"Just like that."
He pulled me close. Wrapped his arms around me. We stood there for a long moment, swaying slightly, like we were still dancing even though the music had stopped.
"I've been thinking. About the tree."
The tree. A tree for our baby. Somewhere we could visit. Somewhere we could sit and remember.
"What about it?"
"I found a place. A community garden in Queens. They have a memorial section. We could plant it there." He pulled back enough to look at me. "If you want."
My throat tightened. "I want."
"And the scholarship. Emma's scholarship. I talked to Rodriguez. The department has a foundation that can help us set it up."
I reached up. Touched his face.
"I love you. Have I mentioned that?"
"Once or twice." He grinned. "But I don't mind hearing it again."
"I love you."
"I love you too." He kissed me softly. "Forever.
Forever. The word didn't scare me anymore.
I took his hand. Laced my fingers through his.
"Take me home," I said.
And he did.
Epilogue
SLOANE
One Year Later
The test was stillon the bathroom counter.
I'd taken it three days ago. Hands shaking so badly I'd almost dropped it. Then I'd sat on the edge of the tub and stared at those two pink lines until my vision blurred and my legs went numb.
Two lines.
Positive.
I'd made a doctor's appointment for the next morning. Sat in the waiting room with my heart in my throat, convinced it was a false positive, a mistake, something that would be taken away the moment I let myself believe it.
The doctor had smiled. Confirmed it. Sent me home with prenatal vitamins and a due date.
That was yesterday. I still hadn't told Garrett.
Not because I was scared. Because I wanted to find the right moment. The right words. After everything we'd been through, after the baby we'd lost, this felt too fragile to rush.
But standing in our kitchen on a Saturday morning, watching him flip pancakes with the easy competence he brought to everything, I realized there was no perfect moment.
There was just this one.
