I grin. “Very part time. Just two days a week. But yeah, I’m really excited about it.”
Declan laughs, shaking his head. “That’s incredible, man. Alright, how about this then? You run the office on your own hours, and we throw in a few night shifts a month when I need you, or when you’re up for it. Because I still want you around, my friend. I love talking to you.” He pauses. “We all do.”
For the first time, I let myself believe that.
“That sounds perfect.”
He grins instantly. “Great.”
We talk for a while about how I’m adjusting to the meds, Fletcher’s business, and how things are turning into something real between us. He never stops smiling.
“You guys are good together.”
My ears burn, yet I puff out my chest, grinning stupidly.
Declan points at me. “That. That right there is the biggest reason why,” he says, shaking his head fondly. “It’s good to see you so damn happy. I’ll tell ya, Vince—love is a weird thing. I never thought I’d love again after Graham. But Seth?” He twists the platinum ring on his left hand. “He made my heart bigger, you know?”
“Married life treating you well, then?”
“Better than I ever imagined,” he says. “I fucking love being married. We’re planning a trip to Hawaii this summer. Going to hike to the volcanoes. Go parasailing too.”
I grimace. “Hard pass.”
He laughs. “Not a fan?”
“Hell no. I’d rather sit on the beach and enjoy the sunset.”
Something about the way he talks about Seth, about their marriage and new life together, unlocks something in me. I see Fletcher and my future so clearly now—him in a suit, nerveshidden behind his perfectly groomed beard, eyes locked on mine like nothing else exists.
It doesn’t scare me—not even a little. It settles into my chest without crushing me, without dragging me under. I don’t panic in fear thinking about stumbling down the aisle.
I know, even if I do, Fletcher would be there to catch me.
The idea not only comforts me, it fuels me. Helps memove forward.I don’t know when or how. I just know it’ll happen. Someday.
And God, I want that. I want to be married to him and build our life together in every way. And I want Declan, Seth, and everyone else to be there too.
I finally know where I belong.
By the time I’m driving home, my heels scream and my hands ache around the steering wheel. There was a time when that was all I could focus on, when l felt trapped inside my body, like my life had already ended and no one had bothered to tell me. But now the pain is just information. Something I live with—not something I drown in.
Fletcher helped me see that. He helped me believe it.
The house comes into view, and my chest loosens, a quiet counterweight to everything that still hurts. I walk a little slower up the steps, steadying myself without shame before opening the door. Inside, Fletcher is sprawled in the couch, holding an empty wine glass. He looks up when he hears me, and that smile lands right in my heart.
How is it possible to love someone this much?
I cross the room, sink onto the couch beside him, and kiss him. There’s no heat behind it. Just a quiet message of how much I missed him.
When I pull back, he smiles. “Welcome home, babe.”
I pull the blanket over my legs and settle in. “What are we watching?”
He reaches for my hand, like he’s been waiting for this all day.
Nothing could be more perfect.
I’m still in pain. Some days my hands burn. Some days my body goes numb in places it shouldn’t. I don’t walk as steadily as I used to. But none of that is the sum of me anymore. I believe that now. I can feel the hurt and still choose joy. I can live with the damage and still be whole.
