let it once be me

He had to come see her. All the weather warnings had advised against travel in these conditions, but the storms hadn't fully picked up quite yet. Wind whipped in his ears the moment he stepped out of his car, briefly fighting the door before it slammed shut behind him.

jesse snorted, "dangerous riding, hm? i've not been called a dangerous ride before." he knew it was a bit of a cheap flirting tactic, being crude like that, but quite frankly he didn't care. "we do. it's a nice life, actually. doing things at my own speed and pace. not worrying about money and worth. maybe you need to take some of this mindset back with you. you're not working while you're here, right?" he asked, though he feared he knew the answer to that question already. "living to work is not the way of our town. working to live... now that's what i live by." jesse furrowed his brows at her, "you don't need to say it like that. yes, i want to show you around the town that you grew up in. show you the things you're missing out on in that big city job." the blonde scoffed, "no ploy. ever since i saw you sitting at that bar and decided i had to talk to you, even if it pissed off my sister because i abandoned her tonight. but she'll forgive me, would have probably thumped me if i didn't talk to the most beautiful stranger i'd ever seen," he admitted, completely truthful in his words. "you can't say that and then not tell me how he hit on you, nina. come on," he pshawed. jesse's eyes lit up at her confirmation, "you will? holy shit, i was not expecting that to work, honestly. but we can start whenever you want. i'm not doing anything the rest of the evening. a lil moonlit stroll might be nice for me to walk you home?"

"That's not what I mea—" Nina was quick to correct, shaking her head and cutting herself off when it took the moment to click that he was very much doing that on purpose. "And what do they say about you?" she challenged swiftly in response. Her glass was finished just in time for the bartender to supply her with a new one. Her manicured fingers reached for the glass as she slid it closer, her eyes unmoving from Jesse as he spoke. "Of course I've got my work stuff with me. I don't go anywhere without the essentials. I even have a tablet in my purse right now as an emergency cover— and that's considered as me taking the night off," she confessed with a light shrug, procuring the corner of her iPad Mini from her Hermès bag as proof. "Did my family put you up to this?" she asked skeptically when he spoke about how he wanted to show her around the town she grew up in. "They slid you some cash to convince me to magically want to move back here or something, didn't they?" a light grumble in her voice as she wondered if maybe she was being swept up in his charms and this whole guided tour would not be that enticing of an idea tomorrow morning. "It's nice that you've got an understanding sister, but is blowing her off to talk to me really a good look?" she was hitting him with a lot of rhetoricals and she couldn't seem to stop. It was easier to deflect that way. "I was asked to pick a card. He did the whole spiel and showed me a card— it was the Queen of Hearts. When I told him that wasn't the card I picked he said that it was because I was 'the queen of his heart' or something like that," her nose crinkling as she recoiled at the cheesiness. "I ordered two tequila shots after that to try and forget it. Unfortunately, it's seared into my brain to this day." She studied his surprised reaction, intense gaze brightening at her response. "You didn't think you'd convince me? I mean there is still time for me to change my mind," she pointed out with a little smirk playing on her lips. "A moonlit stroll, hmm? It's not past your bedtime yet?" she teased, wondering just how much younger than her he really was. "Is there things to see in this town in the moonlight that I've been missing out on all this time?"

he nodded at her assumption, "well, you're actually kinda spot on there. weirdly so. i don't like staying put, which is easy enough in a town like this as i'm sure you know. everyone is just, i don't know, comfortable? settled? but i like to live outside of my comfort zone." jesse snorted on a laugh, "oh, you'd be right there too. it's like you either know me already or i'm incredibly easy to read. probably the latter right? anyway, yeah. she basically threw a party to celebrate my 'retirement'. kind of stung a bit but i get it. it's scary to see your kid like that." jesse swirled what was left in his glass as he watched her speak, enamoured with the way her lips moved around her words, the way her eyes glinted in the low lighting. "i didn't take it that way, don't worry. it's more that that stuff doesn't matter too much to me. which i suppose sounds crazy to someone who lives in new york and works her ass off for her salary."

