Crow shook his head when Penelope apologized that he didn’t know about how she felt sooner. It hadn’t been her fault. He should have trusted her dedication to make things work between them, but instead, he had let his own insecurities cloud his judgment. Of course, he could never give her the same life that a nobleman could, and there was always going to be a small piece of him that would regret that inability, but he shouldn’t have let it drive him away from her. She was clearly willing to let go of her noble life to be with him—the fact that her desire hadn’t changed in two years was proof enough of that. He should have trusted in her unwavering feelings rather than assume that she would change her mind later on.

As she went on to assure him that he wasn’t ruining her, he smiled at her fondly. Hearing her say it again brought him peace, and he relaxed in her arms. Listening to her confident words now, he couldn’t believe he had almost broken things off between them. What a foolish decision that would have been. He should have been focusing on all that they had overcome together already rather than the uncertainties of the future. No man could predict what was to happen even the next day of his life, let alone the next few years. It was why he had always chosen to live day by day as a thief, and it was what he should have been doing with his relationship with the knight as well. There was no reason to worry about a future he couldn’t foresee.

He chuckled softly and shook his head again. “Gods, what did I do to deserve you?” Pressing a quick kiss to her forehead, he met her gaze with a softened expression. “You always know just the right things to say when I’m being irrational. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He kissed her once more on the lips before pulling back from her embrace.

“We should catch up with the others,” he said, reaching to intertwine his fingers with hers. Now that she had reassured him that they weren’t going to be splitting up, her touch was just as comforting to him as it had been before. “As much as I dislike the thought of going back to your jealous ex-lover, we would probably look suspicious traveling as a pair to any patrols that are nearby.” He ached his back in a brief stretch and winced. “I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t sleep well, so I’d rather not run today if I can avoid it.”