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I hate how ridiculous I feel. I've had this argument before and always thought the other person was just naive.

I don't think that about Will.

Will lets go of my hand and sighs. My cheek feels cold.

"I want this, with us, but not as this is. You need to decide if you’re willing to change some of your traditions and mindsets. Because if you can't, then we need to call this—"

"I can," I say so quickly I'm not sure he understood me.

"You—you can—what?" he asks, taken aback.

"I can change. Not everything maybe but I can work on this. I swear I can." I pause, "You’re worth it."

His eyes go wide. I grab both his hands before he can answer.

"I've followed the island's rules and my family's rules my whole life. Fifty years is a long time to unlearn. But I know I want to be your mate. That part isn't confusing."

Will's eyes get glassy. He bites his lip, and I can't look away.

"You're right about the mate bonds. If I'd gotten my way, people like us wouldn't even be possible here. That would have been a loss. But…" I take a breath. "I've been drawn to you longer than any of this."

He lets out a small gasp. "You have?"

I tug on his hands. He comes easily. I pull him into my lap, arms around his waist.

My mouth finds the underside of his jaw. He tips his chin up for me.

"Randy."

The sound he makes sends heat through me. I shift under him, hoping he doesn't notice.

"I know I haven't earned this," I say against his throat. "But I can't walk away. If you let me, I'll learn. I'll listen. And when I'm wrong, I'll try to do better."

His head falls back further.

He pulls away enough to meet my eyes. "I don't need you to become someone else. I just want to know you without the old rules and the old assumptions in the way."

I press my forehead to his.

So do I.

Randy

I spend my morning helping Will gather supplies to secure the pumpkin. We find traps, nets, and a blanket, but we need a better strategy. Any clever mouse could still get to the gourd. As he bends to fuss with the vines, my eyes drift to the mark on his upper back again.

I have a half-baked idea, but it requires me to eat a good chunk of humble pie.

For Will, it’s worth it.

Will has to go into town to help coordinate the fall festival. As the only autumnal gnome on the island, the townsfolk respect his input. I tend to ensure that certain longstanding traditions are enforced.

Now I find myself reflecting on those traditions through Will’s viewpoint. The annual apple bobbing? Fun. My insistence that only traditional decorations be used on Main Street? Probably outdated. I catch sight of flyers around town advertising a movie night at the beach. Hot irritation flares in me. We haven't had movies on the island in twenty years.

But almost immediately, I think of Will. He'd ask me why I’m so flustered over a simple film. He'd ask if it's actually causing a problem.

The festival committee were going to meet at the benches around Hugo's statue but I convinced Will that I needed something within Ivy's shop and if they'd just meet outside her store I could shop while they talk to keep the thirty foot tether. Will agreed.

Ivy's Gifts and Things, formerly Shipton Shop, looks like a classic country store on the outside, but the inside is full of unique trinkets not likely found at your typical corner store. Jars of colored slime, lizard eyeballs, herbs, and other strange knickknacks line the walls. Crystals and rune stones sit in bowls on a center table. Candles of all shapes, sizes, and colors are scattered about.