"yes, i do. you're only here for a few days, right? and there's a reason you haven't come back sooner," not that he was going to ask about that until she told him herself. "there must be so much here that you've missed. loads of new places to explore that weren't here when you left. i want to show you the real town." the blonde wasn't sure why he was going so hard on this, wanting her to see this place through his eyes. he was never this agreeable with strangers. "or maybe i won't, seeing as your opinion of this place isn't the highest. it's only a small town if you stay in it." jesse considered her words for a moment, "yes, i am busy in the mornings but i survive on very little sleep and am usually done with ranch work by three pm. plus, i never take any days off. my family would probably be grateful to get rid of my annoying ass for a few days. why, are you considering my offer?"

Nina's eyes watched him closely, listening to the way he spoke about how he enjoyed living outside of his comfort zone and the way laughter had fallen so effortlessly from his lips. She couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed that freely. Maybe she'd never laughed like that in her life. "Maybe a bit of the latter but I thought you'd give my incredible intuition a little more credit," she joked, feeling the intensity of his gaze on her. None of the men she'd flirted with, let alone dated, ever seemed to have looked and listened to her with that much care. Maybe it was the gin clouding her perception but she felt very seen and vulnerable under Jesse's gaze. Perhaps vulnerable in a way that was more than she was comfortable with. "I guess with your track record and the dangerous riding, she was just glad to have one less thing to worry about you messing with," she considered. It was sweet that even with such a big family, nobody went unnoticed. "Yeah I won't lie... it is a bit of a crazy concept to me," she confessed with a nod. "But coming back here has been a culture shock in many ways. I forgot that some people don't live their life in fast forward all the time. People out here actually take the time to enjoy it," Nina sighed a little. "Meanwhile people like me live to work— and I'm always thinking about work, even if it's just in the back of my mind."

"You want to show me the town?" her brows rising in a mix of astonishment and curiosity. She knew people from around here were friendlier than New Yorkers, but she certainly hadn't expected this kind of friendliness from a stranger at a bar. Especially considering she'd fully expected he was making passes at her just to get under her skirt, his offer came as a surprise. "In such a short amount of time you have really thought all of this through, haven't you?" she smirked as Jesse seemed to further plead his case about all of this. "I've got to say, this might be the most elaborate way anyone's ever hit on me at a bar— and I once had a magician flirt with me. It was a whole spectacle," Nina snorted lightly at the memory. "Unless you moonlight as a tour guide and this has been a ploy to get me to hire you," she added playfully. "Luckily for you I will happily take the time away from my family these next few days... and you're easy on the eyes so, to answer your question... yes. I am considering your offer," she finally decided. What did she have to lose? It would certainly make this reluctant return a little more exciting. "So when do we start?"

"it's so annoying though, when we know our ways will be better," he groaned, smiling lightly at her promise to not snitch. "just a tiny bit. you normally let me stay as long as i want." then again that was generally their family policy, and he'd never be sick of his siblings coming to visit him in their free time. "no, they really don't. you'll always have something that needs doing, which i fear for you means you're never ever gonna chill out. always thinking about the bar. maybe i need to kidnap you or get harlow to take you out on the town. literally force you to have an evening off while the rest of us - that you trust - work on your place for you."

"One day we'll be running this show and the littles will be telling us we're too stubborn to see that their ways are better," Win joked, but she did find it wild to think that one day they'd be old and grey and the family legacy would live on. "And you know that you always can, right?" she raised a pointed brow in his direction, "Stay as long as you want, I mean." She shook her head with a laugh when Jesse mused about kidnapping her or recruiting Harlow to get her to actually take a break, "I would need to vet the list of people who plan to help first— of course," she said half-joking, "But I'd trust you with my Golden child any day. You know that, Jess," she said in earnest. "Maybe Harlow will wanna make a hangout of painting or building with me? That could be fun, no?" she then mulled, clearly not wanting to take a break she so evidently needed.

If it had been anyone other than Brett, Cami wouldn’t have allowed them to speak to her like that – simply meaning she would’ve cut them out of her life, but even as an ex, Brett meant more to her than most people did. Maybe that was why it was so damn hard to just say no to him, even after he’d just made a whole ass scene at this party. She was grateful when he agreed to take whatever this conversation was going to be outside, the last thing she wanted was to make another spectacle here. She knew her name already fell off other people’s lips far too often, she didn’t need to give them more of a reason to gossip.

