on a secret project for a while now that I think you’ll love.”

“Oh yeah?” He raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“Plants that survive in circumstances that they shouldn’t. I’ve been collecting images for years.”

It sounded amazing. “What made you start that?”

Kayleigh shrugged, putting the scrapbook back on the table and shifting to face him on the bed. “It started as a side project when I was traveling. It’s always so surprising to see flowers that should wither and die, but they thrive. Like finding violets in the desert, thriving in pure sunshine, or air ferns surviving in a rain forest that should make them waterlogged. They shouldn’t be able to live in those conditions, but they do.”

She stopped, looking up at him with swimming eyes. “It reminds me of us. We’ve been through so much and yet, here we are. Thriving. I always wondered what you’d think of it. I just never expected to have a chance to tell you.”

At her words, Weston couldn’t help himself. He palmed the back of her head and brought their lips together. The kiss was soft and sweet, a brush between two people who obviously cared for each other.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered when he pulled away, his thumb tracing her bottom lip. “Even when I didn’t know I was missing you, I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” she said, tugging him back to her.

This time, there was heat behind the kiss. Weston’s hands slid around her until he could pull her onto his lap. While she gripped his hair, he let his hands wander, slowly meandering up her thighs until he slipped them under her shirt, just stroking his palms along her hips and the curve of her waist. He nearly groaned at the feel of all that soft skin.

Despite everything else going on in their world, at that moment, all he could think about was Kayleigh. He wanted to see her laid out underneath him, wanted to feel every inch of her softness against the hard lines of his body. He wanted to tell her how he felt about her with every touch.

“Off,” she groaned, clawing at his shirt. He slipped it off and returned the favor, exhaling sharply when they were skin to skin.

He was positive that nothing in the world would ever feel as good as having Kayleigh Delacruz in his arms.

With a hand on her back, he rolled them so Kayleigh was lying beneath him. Her hair fanned the bed, her eyes hooded and hazy with want, her lips plump and red from his kisses. When he moved his lips to her neck, she arched into him, pressing their bodies together.

“Weston, I want you.”

Hearing her say it made his blood boil with need, especially when she whispered as if afraid to speak any louder.

He understood. The little greenhouse room felt like a bubble to him too. A perfect moment in time where it was just the two of them.

The world outside the bubble held violence and fear and problems. But right now, in this place, it was only the two of them. Only passion and heat and love.

With her little sigh leading him on, he worshipped Kayleigh in every way he could—the world beyond forgotten.