“I know.”
“An idiot because I spent days trying to convince myself leaving was the right decision even though deep down I knew it wasn’t.”
My eyes widen.
“You don’t want to leave?”
She smiles through her tears.
“Of course I don’t. I want to stay here. In Glenfield. With my ridiculously invasive family. With Ragnar finally deciding to tolerate me.”
She steps closer until our foreheads almost touch.
“And with you. Mostly with you.”
I close my eyes.
She’s staying.
She’s choosing Glenfield.
She’s choosing me.
“Even though I’m grumpy?”
“Especially because you’re grumpy.”
“Even with my complicated past?”
“Everyone has a complicated past.”
“Even though I’m not perfect?”
She looks up at me steadily.
“Finn McLeod, nobody’s perfect. Least of all me. But I love you. Your flaws. Your past. The guilt you wear like armor.”
She loves me.
Mary draws in a shaky breath.
“I love you because you’re you. Not despite who you are. Exactly because of who you are.”
Something loosens inside my chest.
Something that’s been tight for so long I forgot what breathing freely even felt like.
I kiss her.
Soft.
Tender.
Her hands slide into my hair while my arms wrap around her waist.
The kiss tastes like coffee and hope.
When we finally pull apart, there’s paint smeared across her sweater.