He nodded in agreement, following Cami outside wordlessly. The outburst couldn't be undone but if they could minimize the amount of witnesses, it was always better than nothing. "Yeah," Brett replied when she asked if he was okay to continue their conversation on a walk. His eyes looking over the goosebumps that had spread across her arms the moment they'd stepped outside. He felt the instinct to shrug off his jacket and drape it across her shoulders, but he'd stopped part way with the coat in his hands outstretched to her, "You'll freeze, here," Brett finally said before handing it over to her awkwardly to avoid turning it into an intimate moment.

Owen wished he could explain everything to Samantha in a way that she could understand. "It's not just a maybe, at least not for me." He told her as he knew that he would be all in if Samantha chose to give him a chance. "Look, I can admit that my timing is awful. I wish I'd come to you earlier about it, that's on me." Owen said as he knew this situation would have been far less bad if he'd spoken to her before she had gotten engaged. "I am asking you to chose happiness. To do what you think is going to make you happy. I am hoping you give me the chance to prove that I can be what you need."

"Okay I— I'm going to take some time to think about it," she said after another long pause, feeling a sense of dread wash over her. The fact that she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes and say there was no second chance for them meant that there was a lot that she had to figure out. That she was not all in on the marriage like she thought she would and Michael deserved someone who's heart was entirely devoted to him. "When can I get back to you about—," Sam's eyes scanned around once more before landing on Owen, "—all of this?"

“I know I have never said it out loud… but… my parents are everything that I never want to experience in my own life, moving forward.” His brother had known it, being the object of their father’s ire once he became Duke — being passed over by his own brother had left their father bitter. His teeth had been chewing his inner cheek as he tried to gauge Hazel’s responses, her thought process. “Treating everything like a transaction to get more power or money… even their marriage was an attempt to combine wealth. I’ve never actually seen my parents wrapped up in one another in a single soft moment.” He scoffed lightly, shaking his head. “They can either accept it or look on from a distance… I just know I don’t want their life. I want mine to be my own… And I know I want you in mine, indefinitely.”

The stray tear escaping the corner of her eyes made his heart clench — especially knowing that he was the cause of it. Daniel reached out to wipe it away. "Then let's just focus on that..." Daniel insisted, gently squeezing her fingers before reluctantly leaving it to have both of his hands cup her cheeks. The pads on his thumbs caressed her jawline, blue hues searching for hers as if he was afraid that her doubt about their future would burn everything away. "We're adults," he muttered softly, leaning closer now. The frailty of her voice only edged its way into his cracked chest. “I know I’ve hurt you and I still am,” he whispered, his own voice reflecting the same fragility. “But Hazel,” Daniel took in a shuddering breath. “I need you to know that not a day goes by without me thinking of you when you’re not by my side.”  He held her jaw reverently in between his palms. “I’ve lost count the amount of times I wished I was coming home to you… the amount of times I wanted to share a silly joke that I was sure would have tickled you but you weren’t there… the amount of times I just wished you were somewhere near a corner so I could catch your gaze, your sweet smile…. The amount of times I knew I had failed you in all these years but you’re still holding space for me.” His hues had glistened, vision slightly blurry.

“And the blithering idiot I have been for not seeing you, for not treating you the way you deserved to be treated.” That was the utmost truth — try as he might, it was the one thing that had always kept him up at night whenever they break it off. He had leaned in closer, his forehead gently pressed against hers, tips of their noses touching. “And I know I need to match my actions to my words, for you to completely trust me again.” He nodded slightly, nuzzling her nose as he did. “And if you… you need the time and space to consider me… this… then I’ll give that to you too.” The stabbing ache in his chest was back as he pulled away, hands going slightly slack form her jaw and back down to her lap. A meek smile pulled at the corner of his lips. “You know, indecisive man-child Danny wouldn’t do this two months ago,” he chuckled mirthlessly, bashfully wiping away the tears that had streamed down his cheek.

