Henry bows his head, letting my words sink in. When he looks up, I’m hit with a sea of amber so deep I’m prepared to drown in it. He steps forward and lifts his hands. Before he gains the courage to let them reach out, he asks, “You mean that?”
I nod, my heart pounding. “I mean it. We can figure everything out. We can call each other, and you can come here, or I can come to New York. I’ve never been before, and I’d like tovisit. I don’t know how I feel about Milo in the city yet, but we can talk?—”
His hands settle on my hips and pull me forward, taking my breath away. I brace my hands against his chest, not expecting the sudden movement. “Emma.”
“Yes?” I answer, my eyes connecting with his. My hands slowly relax and sink to his hips.
“What changed?”
I press my tongue against the roof of my mouth, considering my answer. “I did,” I answer truthfully. “I changed.”
Henry studies me, searching for any hesitation in my answer. Worry clouds his vision like he’s afraid to believe me. I knew that look all too well. Still, his fingers press tighter on my hips, and I know he doesn’t want to let go either.
“I don’t want to lose you,” I repeat, wanting the words to sink in deep and never let go. “I’ve spent the entire summer thinking you were temporary. I think it was a way of protecting myself because I knew it was harder to love someone who was leaving. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop myself from feeling this way.”
“Love?” Henry questions.
My eyes widen when I realize what I just said. “Oh God, no. I, um—” I stop myself when I look at Henry, and I don’t see fear there. I see acceptance and the promise of a future full of that word. “Wait, no. I love you, Henry. I know it’s quick and we haven’t known each other for long, but it’s true. I think I’ve been afraid to admit it to myself, but I’ve loved you from the moment you saved me from your obnoxious brother. Each time you called me your little bird or remembered tiny details about my son just to make him smile, it was like a constant knock at my walls. It was a gentle reminder that I was worthy of love.” My voice cracks with the relief of everything I’ve been wanting to say. “I love you, and that’s why I’m not giving up on us.”
Henry is quiet. Too quiet. I lift my hands from his hips andlet them trail up the hard panel of his stomach. I don’t stop until my palms are firmly rested against his chest, absorbing the vibrations from his pounding heart. I make his heart race too.
“Emma,” he whispers my name, bringing it back to life. “I was afraid to hope for this. Afraid to ask for more than you were willing to give. I know life hasn’t been kind to you, but I want to spend the rest of my life making sure you never feel like that again. I see your heart so clearly, even when you try to hide it away. I don’t want you to hide anymore, and the last thing I want is to let you go. We’ll figure things out, no matter how hard it is. I?—”
I cut him off, moving my hands to the nape of his neck and pulling him into me. I couldn’t wait anymore. His lips crash against mine in a perfect wave of softness and warmth. Our kiss is laced with the saltiness of the tears I hadn’t realized were falling until now.
Henry pulls away from the kiss and rests his forehead against mine. My lips stretch into a big smile, not able to contain the joy bursting from my heart.
“If you’d let me finish,Pajarito.“ Henry chuckles with a devious smile. “I was going to say I don’t care if it’s too soon. I love you too.”
Everything around us turns into a blur when the words come out of his mouth. I forget that we’re in the library or that the next few months are going to be difficult. I forget about everything that might ruin this moment because, for once in my life, I want to be in the moment. I want to be here with Henry.
My hands fall to his chest again, searching for his steady heartbeat. I let the movement ground me and sink into his presence. Everything was finally falling into place.
“Have you ever heard of the phrase lovesick,Pajarito?”
“Of course,” I say, shaking my head. “What about it?”
“I thought I was lovesick for a long time. But the truth is, I had no idea what being lovesick felt like until I met you.”
Henry’s hand moves to my cheek, wiping away a stray tear. “That’s incredibly cheesy,” I joke, trying to laugh through my tears. “But I know what you mean.”
The weight of uncertainty is still there. I don’t know what the future holds for Henry and me, but I know we can face it together. For the longest time, I was scared to let myself hope for a love like this, but now that I have it, I’ll do everything in my power to hold onto it.
Maybe Henry had a point. Maybe I am lovesick. And maybe that’s the feeling I’ve been searching for all along.
THE END
EPILOGUE
ONE YEAR LATER
“I’m not doing a shot, Blake.”
“Oh, come on, Em,” Blake says with his lips pursed. “We’re celebrating!”
I roll my eyes and tuck my arms tight against my body. After getting lured to the Campbell’s farm for a fake emergency, I quickly realized I was walking into my surprise graduation party.
“One shot isn’t going to kill you,” Colt mumbles from the other side of Blake.
