“We did, and I don’t ever want to do that again. I want to tell you everything, even when I don’t think you want to hear what I have to say.”
“I don’t think you could ever say something I don’t want to hear. You could read me the terms and conditions on the back of a receipt, and I’d still hang on to every word.”
I chuckle. “That’s not what I mean, and you know it.”
“Then what do you mean, Clover? Talk to me. Tell me.”
I sigh. “I mean telling you things like when I’m unhappy.”
“Okay. I’m unhappy sometimes too. I would understand.”
“Come on, Callum. You can’t be serious. If I had come to you and said I was unhappy, how would you have reacted? And I want a serious answer. Don’t tell me what youthinkI want to hear. Dig deep. Behonest.”
He doesn’t say anything right away, and for the first time, I’m okay with that.
Then finally, he does.
“I would have wondered what I did to make you feel like that.”
“Exactly. That’s my whole point. My mother said something to me. She said it’s hard to try to explain to someone you love that it’s not their fault you’re not happy. And she’s right. If I had told you I wasn’t happy, you would have taken it personally, even if I had said it wasn’t your fault. Because why wouldn’t you? You’re my partner. We’re supposed to make each other feel good, and if that’s true, itmustbe something we’ve done wrong, right?” I shake my head. “But that’s wrong. Sometimes people just don’t feel happy. Sometimes they don’t understand themselves. And that’s okay.I’mokay, just the way I am. It’sokay that I don’t have it all figured out because I know the really, truly important stuff.”
“And what’s that, Clover?”
I step back into him, placing a hand on his chest because I need to feel him in some way right now.
“That I love you, Callum.”
His eyes flare, and he opens his mouth, but I keep going because I need to say this.
“I love you. I havealwaysloved you. I loved you when you sat next to me in college and called me Clover for the first time. I loved you when you stuck up for me at that game, and I loved you when I gave myself to you later that night. I didn’t say it then, but I should have. I should have told you you’re it for me, too. You always have been, and no matter where I’ve been in this world, that hasn’t changed. I know I’ve hurt you many times over. I know I’ve probably made it hard to trust me, too. But please—please—listen to me when I tell you this: there will never be a day in my life when I don’t love you. And there will never,everbe a single second where I am not wholly and completely yours. I love you, Callum, and I’m sorry if I haven’t said that enough, but if you’ll let me, I’ll tell you every day for the rest of our lives.”
He doesn’t move. He doesn’t speak. For a moment, I worry I’m too late, worry I’ve broken him too many times, fucked this up beyond repair, and lost the one person who means everything to me.
Then, he says, “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say that, Clover.”
And he kisses me. It’s soft and slow, then hard and fast. It’s messy and uncoordinated as we pull at each other until I’m not sure where the other starts and ends, and I’m okay with that. For the first time, I truly am. Even though I still have a lot of workto do with myself, I know the one thing that doesn’t need work is how I feel about the man kissing me right now.
When we finally break apart, we’re both gasping for air, and I’ve never been so happy to struggle to breathe before.
“I love you, Chloe Keller.”
I smile. “And I love you, Callum Keller.”
“That has a nice little ring to it, huh?”
I laugh, and he swallows the sound with his lips.
At some point, we come up for air, and his hand goes right to my left ring finger.
“I missed seeing this on you, you know.”
I smile, looking down at the gorgeous 2-carat set that was my gift on our five-year wedding anniversary. “I missed wearing it. I’m never taking it off again.”
“Good. Let’s keep it that way.”
Then he’s kissing me again.
I’m not sure what’s next for us. I still have work to do on myself, and we have a hell of a lot we need to work through together, too. Maybe we live apart for a while. Maybe we can pick up right where we were before that damn job offer. Or maybe…maybe we do one even better and we come back from this stronger than we’ve ever been.
