Crow leaned into Penelope as they kissed once more, closing his eyes serenely. He continued to hold her by the waist with one hand while he brought the other up to caress her neck. When they parted again, he met her gaze and smiled at her words. “I can’t wait,” he said, keeping his voice low as he heard William approaching. The older knight seemed disgruntled upon catching them in such an intimate moment, but fortunately, he kept his opinion about it to himself. Instead, he merely told Penelope to take the first watch and went to lay down on the other side of the clearing.

As he walked away, Crow let out the breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. He was glad that William had chosen not to pick another fight. After all, he didn’t want to remember his last night with Penelope ending in another argument with her stubborn comrade. Parting on peaceful terms would be a much better way to go.

He turned to look down at her as she suggested he take the opportunity to sleep while he could. However, he shook his head. “No, I’d rather stay up with you,” he said softly, brushing her hair from her face. “Besides, I’m too excited to sleep even if I wanted to.” He smirked at her teasingly. “Sorry, love, but you’re stuck with me until the moment I leave.”

Crow glanced at William for a moment before taking Penelope’s hand and leading her a little farther away from the knight, so they wouldn’t have to worry about keeping their voices down quite as much. Once he felt content with the distance, he leaned back against a tree and looked up at the night sky. It still felt like a dream, and part of him was afraid he might wake up. He couldn’t believe he was going home after so long, but even more so, he couldn’t believe she was going to come with him.

He lowered his gaze again to meet hers, running his thumb over her hand affectionately. “Thanks,” he said suddenly, breaking the silence between them. “For everything—for seeing past my reputation, for treating me like an equal, for entrusting me with your heart… and for letting me go home.” He smiled at her a bit sheepishly, hesitated for a moment, and then leaned in to wrap his arms around her in a tight embrace. It was still strange to him to lay bare his emotions for someone else, but she deserved to hear how he felt.

“We’ve only been together for three weeks, yet you’ve already given me more than anyone else ever has,” he went on. “I can’t express enough how grateful I am… I love you, Penelope.” Still holding her close, he pulled back just enough to meet her lips once more, kissing her with more passion than he ever had before as he tried to express his feelings to her physically.