She melted helplessly into his hands as he cupped her face. It wasn't clear where she ended and he began, surrendering to his touch as he lamented about the pain he had caused her and how he had come here to make things right. To prove to her that he was serious about them and their relationship. About her. Hazel felt as though she was swimming in words she'd only hear him say to her when he'd show up in her dreams. "I think about you too... all the time," she confessed pathetically. She felt like she was handing him a dagger and daring him to stab her straight through the heart with it. "Everything reminds me of you, you big lug. You're in the silly moments and the sad ones. I think of you when I can't get that one damned biscuit tin open. I find some ridiculous way to relate every single song on the radio to our relationship. I can't even walk past a Renoir without thinking of you," she stated, almost as though all he did was inconvenience her. And to a degree — especially on the days where she wanted to forget how much she missed him — he indirectly had. "And worst of all, no matter the day I've had, whether it was good or bad... I just wish I could come home or give you a call and tell you all about it. You're the person I always want to tell everything to."

Hazel didn't even dare to breathe when Daniel pressed his forehead against hers. The subtle warmth of his skin against hers. Her eyes carefully meeting the ocean of his, feeling the immediate and dangerous pull of their waves. Like she could drown in his gaze if she wasn't careful. She felt goosebumps run down her arms when his nose nuzzled against hers. "Danny," the plea coming out frail and defeated. Hazel was beginning to trust herself less and less. And suddenly he had pulled away again, keeping the promise of granting her the space and time she needed. Hazel wanted to reach out and pull him back to her, but she couldn't cede her self control easily. "We would need to both be incredibly serious about this, Daniel. Hell— we should probably tread lighter with one another. Communicate better. Maybe... I want to say that maybe we should try and take it slow or start over but— I don't think we're capable of those things. We're both pathetically intense in our own ways," she let a watery laugh fall from her lips.

"No, I guess the Danny from two months ago wouldn't be saying all of these things," Hazel agreed after brief consideration, the tears on his cheeks tugging at her heartstrings. "It seems like you've done a lot of work on yourself. A lot of self-reflection. That's... that's really good, Danny," she commented warmly. She kept trying to choose her words and actions carefully, trying to protect her heart when all she wanted to do was offer it back up to him on a silver platter. She was barely fooling herself however, because if they were being honest then Daniel had always had it in the palm of his hands. Whether he knew it or not. "We need to think about this," biting down on her bottom lip. "If this... if I am what you really want, you need to sure. You need to be absolutely certain and I— I need to be firm with this being a last chance. I can't do this back and forth forever. I want you, Danny. I always have. And I need you to prove that you're just as serious about me as I am about you." Hazel was resisting every urge to throw her arms around his neck and kiss away the tears from his cheeks. "Do you earnestly believe you can do that?"

Owen wanted for Samantha to be happy, but he was also selfish. He wanted things to go back to how they were, but he knew that things had a lot of factors that were in the way. Owen wanted to fix everything, and to move on in a way that almost didn't seem possible at the moment. "Just because you said yes doesn't mean that you can't change your mind." Owen said as he knew that it was really complicated and it would cost a lot of money and their would definitely be hard feelings. "I can ask you to do what is going to make you the happiest." He added as that was the one thing that Samantha didn't say. "Just because he have been apart doesn't mean that we aren't able to fix things now."

"It's not that simple, Owen," she stated when he said that no matter how much time had passed, they could still put in the work to mend things. "This is a life-shattering decision. I promised my forever to somebody else and you're asking me to set that all on fire for a 'maybe'," she bit on her bottom lip, fighting the tears. "It's been so long— you couldn't have shown up in my life again any earlier? You had to choose now?" Samantha wasn't actually angry at him, she was more frustrated with herself because of all of these conflicting feelings. It should've been an easy decision. So why wasn't it? "Are you seriously asking me to blow up my life like this?"

Heading back out to the truck, she buckled herself in, glancing around a few moments to get her bearings, “Yeah, I can lead you. It’s not too far. I live right by where you picked up me and my car.” She gestured slightly, “just turn left out of the parking lot and go straight until the buildings look older and more run down,” she half joked, though it was completely true. Glancing down to what he’d picked up, she gave a nod, “Thanks, I think I’m alright,” she didn’t think the taste would work well with the coffee she’d just drank.