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Her eyes were wet with tears. I used my thumb to wipe away the moisture gathering under her lashes.

“As for being together as if nothing happened, I know we have lots to talk about. We’ve both changed some in the last year. Grown up a little more. Mom commented I seem sadder, more serious. I think you’re quieter—more reflective. We have a year of stories to tell each other. And we will. We’re going to date and talk and discover everything new. I look forward to rediscovering all the things I loved about you so much and finding all the nuances in this version of you. I know they’re only going to make me love you even more.”

“Matthew,” she whispered. “You always know what to say.”

“You make it easy for me to find the words.”

“I want to know so much,” she admitted.

“Okay. Ask me. Anything.”

She smiled and traced a small scar by my eye. “How did you get this?”

I chuckled. “I was doing health checks and vaccines in a little town around Yellowknife. Remote. The kids were very curious, but one little girl wasn’t happy about any of it. I managed to cajole her into the health check, but she was having nothing to do with the vaccine. Her mother distracted her, and I got the needle done before she even knew it.”

“And?”

“She wasn’t pleased about the subterfuge. She hauled off and punched me. She had quite the right hook, and my skin split. I bled like a stuck pig.”

“Oh no.”

I shook my head, amused as I remembered. “She was more upset then. She tried to take the bandage off her arm to put on my eye. She was actually very sweet. Just terrified of the whole experience.”

“What happened?”

“I gave her a lollipop to show her I was a good guy and showed her how a butterfly bandage worked. Then I let her watch when her brother got a needle. She came to see me every day I was there after that.”

Maddy smiled. “You traveled a lot?”

“The last trip, yes. Lots of remote spots that had no health care. A few days, maybe a week in places, then on to the next. Some of it was very difficult to see. And we could only do so much at times.”

She nodded. “Were there a lot of you?”

“Teams of eight to ten. Sometimes more, some a bit smaller. Doctors, nurses, even dentists.”

She bit her lip and looked away. I slipped my fingers under her chin and turned her to face me. “Ask.”

“You weren’t, ah, interested in anyone?”

“No. How could I be? I was still in love with you.” I met her eyes. “I tried once—you know that. With Daisy. An hour in, and I knew it was no use. You were it for me.” I paused. “What about you, Maddy? No other student or cute barista catch your eye?”

“I was asked a few times,” she admitted. “Never tempted.”

Relief rushed through me.

She smiled at me. “Once you’ve had the best, nothing else comes close.”

“I agree.” I squeezed her hands. “So we go forward. Share our time apart. Make new memories.”

“I’d like that.”

“Stay with me.”

“Okay.”

“Good.”

She lay with her head tucked on my shoulder, her body curved around mine. I held her close, breathing in the scent of her. Warm, enticing. Home.