I shrug her off. “All Leo has ever done is lift me up. You would have seen that if you weren’t so blinded by her skin color and where she came from.”
I go to walk again, but she rushes to my side. “My grandson? Everett, you can’t keep him from me. He is a Rowan. He is part of this family.”
“He is a Phoenix. And you will never know him.”
I walk out now with her calling after me. And Leo was right. I didn’t need to forgive her to feel peace. In that entire conversation, brief as it was, she never said she was sorry. But I don’t need her apology. I have all I need.
When I get back in the car, Leo grasps my face and pulls me in for a sweet kiss. “I’m so proud of you.”
She is all I need. My pretty bird, my little phoenix. My everything.
As we pull away, she blows a kiss to my mother and I chuckle. "I love you so fucking much."
She just shrugs her shoulder and we drive. Silence fills the car, and I’m happy for it. I relish in the peace it brings. My thoughts are quiet. I thought after that confrontation, my mind would be circling over it again and again, but it isn’t. I look out the window as the trees pass by. And then the car slows, stopping on the side of the road.
And I know exactly where we are. Our escape. She brought me to Rune Ridge.
I hold her hand, leading her through the trees to the ridge, just like I did all those years ago, and for a moment it feels as though nothing has changed. Like we are two seventeen year olds again. Me desperately in love with her, and her fighting me, making me chase her, making me show her how fucking incredible she was and is.
When we get to the ridge, looking over this small town that did so much damage to us, I think about how small it actually is. I think about how far we have come. How much we have survived.
Leo sneaks a note into my hand, and I look down at it. The note is folded origami style into a bird.
“My origami skills are not as good as yours. Can you just imagine it’s a phoenix?”
I give her a small smile but don’t say anything. We never needed our voices to show our love.
I open the note and begin to read. Her handwriting has always sparked an excitement in my chest, and it still does. Leo is selective with who she lets in, and I learned years ago that her script means that I am gaining a small piece of her. She doesn’t give her time and attention to just anyone, and I feel so overwhelmingly happy that she decided to give it to a naive, overconfident, hotshot quarterback who never deserved her.
I’m done running, Ev.
Marry me?
– Your phoenix
My eyes fly to hers, and Leo is holding up a black wedding band with a red wing carved into it.
I don’t even take the ring. I can’t. The only thing I can think about is kissing her. It’s not a want but a need. I need to taste my phoenix. Mine. Forever. No more running.
I slam my lips to hers, and she lets me consume her in every way. Giving me her heart, her soul, her everything, and me giving the same.
When we pull away, I place my forehead to hers. I can’t catch my breath after such a blazing kiss.
“Is that a yes?” Her voice is a sweet whisper.
“Fuck yes.”
Two Years Later
“I’m so nervous.” She is practically shaking next to me. Her hands always shake when she is nervous, but now her whole body vibrates. I think it’s adorable. Every time we have done this, she gets nervous. Even though we both know the outcome. From here, we will go home and start a new family.
Last year, we found the perfect home for our family. It has four bedrooms and three baths. Settled on three acres on the outskirts of Boston. The first moment I saw it, I knew it was ours. The bedrooms were plentiful, but the living spaces and kitchen were small and cozy.
I could see us snuggled on the couch, watching movies, crowded together in the kitchen while I taught my children to cook all the classic dishes and make their mama breakfast in bed. There is a beautiful wooden staircase that I will watch my daughter come down in her prom dress, a fireplace and mantel large enough for all the stockings we plan on filling it with.
Last year, we also started fostering children—well, we tried anyway. The first baby we got was a sweet baby girl whose mom was an addict. She waived her parental rights and gave the baby up for adoption. She was placed with us till they found an adoptive family. But after having her for only forty-eight hours, we decidedwewere going to be her adoptive family.
It’s a long and tedious process. The system is not perfect, but she was worth it. They all are.
