She pressed her lips together, tears amping.
“I, Jackson Nathaniel Barkley…”
Not sure how I made it through them. With each line, Miranda cried and the swell of emotions grew in my chest to the point I felt like I might pop. I blinked to see the words on more than one occasion. Her hands rested on my shoulders. By the time I finished, she had scooted closer, practically gripping me with her legs.
“…and yours, mine.”
I placed the card on the table behind her.
Silence fell over us. Crickets sang out. Darkness edged in on the sky. Her hands slipped up the side of my face and she placed her forehead against mine. One of her thumbs gently brushed a single tear off my cheek.
“I love you, Jack. Not as I should, but I’ll get better.”
I kissed her gently on the lips. “We have a strong start.”
She brought her lips to mine. They were soft, sweet. This kiss felt different than the ones we shared before. Before, we were desperate. Desperate to convince the other. Desperate for as much as we could get before it ended.
But this was tender, meaning-packed. We knew we had a lifetime.
FIFTY-NINE
Miranda
Islowly ran my hands over his shoulders and down his arms, squeezing his muscles every few inches. When I made it to his forearm, he winced, grunting in quiet pain.
I reared back, confused as to how I hurt him.
I looked down, trying to figure out if I pinched him or something. What I saw made me stop breathing. I grabbed his hand, jerking his arm toward my face.
My voice wobbled, “Jack?”
He said nothing.
“What is this?”
Flowers were inked into his arm. The arrangement was still pink and puffy, the design smaller than my palm, but so intricate I could pick the types out immediately. Gladiolus, holly, lily of the valley, carnation, cosmos, daffodil, chrysanthemum.
An abrupt sob escaped my lips as I counted.
There were nineflowers total.
Two at the bottom were bigger than the rest. I pointed, careful not to touch it again. I cried, “What—what are these?”
“A morning glory for September and a rose for June.”
The question squeaked out. “For Kacey and me?”
He swallowed, nodding.
I broke.
My emotions shattered into a thousand pieces. I straight up ugly cried. The acknowledgement was too much. I trembled under the weight and joy and pain of our losses. Our family of ten hit me like an avalanche and I melted in his arms. “Jack,” I forced through the wave of tears. “Why did you do this?”
His hands came to my face, pushing the tears back. “Because I wanted you to forget. It was easier for me. But I’m not going to make that mistake again. This is my attempt to bear pain with you. To remember what we’ve lost and where we came from. And to protect the blessing of what we have.”
He did this before he was even certain I would take him back?
I threw my arms around his shoulders, crying into his neck. His hands rubbed my back for a few minutes as I struggled to regain control. I gasped for air several times. “That is the—the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
