“It’s a shame Joy couldn’t witness this moment,” Eric sighed, a note of wistfulness coloring his voice. Latest content published on find(?)ovel.net

He had deliberately left Joy behind, partly because children had no business staying awake until such ungodly hours, and partly from fear that the proposal might have unfolded differently than he’d hoped.

Eric’s heart swelled with warmth as he envisioned their future. “When we exchange our vows, Joy and Locke will scatter petals at our feet as our little flower bearers.”

“Mmm…”

The drowsy figure draped across his back offered only a muffled murmur in response, her breath warm against his neck.

“Hadley?” Eric tilted his head back, uncertain whether his mind was playing tricks on him. “Is that you? Are you awake?”

“Mrnm…”

This time, the sound reached him unmistakably—Hadley’s voice, broken by the unmistakable catch of someone fighting tears.

“Hadley…” Her name escaped his lips as a gentle whisper. “Mmm…”

Her sobs intensified, her slender arms constricting around his torso as she buried her tear-streaked face against the curve of his shoulder.

The summer night had called for light fabrics, and the thin material of his shirt offered little barrier. Within moments, the warmth of her tears penetrated the cloth, creating a damp patch against his skin.

The heat of her tears jolted Eric’s entire body.

“Hadley…” Eric’s voice cracked as he blinked rapidly, his own eyes beginning to burn as tears gathered at their corners, threatening to spill over. Though he remained silent, the reason for her tears wasn’t a mystery. Their shared history—which wasn’t exactly filled with sunshine and rainbows—spoke volumes. It was his fault—a debt of pain accumulated over countless moments across too many years.

Hadley hiccupped between sobs, her face nuzzling against his back in a gesture both accusatory and intimate. “You’re such a jerk!”

“I know.” Eric’s voice emerged rough with barely contained emotion as he nodded solemnly. “I am a jerk. The worst kind.”

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“You…” Hadley’s tears cascaded faster now as her fingers dug into his shoulders. “You have to be good to me from now on. If you ever hurt me again, I’ll…” Her voice quavered with raw emotion. “I’ll disappear where you’ll never find me!”

“I won’t.” The words leapt from Eric’s lips without hesitation, his head shaking with fierce conviction. “Never again, I swear it!”

Hadley released another gentle whimper, her arms coiling more securely around his neck while her slender legs swayed rhythmically on either side of him like pendulums marking time.

Without warning, she clenched her fist and delivered a solid thump between his shoulder blades.

“NOW!” Eric yelped, more from surprise than pain. “What was that for?”

The blow hadn’t injured him, merely caught him off guard.

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