CHAPTER 124: I MISSED YOU TOO

"Jasper!" Ivy squealed, recognizing that familiar blur of golden fur charging toward her. The retriever’s ears flopped wildly as he bounded across the gravel driveway, his tail wagging. "Oh no, no, no—wait, Jasper—!" she laughed, realizing too late that she was wearing heels.

The gravel didn’t give her much grip, and she braced for impact just as multiple pounds of ecstatic fur collided with her legs.

The world tipped — a breathless squeal escaped her lips — but instead of hitting the ground, she fell back into something solid, warm, and strong. Winn’s arms closed around her waist, steadying her with a quiet grunt as her back pressed to his chest.

Then Jasper’s tongue was in her face.

"Oh, God—Jasper—stop!" she laughed, gasping between helpless giggles as the dog practically tackled her again. She twisted in Winn’s grip, trying to fend off the affectionate assault, but the retriever wasn’t having it. "Winn, help me!"

Winn threw his head back and laughed. "Jasper down!" he commanded. The dog gave a single whine of protest before obediently dropping to all fours, tail thumping the ground.

But Ivy was already kneeling on the gravel, uncaring about the dress she had so carefully chosen. "I missed you too," she whispered, cupping the dog’s muzzle between her hands as she kissed his nose. "I missed you so much! I should have come to see you, shouldn’t I?"

Jasper responded with a playful bark, pawing at her arm, and she laughed again — a sound Winn could swear he’d never get tired of hearing.

A few minutes passed like that — Ivy crooning softly to Jasper, her laughter echoing through the vast courtyard — before Winn finally sighed, stepping closer. "Alright, Romeo," he said dryly, folding his arms. "You’ve had your reunion. Time’s up."

Ivy looked up, her eyes sparkling. "Jealous much?"

"Yeah. A little."

Ivy laughed, shaking her head. "You’re ridiculous."

"Okay, Jasper. Leave my woman alone. Get your own."

Jasper barked as if arguing his case.

"Your woman, huh?" Ivy teased, rising to her feet. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair a bit messy, and her heartbeat was doing strange, wonderful things.

Winn stood with her, his gaze dipping briefly to her mouth. "Yeah," he murmured. "That’s what I said."

Ivy rolled her eyes. "So who are we meeting? Was it Jasper?" she teased, watching the retriever trot proudly beside them.

"No." Winn’s tone softened as he reached for her hand. His palm was warm, his grip steady. Ivy felt a shiver of awareness trail up her arm. He guided her past the cobblestone path, through the manicured rose gardens, toward a narrow path shaded by flowering pear trees.

The chapel behind the mansion loomed. Jasper trotted quietly beside them.

They stopped before two headstones nestled beneath a massive oak tree. A quiet breeze rustled the leaves overhead. The first headstone read:

George Orchard. The most formidable gramps.

Jasper immediately circled the stone once and lay down against it, letting out a soft whine before resting his chin on his paws.

Ivy smiled, the corners of her mouth tugging upward as she whispered, "Let me guess, that line was yours?"

Winn’s lips twitched. "No," he said quietly, his thumb absently brushing the back of her hand. "Sylvia’s. He was both our father and mother. He took care of us when things started going wrong at home, but... he realized too late. My mum had gotten too good at covering up for my father."

The humor melted from Ivy’s expression. Her heart squeezed painfully as she saw the faint tension in Winn’s jaw, the muscle ticking there. "I’m sorry," she murmured, her thumb tracing soft circles against his knuckles.

"I told him before he died that I was done with love. I couldn’t take it anymore. I thought—hell, I’m rich, I’m good-looking, women fall over themselves to get my attention. What more could I possibly want, right?"

He gave a short, humorless laugh that cracked midway.

"He didn’t like that answer," Winn continued, glancing at her briefly, then at the second headstone beside his grandfather’s.

Elizabeth Orchard. Mother, wife.

"From what I heard," Winn said, "their affection for each other was legendary." His gaze drifted, unfocused, lost in the shimmer of memory.

"He thought my mother would have that kind of marriage too. He was... disappointed to learn otherwise. So when he saw me heading down that same path—cold, detached, cynical—he tried to make me rethink it. But I was too hurt, too angry... too damn broken."

"He sounds like an amazing man," Ivy said softly. She glanced at the headstone again, her hand absently brushing over the carved letters as if greeting the man himself. Her chest tightened; she could feel Winn’s love for his grandfather in every word, in every glance toward the grave.

"He was," Winn replied. He looked down at the grave, then back at her, his eyes darkening with emotion.

"So I brought you here today to tell you in his presence that I love you. I love you like I have never loved before. It feels like my every breath is consumed by you. Nothing—no money, no empire, no legacy—matters but you. And I wish..." He stopped for a moment.

"I so wish I could do everything all over again. Romance you the way you deserve to be, date you, court you, spoil you."

Ivy’s eyes shimmered under the evening light. She reached up to touch his face, her fingers tracing the hard line of his jaw, softening it. "Winn," she whispered, her lips curving into a smile that was both tender and heartbreaking. "We have the rest of our lives to do that."

She tilted her head, the teasing glint in her eyes cutting through the thick emotion. "You’re not out of time, you dramatic millionaire."

He chuckled quietly—a deep, rumbling sound that wrapped around her. "You’re not wrong," he said, his eyes glinting with affection. Then, slowly, reverently, he leaned in and kissed her.

His lips moved against hers with unhurried tenderness, as if memorizing the taste of her, the shape of her sigh. His hand came up to cradle the back of her neck, his thumb grazing her pulse as if to remind himself she was real, alive, his. Ivy melted into him, her heart racing.

When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against hers, his breath mingling with hers in the cooling dusk.