Jamie closes the distance between us.He lifts Tali into his arms, but she still won't let go of my hand.I chuckle through my tears.Then he’s pulling me into his embrace.As soon as his arms close around me, I breathe him in and let my eyes close.Tali’s hugging me as tightly as she can, but Jamie’s careful to keep her away from my incision.
With them here, my heart doesn’t feel quite so broken.My shoulders don’t feel the weight bearing down on them.My stomach isn't twisted into knots.It’s like my entire body can breathe for the first time since we exited that store and my entire world was flipped on its axis.
“I don’t just want you, Winnie.I need you to breathe.Please forgive me.Please move back in here and put us out of our misery.We love you more than you’ll ever realize.”
“Love you, Win-Win,” Tali shouts, making us both chuckle.
“I love you too, Tali Girl.”
“What about me?Do you still love me?”Jamie ducks his head to meet my gaze.There’s so much hope staring back at me, but I can also see the terror.He’s scared to death I'm going to reject him.
“I’ll always love you, Jamie.”
“Ok, but like do you love me enough to marry me or do you love me like you love Wheeler?”I stare up at him and laugh.I can't believe him right now.“Please don’t love me like you love Wheeler,” he mutters so softly I almost don’t hear him.
“I definitely love you more than Wheeler.”One side of my lips lift into a lopsided grin.
“Enough to marry me?”
“I'm not sure.”
“What?Why?”
“Because you haven’t asked me yet.”
Jamie slowly sinks down to one knee, placing Tali on the ground next to him.He takes my hand in his and tugs a box out of his pocket.
“Winnie Teller, will you please marry me and make me the happiest man on the planet?”
“Marry me?”Tali drops down next to Jamie and stares up at me with a scrunched nose and a goofy grin.
“Yes,” I whisper as I tug him to his feet and wrap my arms around his neck.
Jamie moves me backwards until we’re moving down the hallway towards his room.I'm sure he wants to lift me into his arms, but I'm not sure I could take that type of movement without being in pain.
Tali trails after us and grins the entire time.Jamie tugs back the covers and motions to the bed.
“Get in.I’d lift you up, but I don’t want to hurt you.”
“What are we doing?”I chuckle at how Tali’s trying to climb on the bed with us.
“I think we’ve all slept like crap over the last week and we deserve a nice, long nap.”
“I think I like that idea.”
Jamie lays on his side and tugs my back against his chest.He slips his arm under my neck and drapes his other one over my waist, holding me tightly against him.
“Are you afraid I'm going to sneak away from you?”
“I learned a long time ago, when I find something I want, I need to hold onto it with both hands.I lost sight of that after the accident, but I won't ever again.”
Tali tugs on my arm until I let her pull it out straight so she can lay on it.She’s positioning herself in my arms the same way I'm positioned in Jamie’s arms.Jamie keeps a hand between my body and Tali’s making sure she doesn’t hurt me.
“I think someone else is afraid of losing you again too,” Jamie whispers, squeezing me a little tighter against him.
“Never.”
Chapter 32
