Silver Creek time

Love - that was at the crux of it, this thing Rowan craved and feared all the same. She blinked back her shock, giving a small whine as she nestled into him further. "I love you too," Because she did, though in what sense she could not tell yet. There was no expectation between either of them - she did not expect him to stand in for his father, not with her, not with the children, and she did not think he expected anything in particular from her either. She breathed in his scent and let the world just settle even as her mind wandered and she fretted over things. 

She had grown fond of him months ago - his ease and his demeanor, his sense of humor and honor. The feelings had only deepened as time went on, he had helped to secure her a home and he had opened himself up to her many times. He let her in when others had barricaded themselves. She wanted nothing more than his happiness and success, and wasn't that love? The feeling she got when watching him with the children - that was love, wasn't it? 

It was certainly enough to give her pause, and as the entire world was still around him she found herself feeling more alive than ever. A soft breeze swept up around them, moving the snow lazily, and Rowan drank it in. She needed nothing else.