Declan awoke with Willa wrapped in his arms. She was still sleeping, her breaths even as her head rested against his chest.

Funny how God had brought them both to this point. How He’d changed and transformed them from the young idealists they’d once been into two broken people who knew they needed a Savior.

He leaned closer, taking a moment to relish the familiar scent of cucumber and daisies. That’s what Willa had always smelled like, and Declan had always felt as if he could drink in that scent all day.

But what was he doing right now? Was he making some kind of unspoken promise? Or were they just two grieving people comforting each other?

The truth was, he had to figure out his future. Hertford and this job were supposed to be only a temporary stop.

Somehow Willa had inched her way into his life again. The thought of leaving her behind . . . it almost felt unbearable. Just as it had been the first time.

But that was a crazy thought. What would he do with himself here? There were no jobs for him. Did he really think he could fit back into his old life? That he could pick up where he’d left off?

He wasn’t sure. As the thoughts drifted, swelled, and receded through his mind, Willa began to stir. She lifted her sleepy head, blinked at him a couple of times, and pushed herself away.

She ran a hand over her face, a multitude of emotions washing over her. Surprise. Shock. Grief. “I . . . uh . . . I don’t know what to say.”

“You could start with good morning.”

“Good morning.” A lazy, half-hearted smile played on her lips before quickly disappearing. She drew away from him, an unreadable emotion replacing her shock. “This is going to be the talk of the town.”

“You think people are going to know I fell asleep here?”

She stood and began pacing. “Yes, they’ll find out. I don’t know how it happens, but it always does.”

“You have men fall asleep here often?” He tried to keep it light—although he hoped he knew her well enough to know that answer.

“No! Never, actually. But all I have to do is talk with someone, and the rumors fly.” Her hands moved, emphasizing every word.

Declan stood and took a step closer, his back achy from sleeping in an upright position. “It’s going to be okay, Willa.”

She shook her head in disagreement. “It’s not going to be okay. Trevor will hear about it.”

He wanted to reach for her, but he couldn’t allow himself to do that. “And if he does?”

“He’ll get his hopes up.”

“What’s that mean?” She wasn’t making any sense. “Get his hopes up about what?”

She stopped pacing, her shoulders drooping. “All he talks about lately is how he wants me to be happy and that his dad would want me to find someone. He desperately wants a father. Ryan does what he can but . . .”

“That’s very mature of Trevor to be looking out for your happiness.”

Her gaze snapped up to meet his. “I don’t have room in my life for anyone else, Declan. All my time goes to Trevor.”

He lowered his voice. “Is that out of obligation or guilt?”

Willa’s eyes widened, and fire lit in their depths. “It’s reality. That’s what it is.”

He raised his hands and took a step back, realizing he’d touched a nerve. “I didn’t say it wasn’t noble. But I just wonder if you won’t allow yourself to be happy. I ask because I can understand.”

She stopped, and her head sagged again. “I don’t know, Declan. That’s the truth. There’s so much I don’t know anymore.”

He cupped his hand beneath her chin and raised her head until their eyes met. He saw the look there. Beyond the fear, he saw the desire.

The next breath, his lips captured hers in a tender, passionate kiss. He wasn’t sure if he’d initiated it or if Willa had been the instigator. But it didn’t matter.

For a moment, he forgot about everything else.

It was just him kissing Willa, the girl he’d once loved.

Or was she the girl he’d never stopped loving?

Willa pulled back, her lips still tingling.

She stood and pointed across the room. “Exc . . . excuse me a minute,” she muttered.

She escaped into the kitchen, needing a moment away from Declan to clear her thoughts. That kiss . . . it had blown her away. Taken her back in time. Made her long for things she’d hadn’t yearned for in a long, long time—romance, a companion, a partner.

Her heart still fluttered out of control at the thought.

What was she doing in here? She needed to do something.

She opened a drawer and found the flyer with all of Trevor’s camp information on it.

Three days until she could pick him up. She could barely wait.

To remind herself—like she would forget—she placed it on the fridge. She’d been counting down the days.

That meant she had three days to figure out what was going on between her and Declan before Trevor arrived home. Could they really have a second chance together? Could their lives actually fit together just like old times?

“Look, since the rumors have already started, how about if we grab breakfast together?” Declan said, quietly stepping into the kitchen and placing his hands on her shoulders. “My treat.”

