“Your actions haven’t only impacted her emotional and financial health, but most recently, they also put her life in danger. Andthatis something that I won’t accept.” I give him a pointed look. “Regardless of if it’s her brother causing it.”
“So you aren’t going to let my sister see me?” His body is taut with agitation.
“I’m not one to control the people I love, so it won’t be me letting her do anything. But I’ll do everything in my power to make sure Olive has the best life. Because she deserves it. And I refuse to allow you to take that from her.But…” I emphasize the word and pause to make sure he’s paying attention. “You not being in her life will make my mission of making Olive happy very difficult.”
His shoulders droop a little, and I hope that means he’s accepting that he needs to be a proactive part in this.
“Here’s what I would like to happen, Benny. You’re going to go back to inpatient. You’re going to complete treatment. And then when you get out, you’ll continue outpatient. And then you’ll get a job and continue to do everything in your power to be your best self.”
His Adam’s apple bobs with his swallow. Some of the earlier fight seeps from his eyes.
“What do you say?” I cross my arms and wait for his response.
“Yeah, okay.” It isn’t the enthusiastic agreement I hoped for, but I’ll accept it.
The door clicks open as the nurse and doctor enter the room. I nod a greeting and step into the hall to give Bennysome privacy. I’m wandering down the hall just as Olive exits the elevator, a large fountain drink in hand.
“Hey, what are you doing out here?” she asks with a nervous smile, her eyes jumping between me and the door to Benny’s room.
“The nurse and doctor are in there with him.” I slip my arm around her soft waist and pull her body into mine. Feeling her against me again is a remedy to my frazzled nerves. I nuzzle my nose into her hair and inhale deeply. Her giggle vibrates through me, and I lean back and gently raise her face to look at mine. Ignoring the fact that we’re in the middle of a hospital floor, my lips find hers. Her content sigh spurs me on, and I deepen the kiss.
Her lips.
Her tongue.
Her hand splayed on my back.
Every single part of her is exactly what I need to remind myself that, from this point forward, no matter what challenges we may face, everything will be okay. Our love is strong enough to carry us through.
EPILOGUE
Olive
Six months later
“Olive, hurry that fine ass up.” Nate’s deep voice echoes down the hallway of his house.
Well, our house.
For the past six months, I’ve lived in his remodeled bungalow in East Nashville. He demanded that I make it my own by redecorating it however I wanted, but I didn’t do much besides hang some pictures. It’s already perfect, just the way it is. From the moment I walked in, it felt like the home I’d always dreamed of. That’s because of the man who lives here, not because of the house or the decor.
The day we left Benny for one more night in the hospital before he went back to inpatient rehab, Nate insisted I move in. There was no question in my mind that I would do just that.
Both Marcus and Benny agreed to testify against Tatum and his associates and helped put them away for a long time. Benny wasn’t given full immunity, but I was grateful when he received a much lighter sentence of community service and three years of probation than he could have. Marcus wasn’t so lucky and did receive jail time. I talked to him after his sentencing, and he was surprisingly settled with his punishment. He said he probably deserved worse and that this was certainly the wake-up call he needed for him to make some serious changes in his life. I don’t think we’ll stay in touch after he’s out, but I sincerely hope that he really does choose to do better with his life.
And now, it’s Benny’s birthday, and I’ve never been so excited to celebrate my brother getting a year older. It’s been over a decade since I’ve seen Benny this happy. He successfully completed inpatient and extensive outpatient treatment and attends weekly meetings. He even recently got a job at the animal rescue where he did his community service. He’s helping with things like taking the dogs for walking, feeding and bathing the animals, and cleaning the facility. It isn’t huge, but he loves it. Both of us always wanted pets, but were never able to have them.
Nate helps pay Benny’s bills since his job doesn’t pay him much. I told Nate he didn’t have to do that, but no matter what I said, Nate insisted that it was happening and I just needed to accept that he would help in any way he could and that he wanted Benny to focus on recovering and not stress about money.
Nate’s selflessness is just one of the endless reasons why I fall more in love with him every day. He cares for me and Benny as fiercely as he does everyone else in his life. He even attends Nar-Anon meetings with me every week. Sometimes, he comes in and holds my hand the entire time,and sometimes, he waits for me outside. He always seems to know exactly what I need. On the weeks he doesn’t join me in the meeting, he’s always waiting for me with candy or another treat he bought while I was in the meeting, reminding me even more of his love and thoughtfulness.
He even organized this birthday dinner for Benny. Nate’s sisters and their families will be there. And so will Cade, Ian, and their friend, Jack, and Jack’s fiancée, Ella. Ella and I have grown very close over the last few months. She even introduced me to her friend, Maggie. The three of us have had a lot of fun getting to know each other.
It’s been great to have friends to spend time with because I’ve had a lot of free time on my hands. While Benny was still in the hospital, Nate and I sat down and talked about the tour. He didn’t want to be without me, and I didn’t want to leave him or my brother. So we both decided it was best for him to allow one of his employees to take his place and, much to Cade’s disappointment, for me to quit my job. Being a flight attendant was never my dream; it was always just a job, even if I did enjoy it for most of the years I was doing it. Nate insisted that I could do whatever I wanted now, but it’s been hard for me to figure out what exactly that is. He eventually talked me into taking some college classes to see if there was anything I was interested in getting a degree in. I have enjoyed them so far, but I’m still no closer to figuring out what I want to do with the rest of my life.
Except spending it with Nate. That, I know for sure, is something I want forever.
I secure my earrings as I turn toward the bedroom door. A yelp leaves me when I find Nate leaning against the doorframe, watching me with a grin on his handsome face.
