My heart did that painful, expanding thing — like it was too big for my ribcage now. “I love you too,” I said softly. “And I’m sorry it took me so long.”
Bang!
There was a loud knock on the bathroom door.
“Victoria?!” Gran shrieked. “Are you alive in there? I heard emotional noises! Did your hair fall out? Did the boy propose? Should I start practicing my aisle walk?!”
I groaned into Kai’s shoulder as he laughed so hard, his whole body shook.
“Gran.” I scrubbed a hand down my face. “We talked about this. Please stop calling me that and just go back downstairs, we’ll be with you soon.”
“I can’t.”
I was almost afraid to ask. Kai was mouthing'Victoria?!'in my peripheral vision, but I chose to ignore him. He should know best about people not fucking with their given name.
“Why?”
“I need to discuss my funeral.”
“I disagree. We spend entirely too much time discussing your funeral.”
“There are logistics to be considered now, darling!”
“Logistics?” I shared a bewildered look with Kai, who had stuffed his knuckles into his mouth to tamp down his laughter.
“Yes, dear, logistics. If you move to Australia, will I be buried there, or will you sneak my ashes through customs? They’re very particular about soil content, you know. What if this extends to ash content? Are they fine with grandmother dust?”
Kai broke. He rested his forehead on my shoulder and laughed so hard he nearly slid down the wall.
“GRAN!” I yelled. “Go downstairs. I’m begging you!”
“Fine. But I’ll be waiting so we can finish our discussion!” she sang, the sound of her shuffling footsteps growing fainter as she made her way down the hallway.
We looked at each other and burst into real, loud, unrestrained laughter. Every time our gazes met, we cracked up all over again. By the time Kai pulled me in close andburied his face in the crook of my neck, my stomach was hurting and I was wheezing.
“This is what you have to look forward to if we do this. You know that, right?” I half-joked, stroking his arm clamped around my front.
“Couldn’t imagine anything better.” He nipped at my pulse point. “Because I’ve never wanted anything the way I want you.”
And in this messy, ridiculous, perfect moment, I realized something: Gran had been right. I’d been hiding behind fear, behind duty, behind everyone else’s needs.
Well, not anymore. I was choosing something for myself, choosing someone for myself, and he was choosing me right back.
Kai was holding me like he already knew what it meant and wasn’t at all afraid of it. This — us, our future — wasn’t certain. But, for the first time, I wanted it anyway, and that felt like its own kind of freedom.
Epilogue
Tori
One year later…
Thekettlewhistled,thecockatoos screeched in the trees outside and Kai hummed off-key in the shower. Somehow, miraculously, this had become my normal.
Somehow, this place — this life — felt like it fit.
I used to think the most unhinged thing about my life was Gran. Then I stupidly and recklessly fell in love with a man who was built like a tank, kissed me like I was his oxygen, and for good measure, moved to Australia with him.
So yeah. Turns out my life had room to get even crazier.
