“You have totally turned my life upside down. Did you know that?” I swallowed hard, forcing down the nerves. “I thought I had no reason to live. That there was nothing left for me but pain.” She pressed her lips together, and her eyes fluttered closed for a brief second, surely reliving the horror of that night. “But you came and changed everything. Held my hand while I learned to live again. And I want to keep on living. With you, Jules.”
Her eyes were liquidy. She blinked several times.
“You gave me a very special gift. I’d be missing out on so much if I ended my life. And that’s not the only reason I feel the way I do. I’ve fallen in love with you a hundred times since then.”
I cupped her cheeks, my thumbs involuntarily gliding over her smooth cheek bones. “I love you, Julia Collins.”
Her mouth fell open with a sharp inhale as the moisture in her eyes gathered between her lashes.
“With everything I am, I love you. Everything about you.” I stifled a laugh. “Heck, I even love your flip-flops.” Who would’ve bet I’d be saying that? “I should’ve said it a long time ago; I’ve been afraid to throw it out there. But I don’t want you to feel pressured to say it back. You don't have to.”
The last bit was an out for her sake. Not mine. What I wanted more than anything was to hear those words aimed at me. I couldn’t remember the last time someone told me they loved me. I tried to hide my unsteady breathing as the silence hung between us.
I tucked a stray hair off her face as a tear trickled down her cheek. Usually her hand swiped them before they got the chance to escape, but this time, she let the tear sit. I brushed it away with my thumb.
Please say something.
I placed a gentle kiss on her lips. When I drew back, she grabbed my face.
Her voice quivered. “I love you, too, Pat. I fell in love with you long ago.” She shook her head, and her lip trembled. Her words were barely audible, a whisper against my face. “But I’m scared…for so many reasons.”
“It’s okay to be afraid. Love is always a risk.”
“I do love you though. You are the most incredible man I’ve ever met.”
The backs of my eyes heated.
Thank goodness.
It was all the confirmation I needed. I was going to put a ring on her finger. Soon. If I had my way, I’d be married to the woman by summer.
We kissed for a few long moments before she pushed me back and smacked me on the chest, faking a frown. “What did you mean about my flip-flops?”
I laughed, relief bubbling up from within me. Warmth spread through my body.
She loves me.
“When we met, I thought they were a little annoying.”
“How can a pair of shoes be annoying?”
“They don’t match anything and they make a squeaking sound.”
She threw her head back and laughed in my arms. I watched, mesmerized by her beauty and grateful for the love she’d poured on me. Our future was brighter than the sun.
“Might be one of the pickiest things I’ve ever heard someone say.”
I shrugged. “The squeaking sound was, I’m not kidding, thevery first thing I noticed about you.”
She scoffed then giggled, pulling me closer again. “But now you love me.”
We cracked a few more jokes, laughing ourselves silly. Poking fun at each other and relishing in the giddy feeling of requited love.
When it was time to go, she said, “We’re still on for Friday, right?”
Our January visit with Sunny was only four days away. Seemed an eternity though. “Yes, ma’am.”
She pulled me in for one more kiss then drove off into the cold night.
