“I thought you said she’s just like you,” he grumbles, but I can hear the hint of humor in his voice.
“Well…yeah? So what?”
He arches his brow. “You were kind of intimidating when I first met you.”
My jaw drops. “I was not.”
He smiles and leans into me. “I was dying in that house, Kennedy. Then, when you showed up, it felt like I was brought back to life.That’sa scary feeling when youhaven’tstepped outside in sixty years.”
Mylipspart, unsure of how to respond as my ghostly heart pumps wildly inside my chest.
“I can only imagine how much fuller my afterlife will feel with more of you in it.” He kisses me firmly, holdingtherelonger than necessary, and Idon’twant him to ever let go. “Come on,” he saysagainst my lips, “let’s go inside.”
We step carefully over the powdery snowthat’sbegun to stick to the sidewalk. Sprinkles of feather-light flakes fall all around us and cling to our coats and scarves.
Iknockthree times on the door.When it opens,Claudia is standing there, backlit by the warm light of her homewearing a different apron than the one she keeps at the bakery.
Her eyes light up at the sight of me, then they scan over to Theo. Fora brief moment, she leers at the stranger in her doorway, mouth puckered with distrust, but then she sees my arm strung through his, and she lowers her defenses.
“You must be Theodore,” she says, extending her hand.
He takes it firmly and they shake. “You can call me Theo. It’s very nice to meet you.”
We discard our shoes, kicking them off by the door before removing our outer layers and hanging them on therack. Claudia takes us to the kitchen where a delicious combination of smells waft straight up my nose.She’sgot a whole chicken in the oven, baked asparagus resting on the stove, and a tray of cupcakes dotted with blueberries waiting to be devoured on the counter.
“Make yourself at home,” she tells us, pulling out the bench from underneath the farm table.
She checks the timer and then takes a seat across from us. “You’vegot tenminutes until thechicken’sdone. Tell me everything.” She eyes me eagerly. “From the beginning.”
Theo and Iexchangea knowing look. He grins slyly, and nods for me to start.
“Well,” I begin, “it all started on Wednesday…”
Epilogue
Theo and I spend the next few weeks getting to know one another in everypossible way. Thoughwe’donly known each other for five days, choosing to stay with him was the best decision I ever made.
The more I learn about his body and his soul, the more I fall in love with him. I never believed in a higher power, or even fate,when I was alive,but I believed Theo when he said he felt he was meant to wait one hundred and thirty years to meetme. Because I feel exactly thesame.
Shortly after starting my job at the bakery, Claudia and I fell right back into the same relationship we hadin childhood. All it took was spending quality time together, laughing and opening old wounds while decorating cupcakes.Maybe onedayI’llreach out to my mother and try to repair the damage, but for now,I’mjust happyto finally havemysister back.
By the time the winter carnival appearsin town square,I’vesaved just enough money to take Theo paint shopping. Aidan has been a huge help with the house, providing an entire team to work on all the repairs, but I made himpromise to let me handle the paint. Hedidn’tunderstand, but I knowit meansa lot to Theo.
We take our time combing through the selections at the local hardware store. I lean more toward bright colors, while Theo seems to have a more neutral palette in mind.
“Don’t you want to brighten up the space?” I ask, holding up a card with various shades of red.
Theo squints. “That’s not our color.”
I’mabout to ask what he means, but then I remember.He’stalking about ourmatebond—the string that ties us together.
I smile and place the red card back initsplace, grabbing a blue one instead. “Which shade?”
SinceI’munable to see it, he will need topickthe correct shade.Theo eyes the blocks of color carefully, occasionally shifting his gaze to the empty space between us.As much as I wish to see the magic he does, Idon’tneed to in orderto knowit’sreal. I feel the tug between us every day.
Finally, he lands on ashade called BLUE VIOLET.“That one,” he says, pointingtoit.It’sa dusty, powdery blue with purple undertones, just likea blueberry.
“I think you’re right.” I take his arm and, together, we go to makeourpurchase.
