“It was too hard.” She shivered a little. “She stayed for me, but she wanted to go to the light for a long time.”
“Why now, then?” I knelt down and pulled Coop’s big jacket tighter around her.
“She said I’d be okay now.” Mellie gave a little shrug.
“How are we going to explain this?” I asked.
“Don’t tell. They’ll say we made it up.” Mellie looked first at Coop and then at me.
“What about Eli and Joel?” Coop asked. “They already believe.”
“Okay,” Mellie shook a finger at us, “but just them.”
“No one else would believe us anyway,” I said.
“I know.” Mellie slipped out of the too-large jacket. “I’ll say I went looking for a spindle in the tower and got locked in.” She clapped her hands and gave a little jump. “I’ll say Coop was my prince and saved me. Just like he did the first day.”
Our parents called Mellie from downstairs, and she darted out the door, leaving us alone.
“Well, I did it again.” Coop stared at the mess of a door.
“You do have a habit of kicking in doors, don’t you, Mr. Montgomery?” I laced my fingers with his.
“Not normally.” He gave a wry smile.
I turned to face him, still holding his hand. “How much of that were you able to see?”
“Not much, until Phoebe showed up.”
“Who knew we brought our own ghost with us?”
We looked at each other in silence for a few seconds, and he shifted uncomfortably.
“Look, Lia, I’m sorry about what I said earlier.” He ran his free hand through his hair, talking fast. “I didn’t mean to look at your text. I promise. I panicked when I saw it.”
As I watched him, nervous and worried, my chest seemed to swell. How could I leave here? Leavehim? I closed my eyes and listened to my heart. The answer flooded me with warmth. All my future was here. I stepped even closer.
“Was it true?” I whispered, reaching up and cupping his cheek with my palm. “What you said?”
“That I love you?” His voice was equally soft. “Yes. Look, I’ve been giving this a lot of thought. I’ll get a job in Sacramento. Ican’tbe somewhere you’re not.”
“Not Sacramento. Stay here.” I stood on my tiptoes so I could pull his face close to mine. “With me, because I love you too.”
His warm, soft lips met mine. He pulled me close, like he feared I’d get away. The sense of contentment I’d experienced earlier fired up. I pressed closer.
The sound of voices neared, and he broke the kiss. “They’re coming.”
“Too bad,” I said. “They’d better get used to this.”
“Did you mean it?” Coop grinned as he searched my face.
“That I love you? Yes. Now kiss me again.”
He did.
