“I haven’t shared much about it. It’s deeply personal and sharing is hard for me. I started writing it after you left. It was therapeutic and healing in a way. And, uh, it’s somewhat based on us…” His deep brown eyes snap to mine, as if waiting for my reaction.

My brows raise as my pulse hammers. “What? It is? I thought it was about a farmer.”

His lip turns up in a ridiculously sexy crooked grin. “Yes, it is about a farmer. A lonely farmer who lays under the stars every night, talking to the universe, pleading to find the missing piece of his soul.” He averts his eyes to his lap before he continues, my heart pounding a mile a minute as I listen. “Writing helped tremendously, like I said, when you left. This particular version of the story wasn’t started until about a year ago, but bits and pieces of it were written along the way since you left. It helped mend the part of me that felt broken, while also letting me feel close to you in a way.”

Leaving Washington all those years ago gutted me. I was never the same. Sometimes, heartbreak and trauma can make it easy to forget that I’m not the only one who went through it, not the only one who got hurt. I hurt Cash, whether I meant to or not, and this book helped him grieve and heal. “Wow, Cash. I had no idea.” Leaning in and resting my forehead on his, I say, “Sounds like it’s going to be an amazing book. You’ve always been so talented. If anyone could do it, it’d be you.”

A slight blush colors his cheeks, and he leans in quickly, pressing his lips to mine before continuing. “The reason I’m bringing it up is that it’s something I started for me before you came back into my life, and it’s something I need to see all the way through for me. While I love that we found our way back to each other, I still need to finish this. It’s a piece of who I am, and it means a lot to me.”

“Of course, Cash. I want you to pursue any and everything. Us being together doesn’t change that.” Did I give off some sort of vibe that made him feel like his dreams couldn’t be met if we were together?!

“I know. I’ve been thinking about it, and I want to take the summer to complete it. My folks have been offering me a trip to celebrate getting my PhD, but with me getting this job and moving so quickly, I never got to.”

“Okay…” I swallow roughly..