“You don’t have to do that.” But she secretly loved the idea of it. Just like she loved his touch. His attention.

“I don’t have to do anything. I want to.” He turned her until their gazes met. His eyes implored her to believe him and showed a warmth that she’d always thought was reserved just for her.

She tried to talk some sense into herself as she stood on the edge of making a bad choice—or one of the best choices of her life. “I don’t want to have to explain myself—”

Declan stepped closer and gripped her arms, lowering his gaze, his voice. “No one’s making you explain yourself, Willa. You’re a grown woman.”

He was right. Willa was being ridiculous. For some reason, battling against rumors in town just exhausted her so much that she tried to avoid it at all cost. She didn’t want more complications in her life.

But if she wanted to have breakfast with Declan, then she should be able to.

And she was hungry. And ready to get out of this house, for that matter.

“Okay, let’s get some breakfast.”

They went to the Have a Nice Day Café. Mildred, the faithful waitress there, was also a town gossip. A town gossip who looked at Willa with a twinkle in her eyes as she approached the table.

“Good to see the two of you together again,” she said. “It’s just like old times.”

“Now, now, Mildred. We’re just two people catching up over breakfast,” Declan said, a slow roll to his voice. If he stayed in town much longer, that rolling North Carolina accent was going to return permanently.

A few minutes later they were seated, had ordered, and their food was delivered in record time. She’d gotten an omelet with ham and cheese. Declan had ordered a country breakfast platter.

They both deserved to treat themselves after everything that had happened.

“Declan, I need to know something,” Willa started, putting her fork down as her appetite waned.

He took a sip of his coffee as if unaffected by the question. “Okay.”

“I know I’ve been avoiding talking about this even when you’ve tried to bring the subject up,” Willa started. “But after last night . . . I guess we do need to talk.”

“I agree.”

“Why did you just up and leave me like that, Declan? I know it’s been a lot of years. And I’ve moved on. We both have. But that question has always haunted me.”

He set his coffee down, his relaxed demeanor gone faster than the sun in a hurricane. “It was wrong the way I handled things, Willa.”

“So, what happened?” Here it was, the moment she’d been wondering about for all these years. The moment of truth.

Suddenly she felt like a seventeen-year-old girl again.

“I knew if I told you that I was accepted into the FBI academy, that you would drop everything. That you’d go wherever I went. And I didn’t want you to give up your dreams because of me.”

“My dreams of working in my hometown? I didn’t say those were iron-clad dreams.”

“You dreamt of raising a family in Hertford. You’ve always loved it here, Willa.”

“It should have been my choice.” Her voice trembled.

“I know that. I realize it now. I just . . . I knew I didn’t want to stay here. And I was feeling that all-too-familiar weight of expectation.”

“Your dad wanted you to take over his business.”

“Exactly.” Declan ran a hand over his face. “And I couldn’t see myself running a farm-supply company in my future.”

“It wasn’t because you met someone else?”

His eyes widened. “No. No! Of course not. I didn’t meet Sarah until later. Honestly, you were the only reason I’d want to stay in this town. But I didn’t want to come to resent you, or for you to resent me, either.”

“I see.”

He glanced at his coffee. “I knew if I stuck around too long that I would change my mind. One look into your eyes, and I’d be right back here. I’d live this life that was totally expected of me, and I’d always wonder what was out there.”

She needed a few minutes to process that. His words were honest, but that didn’t mean honesty didn’t sting sometimes. It did.

“I can see where it would be difficult for you to share that with me, I suppose,” she finally said. “So, what about now? Do you still have that wanderlust? That urge to get out of town?”

“I’m not really sure what my future holds right now, Willa.”

“Again, I guess I should thank you for your honesty.”

“I don’t want to pretend to be someone I’m not. I know I’m ready for a change in my life, but I’m not sure what it looks like yet.”

“I see.”

His phone buzzed, and he excused himself

When he stood, something dropped from his pocket.

She picked it up so she could give it back. But, as she did, the words there caught her eye.

It was a job offer. In California with some kind of law enforcement academy there.

It would be the perfect job for him. He’d be in law enforcement, but off the streets.

Willa had been a fool to think he might stay here. A total fool.

She should have never allowed herself the chance to hope.