Rylan caught me on the training yard at dusk the next day. The children had gone to bed early. He pulled me into a sparring circle with padded blades and a wicked grin.
We danced around each other for several minutes, steel clacking, until sweat ran down my back. He disarmed me with a clever twist and pinned me against the wooden post.
"Enough thinking," he said, breathing hard. "You judge yourself harder than you judged him. Stop."
I laughed despite everything and shoved him back. We fought again, this time with less restraint. Rylan's energy pulled me out of my head and into my body.
When we finally stopped he backed me against the wall and kissed me fierce and claiming. His hands roamed with familiar hunger. For those moments the weight lifted completely. Rylan had always known how to drag me into the present with teeth and laughter.
