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“Now who’s a tease?” I growl as desire races through my veins. I’ve been too sore to do anything other than cuddle and even that sometimes hurts, and it truly has been torture.

“Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Nerves hit me all of a sudden, and I take a deep breath before slipping my hand into his and lacing our fingers together as I grab my bag. I cuddle into him on our walk out to the car. He opens the door for me before sliding behind the wheel and driving off. My gaze is glued to the window as we drive, enchanted with the way autumn changes the landscape around here.

The leaves are just starting to change colors, and I can’t help but think about how much has changed in my life. After the night in the bar, Trey took a little over a week off just to spend with me and make sure I was okay. That first night, we spent all night in bed talking about everything until the sun started to come up. I told him all about my mom, starting at the beginning with her illness, and every little detail that led up until now.

Like always, he was understanding and supportive even through his anger that we wasted so much time dancing around each other when we didn’t really know how long we had. The regret I expected to see in his eyes never came though, and he told me that he’d rather have ten or twenty years with me than spend the rest of his life without me

The only other tense points in our conversation were when he asked about Kyle, and he talked about his hopes for the future. The issue with Kyle was resolved quickly after I told him what happened at the hospital, and I’m pretty sure he sent Emma the biggest bouquet of flowers the next day. We did get a letter in the mail from Kyle a few days after I was released from the hospital, apologizing and explaining that he only pursued me because being married would make him look like a better option for partner at his firm. I think that pissed Trey off more than Kyle being genuinely interested in me. The fact that someone would use me for their own purposes enraged him, and he needed to get out of the apartment for a little while to cool off.

The future is still something that we’re working on. He’s expressed his desire for a family multiple times, and I understand his desire better than he probably realizes. I’m just not sure if it’s something I can do. I know that the guilt would be overwhelming if I passed this disease on to my children. He’s not giving up, though, and I kind of love the way he’s not deterred, willing to do anything to give us the family we both want. He brought up adoption, which is obviously something that is close to his heart, but I still have concerns. I don’t want my child to go through what I’m going through right now with Mama one day. I can’t make them watch me slip away.

He also talked to me more about his mom and his dad, about the abuse both he and his mom suffered at the hands of his father and listening to it broke my heart in a way I didn’t even realize it could break. With the way he described it all, I could close my eyes and see Trey as a kid and just imagine his body riddled with cuts and bruises. I don’t think I’ve ever cried harder in my life. He, of course, was my rock and held me, telling me that it was okay and I didn’t need to cry for him but thinking of what he went through just makes me so angry.

I know that he’s lucky that the Harringtons cared about him so much and even took care of him before they adopted him. Looking at the man sitting next to me, I’m incredibly proud to be his, and I’ll never be able to repay Charlotte and Michael for everything they did to make him who he is. I had a dream a couple nights after coming home from the hospital about what would have happened to him if he’d never met Tucker, if Michael and Charlotte hadn’t felt a connection to him the moment they met, and I woke up in tears, sweat running down my body.

It’s kind of funny. I always thought my fate was something to run from but now I wonder if it wasn’t leading me to him all along, and no matter what happens down the road, him and this love is a blessing. Even all the issues with my mom and her illness feel lighter as he helps me navigate through this, and I can only hope that I do the same for him.

I suck in a breath as we pull into the parking lot of the nursing home, and I look up at the building that haunts me day in and day out. He pulls the car into a parking space close to the door and turns to look at me but I just keep looking up at the building as my nerves spike. This is the last piece of me that I’m keeping to myself. After we go in there, he’ll know every part of me but I’m ready. Even if I feel like throwing up.

“You okay, sweetheart?” he asks, grabbing my hand again and squeezing it. I turn to him and smile through the tears building in my eyes. “Hey, what’s with the tears?”

I take a deep breath, and the first tear falls down my cheek. “The last time I was here, she didn’t know who I was.”

“Oh, baby…” He releases me and jumps out of the car, running around to my side before opening the door and crouching down next to me. He pulls on my legs, and I spin in the seat so I’m facing him as he slides his hands up to my cheeks and meets my gaze.

“It’s going to be okay. No matter what happens in there, it’s going to be okay. You’ve got me now, and I’m not gonna let you fall, Addy.”

I take a deep breath and nod, his words working wonders on me. “Okay.”

He stands up and holds his hand out to me. With a smile, I grab it and step out of the car. He wraps his arms around my body and pulls me as close as he can, giving me all the strength I need. We walk in and Mari looks up, smiling at me before she notices Trey, and her jaw drops.

“Well, who is this?” she asks, and I grin.

“This is Trey, my boyfriend,” I tell her, looking up at him, and he winks at me. When I look back at Mari, she’s beaming at us.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Trey.”

“You, too, Mari,” he replies, and I can feel his eyes on me the whole time. I sign us in and we say a quick good-bye to Mari before starting down the hallway to Mama’s room. Just before we reach it, I stop and he looks down at me, expectantly.

“Whatever happens in there, you just gotta go along with it. Whoever she thinks you are, okay?” I ask, my nerves building again but he just smiles at me and kisses my forehead.

“Don’t worry, Ad. I understand.”

I nod and tuck myself back into his side before taking the last few steps to Mama’s room. Standing in the doorway, I scan the room and smile when I find her reading in her rocking chair, humming to herself. She looks up just as we’re about to knock, and her jaw drops.

“Jonathan?” she asks stunned, and I suck in a breath. Trey’s head whips to the side to look at me.

“Your dad?” he asks, and I nod before he turns back to look at Mama.

“Of course, my love. Who else would it be?” he says to her, and tears are immediately stinging my eyes. After our talk, I showed him all the letters, and he read every single one so he knows the significance of this.

“Oh, Jon,” Mama exclaims, tossing the book down and shoving out of her chair as she races across the room to him. They slam together, and Trey hugs her tight like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Sobbing, I look away for a second, too overwhelmed by my love for this man. The fact that he would do this…it’s almost too much for me to handle.

“Whoa, sweetheart, Addy’s here,” Trey says, and I look back just in time to see Mama trying to go for a kiss. I hold back my laugh and shrug at him. Can’t say that I blame her. He flashes me a grin and shakes his head as she pulls away from him and blushes, peeking over at me.

“Sorry, baby.”