My head spins where it sits against my pillow. I hear the words but they don’t feel real. Surely, he doesn’t mean them. Surely, I’m just dreaming all over again.
“Am I dreaming?”
Wade cracks the tiniest smile. “You dream about me?”
“All the time,” I confess softly. “You can’t love me back. You’reyouand I’m just me.”
“Love you back? Does that mean you love me?”
I blink at him slowly, trying to process what’s actually happening right now. My head feels full of cotton and my mouth is so dry. Even so, I somehow find the words.
“Of course I love you,” I tell him like it’s obvious because it is. “How could I not? You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met yet despite the horrors you’ve faced, you never let it break you. You’re kind even though the world hasn’t been the same. You’rebeautiful. I trust you and somehow, you’ve allowed yourself to trust me too. It was impossible not to fall for you, Wade.”
Wade’s eyes are so wide, listening to each of my words carefully.
“I love you too. At first, I was scared we were just having some fucked up Stockholm syndrome going on, like we only liked each other because we were the only ones around,” he says with a snort. “But even if we had met at a bar or at a coffee shop or in school, I think I would have always fallen for you. In every lifetime, in every universe.”
“Wade,” I say, unable to say anything else. Thankfully, Wade seems to know exactly what I mean.
“Yeah,” he says back before leaning forward and softly kissing my lips. It’s not our first kiss, not by a long shot, yet this one is so much different than the others.
These kisses are barely there, yet so full of fondness it steals my breath. I can feel his love and affection through every touch,through every brush of our lips. I love him and somehow, Wade has found it in himself to love me back.
“Wait,” I say, pushing him away. “I don’t want you getting sick.”
Wade snorts. “A little late for that,” he says before quickly adding, “it’s okay. Werewolf genes. Or maybe it’s whatever fucked up thing I have going on that keeps me from turning. Either way, it’s okay to keep kissing.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive,” he says before diving back in. I have no idea how long we kiss but eventually, Wade has to pull away, both of our eyes suspiciously wet with tears. I’m so overwhelmed by how happy I am, knowing that we’re on the same page.
Wade and I are more than just survivors. We’re men who’ve said fuck you to the odds and found each other. We’ve survived through the horrors but more than that, we’ve found a way to live our lives to the fullest, side by side.
“Wade,” I say, leaning back on the pillows once more. “Where are we?”
“I found a place called Haven,” he explains. “We’re safe here and we’re not alone.”
“We’re not?”
He shakes his head. “Two other people live here. They had the supplies to help you and they shared them with us.”
“What’s the catch?”
Wade smiles. “Usually, that’s my line.” His thumb runs over my cheek and I’m struck over how gentle Wade is being with me. I could get used to this. “They seem like good people. Lawrence kinda reminds me of you, same heart of gold. Devin is more like me,” Wade says, cracking the tiniest smile. “He doesn’t trust us, but that’s okay. They still were willing to help and let us stay here until you’re feeling better.”
“So there’s still a little good out in the world.”
Wade shrugs. “We’ll see. For now, things are okay.” He brings his face closer, placing a kiss to my forehead. “Fuck, Briggs. I’m so glad you’re okay. I was so scared.”
“Thank you,” I say, my voice sounding shaky to my own ears. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
“You did the same for me, it was the least I could do. Now we’re even.”
“Yeah, we’re even,” I say with a smile.
“Let me get you some broth and some water. You need to take some more pills to make sure the infection is really gone. Then we can think about what we’re going to do from here.”
I don’t say it out loud, but waking up in a warm house that sits behind gates? I could get used to this. Even more so because Wade is here with me. Maybe we can make something work with the people who own Haven.
