Unexpected laughter rumbles through my chest.
“And let’s not talk about my chocolate addiction,” she continues. “Or the fact that when it’s winter I can go weeks without shaving my legs. Oh, and while we’re laying it all out, I should tell you that sometimes I drink out of the milk carton and put it back in the refrigerator, germs and all.” She folds her arms across her chest. “And if you can live with those, then I can live with you, you idiot. Because that’s what relationships are. They’re about facing problems together. About being each other’s best friend. About going through the good times and the bad times together, no matter what.” She takes a deep breath, still glaring at me. Like she’s challenging me to laugh.
“Are you done?” I ask her softly.
“I think so. For now. But I have to warn you, I have a ton more bad habits.” She wrinkles her nose. “I’ll make a list.”
I nod slowly. “Okay,” I say solemnly. “I can live with them all. Maybe apart from the wine-induced farting fits.”
Her lips twitch. “I really like wine.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to learn to be a mouth breather.”I reach out my hand. A peace offering. For the woman I love. Who by some damn miracle loves me back. And when she takes it, I pull her closer, until her face is hovering over mine. And I realize, one day I might not be able to see much of it. But I’ll know it inside out. Deep in my heart, and everywhere else.
She’ll always be beautiful. And she’ll always be mine.
And isn’t that a fucking miracle of life?
“I love you,” I tell her. “So damn much.”
Her eyes sparkle like diamonds. “Then stop pushing me away. Because I’m not going anywhere.”
So I don’t. I reach for her instead. Pulling her close enough for our lips to brush against each other. For my hands to slide down her back as her arms wrap around my neck.
As we kiss, I realize that my life might not turn out how I thought it should. And there will be a hundred more hurdles along the way. But they won’t matter if we face them together. Because I love this woman and she loves me.
And I know for sure that I’ll never let her go.
epilogue
ZACH
It’s two days before I’m discharged, despite being the worst patient this hospital has probably ever seen. I’m put through more tests, woken up at all hours of the night to have my vitals taken and – worst of all – after the first day Sadie goes back to Liberty to organize having the bookshop cleaned so it’s ready to open again next weekend.
Though, to be fair, she didn’t want to go. I insisted. I know how much Books by the Sea, and the art shop next door mean to her. They represent her freedom, her independence. Her growth.
I’m so damn proud of her for everything she’s done. And she did it alone.
But she won’t be alone ever again.
“You ready?” Hudson asks as I’m wheeled to the hospital lobby. The south-facing front has glass windows and it’s the first time I’ve seen the sun for days. I blink hard.
“I am.” I grin at him, because I’m so fucking ready.
“Skyler has asked me to beg you to stay with us. And Autumn has asked me to ask you to stay at the lighthouse,” he says, taking the bag on my lap. The same bag he brought in for me yesterday when the doctor said they’d be discharging me after another day in the step down unit. “And Eden says she has a hot tub so that should win.”
“I just want to go back to the hotel,” I tell him. Or to Sadie’s. I don’t care which. All I know is that I need to see her.
“That’s what I told them,” he says as we make our way to the exit. I wave goodbye to the nurse pushing my wheelchair as I stand up and make my way outside. “But you’ll join us for breakfast on Saturday, right?”
“Yep.” The light out here is brighter. I slide on my shades, as does Hudson. “We’ll be there.”
He grins at the ‘we’. But wisely, he says nothing.
It takes half an hour to get to the ferry dock. And after another ten minutes wait we’re on board, Jesse waves at me as he throws off the rope and we head toward Liberty. And I’m not gonna lie, just seeing that lush green island waiting for me, surrounded by cobalt blue ocean, makes my heart skip.
“By the way,” Hudson says. “We all did the swab tests. I’ve arranged to get them expedited.”
“That’s good.” We both know this is a long term thing. Nothing happens immediately. But my whole family has rallied around. Eden’s been watching YouTube videos, Autumn is already a big member of a Reddit support forum, and Hudson and Asher have called about ten RP experts for their thoughts.
