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“Really?” Nate’s eyebrows shoot up. “Why do you say that?”
“Because… I moved back here, and I’ve been miserable. I don’t want to continue to live my life here, working at the library or the antique shop. I want to be here with you. It doesn’t matter because I’m…I’m in love with you.”
Nate lets out a long, shuddering breath.
“Pull over, Cherry. Please, just pull over.”
I do, and as soon as the car is in park, Nate reaches for my seatbelt and releases it. I let him pull me into his arms as new, joyful tears fill my eyes. He takes my face in his hands, and he presses his lips to mine. It feels like it has been years since the last time we kissed, not months, and I melt against him.
“I love you so much, Cherry.” Nate’s lips move against mine. “I’m sorry I put you through all this. I’m so sorry.”
“I know.” I kiss him again, feeling the urge to just jump into the backseat and straddle him, but I have no doubt that someone would stop and look into the car, so I pull back.
We hold each other for a while, staring into each other’s eyes. Nate kisses me softly a few times before we untangle ourselves, and I get back into the driver’s seat to continue the journey as snow begins to fall, quickly covering the road.
“I need to hear you say it, Cherry.”
“Say what?”
“Do you forgive me for being such a jackass?”
“You were a douchebag,” I reply.
“A motherfucking douchebag.”
“Yes, that’s it.” I press my lips together, holding back a laugh. “I’m still pissed at you.”
“I know. You have every right to be.” Nate pauses and stares out the window again. “I feel like I was in some kind of a fog. My judgment was clouded. I’d lost you, and I was devastated. I deserved it, but it still hurt. I’m still so afraid of fucking up and losing you again. I don’t want to do anything to blow this now. I need you, Cherry. Now that you know everything, I can’t imagine not having you in my life.”
“Do you think I would have called you and agreed to have you come here if I didn’t feel the same way?”
“Do you mean that?”
“Of course I do.” I scowl at him. “Don’t question my word again.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Don’t call me ‘ma’am’ either.”
Nate laughs. He reaches over and takes my hand in his as I drive up Garrett Highway, approaching my hometown. I glance around, trying to see my small town as a newcomer. I watch familiar landmarks as the snowfall begins to cover the buildings. A red Chevy parked at the Accident Baptist Church lets me know that the reverend is inside, probably working on a sermon for Sunday. I haven’t seen him since he prayed over Aunt Ginny’s gravesite.
Aunt Ginny.
Maybe I should think of her as Aunt Sofia, if that’s who she really was. Being with Nate is bringing it all back to the surface, and my chest aches when I think about how she lied to me about who I am all those years, but I’m also relieved to discover we were actually related. At least that one, small connection wasn’t fake.
“What’s with all the snow?” Nate asks.
“It’s Maryland in spring,” I reply with a shrug. “It snows.”
“How far is it to your house?”
“It’s on the other side of town, so don’t blink, or you will miss it.”
Two minutes later, I pull into the long driveway.
“That’s your place?” Nate asks. “The yellow house at the end?”
“It’s gold brick, not yellow, but yes.”
