I glanced up. She didn’t seem angry or confused, rather genuinely curious why I couldn’t stop laughing. When I got control of myself, I squeezed her fingers tighter. “You told me that same thing once. After I threw you out, you told me no one likes this shit hole baranyway.”
Willy called from the corner. “Ido.”
Mara’s face broke out in a wide grin, even a few teethshowing.
“Thanks,Willy.”
I turned to catch Jake already cleaning up, his handlebar mustache wet from the open beer in his other hand. Once the bar closed, he had free access. “Can you close up,Jake?”
He waved the bottle at me, and I drug Mara out the door back into the cold. Most of the cars were gone now, and I led her across the parking lot to her room. Once she let us in, I slammed the door behind her, cutting off the shallow light, plunging us intodarkness.
“You might not be ready to hear this, Mara, but I’ve never wanted to admit something so badly in my life,” I whispered, pressing her against the door, my lips less than an inch fromhers.
“Say it, Murphy, please.” It was the please that did me in. I closed the distance between our lips and delivered the softestkiss.
“I love you. I’ve loved you every single day for the last fifteen years. I want to spend the next fifteen fighting with you and making up over and overagain.”
She sucked in a breath. “Are you asking me to marryyou?”
I shook my head. With her only just returning, I didn’t want to throw so much on her at once. But I couldn’t live one more second with this knowledge tucked tight in my chest. I’d waited before, and then I thought her gone forever. She wouldn’t get away from meagain.
“No, I’m only asking you to stay. Here. Stay with me, Mara. Don’t leave me aloneagain.”
I didn’t recognize the crack in my voice. She wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned up to whisper in myear.
