Her breath stutters like I’ve hit the mark deep inside her.
“I’m not scared of your past.” I continue. “I’m not scared of the parts of you that flinch. The nights you can’t sleep, I’llstay awake with you. You no longer have to fight alone. We’re all fighting invisible battles, but let me fight along with you.”
I lean my forehead to hers again, grounding us both in this moment.
“I’m scared of losing you,” I admit, showing my cards and my insecurities. “Because I did once, and it damn near killed me. And I can’t go through that pain again.”
Her hand slides up my chest, over my beating heart, until she’s cupping my jaw.
“I don’t know how to move forward.”
“That’s okay,” I tell her. “We’ll figure it out together. Please don’t hide from me.”
Wren shifts, tipping her head until our lips meet. She kisses me deeply. Pouring out every emotion, every feeling, every thought she can’t find the words to say. The kiss isn’t heated, it’s loving. Her actions tell me how much she cares for me, maybe even loves me. God knows I love her.
When I pull back, my thumb swipes against her swollen lips.
“I’m not going anywhere, baby,” I say.
“You can’t promise that.”
I shake my head. “That’s where you’re wrong, Wren. I’m not only promising you forever, I’m promising you now. Every day you wake up and choose to be here, I’ll be standing beside you. Not behind you. Not halfway out the door.” I press my palm flat against her bare chest, over her beating heart. “I’m right here, protecting your heart with mine.”
Her eyes fill and she lets the tears pour free.
“Why me?”
“Silly girl,” I mumble. “It’s always been you, Wren.”
“Always been me? There had to have been others.”
“Only.”Kiss. “You.”Kiss.
“J, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying I’veonlybeen with and lovedyou, Wren.”
Her breath catches as her eyes bounce between mine, looking for the lie in my statement. But she won’t find one. The temptationswere there, but I could never bring myself to act on them. There were moments I wanted to bury myself in the first girl I found so I could forget about Wren, but I couldn’t. Deep down, a part of me felt like we’d find our way back to each other.
“I can’t believe it.”
“Believe it, baby. My heart has been yours since we were ten years old and you asked me to pretend marry you because you wanted to be a queen, not a princess, and all queens need kings.”
She lets out a watery chuckle. “You remember that?”
“I remember everything,” I tell her. “You’ve been mine since our moms forced us together as babies. At thirteen, when you went through a growth spurt and these”—I run a rough hand over her smooth skin—“goddamn legs grew to be a mile long.”
Her lips brush my chest.
“There’s no me without you. My world quits spinning when you’re not in it. For years, I’ve moved through on autopilot, begging the universe for a chance with you again. I’ve loved you since I was fifteen. Through the braces years, the awkward preteen years, the hormonal teen years—which were my favorite.” I wiggle my eyebrows as she playfully smacks my chest. “I’ve loved you since I learned the meaning of the word. And now, here you are, back in my arms, and I promise you, there won’t be a day that goes by that you don’t feel how much you mean to me. I’ll guard your heart until my last breath, until we’re old and wrinkled, and then I’ll wait for you at the pearly gates because there’s no way you’re leaving this Earth first. And when you’re ready to join me, I’ll be waiting with open arms…and a bag of sour apple gummy rings.”
I kiss her temple. Her brow. The pouring tears. And the corner of her mouth. I’ve never stopped loving this woman, but it’s right now that I realize I haven’t fully told her since she walked back into my life.
“I love you, my Whiskey girl.” My heart stops as I wait for her to reply. There’s an inkling of nerves, wondering if we’re on the same page, even though her actions have shown we are.There’s this tiny part that feels like the last few months have been a dream and I conjured her presence in my imagination. Despite the years apart and buckets of pain, we’re here in our hometown together like we were always meant to be.
The sweetest smile tugs at my girl’s lips as relief and freedom crosses those whiskey eyes I can’t get enough of. “I love you, too, J.”
“You do?”
