I push his hand away. “I know.”
Just because I wasn’t here doesn’t mean that I wasn’t aware of what was going on. He fucking knows that, so I don’t appreciate him acting like I’m an oblivious idiot.
Trevor rubs the scruff of his short beard and releases a weary sigh.
“How much do you love her?”
With everything I have in me.
Needing him to understand, I reveal a truth that no one else knows. “Trev, I haven’t touched another woman since the day Ry and I saw her in the student union at CU.”
His eyes flare wide for good reason. I had a reputation growing up, and the number of women I’ve fucked would make the pope blush.
“But that was…”
Over twenty years ago. But when you find your soulmate, being with anyone else just isn’t an option. And when you love someone as much as I love her, the thought of touching another woman isn’t even a consideration.
“Holy shit,” he wheezes.
Accordioning my fingers behind my neck, I gaze up at Elizabeth’s snow globe of stars. I love how she sees the world. Even after all the horror she has survived—her attack, the loss of her family, the loss of her daughter, the loss of her husband—she still sees beauty in the world.
“Catch me up.”
Trevor props his elbows to his knees and sits forward. “Not much to tell since the last time we spoke. Second quarter profits were good. The FDA approved our IND application, so we’ll start clinical trials soon. Austin and I are getting married.”
I catch the last thing he says. “If I’m the last person you told, I’m going to beat your ass.”
He laughs, his cheeks blushing under his beard. “You’re the first. Austin wants to wait for Aurora to get back, so until then, keep it quiet.”
I jackknife upright and hug the shit out of him. “So happy for you, brother. Austin is a good man.”
He wipes tears from under his eyes. “The best. I’m a very lucky guy.”
I take his face and touch our foreheads together. “I know he counts himself just as lucky. Congrats, man.”
Trevor and I started our relationship as enemies, not brothers. Back then, every interaction felt like a battle. I thought we’d never be anything more than rivals forced to share a father who didn’t want either of us.
Elizabeth changed that. Because of her, Trevor and I became true brothers, the bond we now share unbreakable—something I never thought possible when we were standing on opposite sides of the battlefield.
“He’s inside if you want to come say hi.”
We stand up at the same time, and I hook an arm around his shoulders as we walk toward the house.
“Word of advice,” he says. “Fight like hell for her and those kids.”
I plan to.
Chapter Thirteen
ELIZABETH
Confessions Over Turkey Sandwiches
There aremillions of stars out tonight. Ancient stories being told through a myriad constellations dotting the inky expanse of sky. It always makes me realize just how small we are when compared to the totality of the entire universe. I wonder what my love story would look like if it were written in the stars. How bright points of light connect two soulmates destined to love one another for eternity. Forever love, I always called it.
The season is on its last legs of summer, with autumn quickly approaching. It’s my favorite time of year, when the temperatures cool off and the leaves turn color. Autumnal maple leaves remind me of my husband’s eyes. The golden-copper color that has fascinated me since the day we met when we were nine years old. Four decades worth of love and friendship. Fourteen thousand six hundred days. Three hundred and fifty thousand hours. So many memories.
Ryder comes to me, his strong arms banding around me from behind. The scents of sandalwood and citrus from his cologne mix with the earthiness of the nature that surrounds us.I lean back against him. So strong and solid. We have always fit like two pieces of a puzzle. My body melts into him, and I just breathe. I’ve missed him so much. My heart aches with images of every single moment we were together. Every kiss. Every touch. Every time he called me his sweet Elizabeth and told me that he loved me.
