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“We’re clear,” he says.
“I’m sorry. We’ll have to take you back now,” a nurse says to him.
He turns away, but Cassie stops him.
“Brandon?”
“Yeah, sis?” he asks, looking over his shoulder.
“I’ll be here in two weeks when you’re allowed visitors,” she tells him. “I promise.”
“That’d be good,” he whispers. “I’d like to see you,” he adds, before turning away and letting the lady lead him down the hall.
Once he’s out of sight, Cassie turns into me fully, burying her face in my chest. I hear her release a sob and I bring my arms around her and hold her. I tuck her in close, kissing the top of her head before resting my chin against it.
“It’s going to be okay, Cassie.”
“I hate that I have to leave him,” she cries, a sob moving through her and causing her body to quake.
“I know, sweetheart.”
“I hate this damn disease. I hate that it has taken my brother away from me,” she cries again, the words broken and muffled against my chest.
“He’ll get better, Cassie. But you’re strong and you’re projecting that onto him. He’ll take your words, your advice, and he’ll better himself.”
She looks up at me, hope shining along with the tears in her eyes. “How can you be sure?”
“I can’t, but I could see in his eyes he wants to do right by himself and by you.”
She’s still trembling and still crying. “I hope you’re right.”
“Sweetheart, he knows you’re standing beside him and that you won’t be here if he messes up. A man would have to be a fool to turn his back on you.”
“What if the addiction is too strong for him?” she asks, and I swallow, hating that what I’m about to say will hurt her in any way, but knowing I need to say it.
“Then it will hurt. Like hell, but you will give some of that pain to me and I’ll carry it. Eventually, you’ll give me more of it and I’ll carry that too, and even after that you’ll finally cave and give me all of it and I’ll take that too.”
“But—”
“And I’ll get you through to the other side, Cassie. I’ll get you through and make sure you live a good life, and do it happily.”
“Michael, we don’t really know each other,” she argues.
“We know each other in all the ways that matter and we’ll get to know each other more, because I’m not letting you go.”
“This is crazy,” she murmurs.
“This is us,” I argue back. She doesn’t say anything, but I figure I just summed everything up. I smile down at her and hold out my hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
She looks at me, nods her agreement and follows me outside.
Pure fucking contentment pours over me.
I laid it out and she didn’t run away and she didn’t really argue. She put her hand in mine and walked out with me.
This is us…
Yeah, those words pretty much sum it all up.
Epilogue One
Michael
Three months later
I am nervous, really fucking nervous, in fact. Anticipation moves through my veins as I curl my fingers around the steering wheel. I am surprising her today, have just gone off the fucking rails and purchased a new place, one big enough for Cassie and myself … and the family I want to have with her.
But will she accept?
Shit, I hope so, because what I did might very well push her away, scare the hell out of her.
I see her leave the office, her bag in hand, her focus on me already. I straighten, my cock thickening, lengthening at the image of her. That’s all it takes for me to get wood—like I can’t fucking control myself—seeing Cassie and knowing that she is mine.
Although I have a place, it’s only one bedroom and certainly not something a family can grow in.
So, I was putting up my old place for rent until I could get it sold, if I even wanted to sell it. I liked that house, and had a lot of memories attached to it.
But if I wasn’t certain of her love for me, of the future we have, I wouldn’t have bought a new place out in the woods, surrounded by the evergreens I know she likes and the wilderness that calls to us both.
I get out of the truck and meet her on the passenger side. She smiles up at me, and that is all it takes to stop my heart. God, I fucking love this woman so damn much.
I pull her in close and cup the back of her head, leaning in and claiming her mouth.
“I missed you,” I say and pull back despite the fact it’s the last thing I want to do.
“I missed you, too,” she says and grins up at me. “I only worked a half day, you know.” She chuckles and now it’s my turn to grin.
