Chapter 134: Hundred and Thirty Four

I had cried a lot after that conversation with Jacob. I had spent so much time with him, built a family with him, imagined my life with him. Maybe I hadn’t loved him like I loved Declan, maybe I never would, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t sad and grieving the loss of this relationship.

I had taken a day off work and spent it in bed, eating pizza, drinking wine, watching old movies. I needed it.

But still, under all the pain, there was faith and hope and the need to tell Declan.

To say to him - Look, this is our new life. Let’s not fuck up this time around.

It was late afternoon when I found him in his office, papers scattered across his desk, sleeves rolled up. His tie hung loose around his neck, and there was a crease between his brows as he typed om his laptop. For a second, I just stood there, watching him. I would always remember this moment. The final change.

“Declan?” My voice came out quieter than I meant it to.

He looked up immediately. And just like always, that guarded intensity in his gaze softened the instant it landed on me. “Hey. You okay?”

I closed the door behind me. My palms were damp. I sat in the chair across from him, suddenly feeling like I was floating. Looking at him, looking into his eyes, our past, our future, everything was one.

“I talked to Jacob,” I began. My throat was tight, but I forced the words out. “It’s over. We’re… separating.”

For a few seconds, he didn’t move. Didn’t even breathe. Just stared at me as though the world had cracked open at my feet. Then his hand lifted to his mouth, covering it briefly before he exhaled.

“Willow.” My name came out low. He pushed back his chair, coming around the desk until he was standing right in front of me. He crouched down so we were eye-level, his hands braced against his knees, trembling slightly.

“Are you sure?” he asked softly, like he needed to hear it twice to believe it.

I nodded. “It was quiet. Not angry, not messy. Just done. He’s exhausted, and so am I.” My eyes blurred, tears pricking. “He asked to stay in Noah’s life. And I said yes. Because…because he deserves that.”

Declan’s jaw flexed, but he nodded, too. His voice was steady when he spoke. “He does. And I’m glad you both handled it like that. For Noah.”

I didn’t realize I was crying until his thumb brushed a tear from my cheek. The gentleness of it undid me.

“I don’t even know why I’m crying,” I whispered, choking out a laugh. “It’s not like I didn’t see this coming. Its not like I didn’t want this.”

“Because it’s the end of something,” he murmured. “You werw with him for a long time, dove. Its natural.”

I nodded, swallowing hard. He stayed crouched there, so close that if I leaned forward even an inch, I could rest my forehead against his.

“Declan…” I hesitated, gripping my own hands tight in my lap. “Noah doesn’t know yet. About you. About any of it. I don’t want to confuse him. Not right away.”

His eyes darkened, but he didn’t pull back. He just listened.

“I want him to know you,” I went on, my voice steadier now. “But I want it to happen gently. I don’t want him to hear ‘this is your real dad’ before he even feels safe with you. I need… I need time. For both of you to warm up to each other.”

He nodded again, slowly this time, like he was thinking deeply about every word before he accepted it. “That’s fair. More than fair.” His throat bobbed. “Willow, I’ve been dreaming of this for months now. But the truth is…” He looked

down, shaking his head before meeting my eyes again. “I’m scared to hope. Scared that if I let myself imagine it, it’ll get ripped away.”

The pain in his voice split something open inside me. I reached for him without thinking, my hands sliding into his hair, pulling him closer until his forehead touched my knees. He let out a shaky breath, his hands gripping the sides of my chair like he needed to steady himself.

“You won’t lose him,” I whispered fiercely, my tears falling into his hair. “I won’t let you. I won’t let either of you.”

For a moment, we stayed like that; me cradling him, him clinging to me, his breath soft and warm on my skin.

When he finally lifted his head, his eyes had a look that felt stronger. “You and him,” he said quietly. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted. Not a career, not anything else. Just you. Just him. Just us.”

My heart lurched, aching and alive. I brushed a trembling hand along his jaw. “Then maybe we can start over. Just… us. Slowly. Carefully. But real this time. We’ll start over.”

Something shifted in his expression then, like the years of longing, the years of bitterness, all melted into something purer. Something new.

His lips brushed mine once, soft, tentative. And then again, with more certainty.

It wasn’t like the frantic, desperate kisses of before, all teeth and fire and regret. This was slower, gentler. It lingered. His mouth was warm and sure, his hands cupping my face lightly.

And God, it felt different. It didn’t feel like breaking rules or drowning in guilt. It felt like stepping into sun.

When he pulled back, his forehead rested against mine, his breath uneven. “This feels like the first real thing I’ve had in years,” he murmured.

I let out a shaky laugh, brushing at my wet cheeks. “You’re not the only one.”

We stayed like that, suspended in the quiet. For the first time in so long, I didn’t feel like I was holding my breath. I felt… safe.

Hopeful.

Scared out of my mind, yes, but hopeful.

Declan pressed one last kiss against my temple before whispering, “Second chances don’t come around often, Willow. But I swear, we won’t waste this one.”

And when I looked at him, this man who had been both my greatest heartbreak and my greatest love, I realized I believed him.

This wasn’t the end.

This was just the beginning.