Page 77 of Beneath a Tennessee Sky

By dawn, the video’s gone viral.

Jack collapses onto the bed, rubbing his eyes. “I don’t deserve you.”

I set the laptop aside. “No, you don’t.”

His head snaps up.

I crawl onto the bed beside him. “But I’m here anyway.”

His breath catches as I cup his face, my thumb brushing the stubble on his jaw. The Jack I remember stares back at me—vulnerable, real, finally here. I lean down and kiss him. His arms pull me in, wrapping me in a tight hug.

“Now, I’m going to put out the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign and you’re going to sleep for a day,” I tell him. “Then, we go home.”

“Jinnie?” he says, his eyes half-closed.

“Yeah?” I ask, pulling the blanket over him.

“I love you.”

My heart stops for just a second. I look at him and see him watching me. I lean down and give him a quick kiss. “I know. Took you long enough to say it.”

“Jinnie?”

“Yes, Jack?”

“Are you going to say it?”

I laugh. “Yes, Jack. I love you. That’s why I drove my ass into the big, cold city to save you.”

He smiles and closes his eyes. “I’m going to be okay now that you’re here.”

“I know. Now sleep.”