“I suppose so,” Crow admitted when Penelope brought up how he had been willing to be friends with her before they had gotten back together. Reflecting back on it, his situation with her had been far different than Gavin’s though. He didn’t think it was really fair to compare the two. However, before he had a chance to say anything, he blinked in surprise as the knight suddenly wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. Smiling fondly at her, he moved to return the gesture, but in the next moment, he caught sight of the mischievous glint in her eye and felt her bowl him over.

He laid back in the grass and rolled his eyes, laughing softly at her spontaneity. For the moment, his concerns about her former suitor fled, and his attention was focused solely on her. He reached up with both hands to hold her at her waist as she climbed on top of him and kissed his forehead. As he gazed up at her, his eyes wandered over her body, and he was struck again by how beautiful she was. He still couldn’t believe how fortunate he was to be with a woman like her.

When she spoke again, his green eyes flicked back up to meet hers. Her words sent a thrill of elation through him that made him smile and intensified his affection for her. He closed his eyes blissfully, tilting his head back as she began to kiss him along his neck. While he had never been concerned about her love for him wavering, he liked hearing her say it out loud. It made him feel good when she said it with such confidence and certainty.

“I love you too, Penelope,” Crow grinned up at her, wrapping his arms around her back to pull her down onto his chest. He pressed a kiss to her cheek as he held her in a tight embrace. “And I hope it goes without saying, but the same goes for me,” he said, meeting her gaze tenderly. “I don’t want to be with anyone other than you, and nothing will ever change that.”

He kissed her again on the lips this time, loosening his hold on her to run one hand gently down and up the length of her back. His lighthearted expression wavered slightly as he thought again about what Rikki had tried to do with him that day. “I know you’re convinced that Gavin has accepted being your friend and nothing more,” he said suddenly, holding her gaze a bit more seriously. “But just do me a favor and don’t let your guard down completely around him, alright? It’s true that I was willing to be friends with you, but that was only because I care about you and want what’s best for you.

“At the time, you were with a noble who wouldn’t force you to give up everything to be with him. That’s why I was willing to back down. As far as I knew, it sounded like he was a better option for you than I was.” He smiled up at her a bit melancholically, running his fingers through her brown hair that fell like a curtain around them. “On the other hand, you left him to run off with a criminal,” he went on. “If he really cares about you as he seems to, I can’t imagine he’s going to simply stand by and watch. As long as he thinks he’s better for you than I am, he isn’t going to settle. I can promise you that.”