Page 73 of Left of Forever

“You can’t take it back!” he says defensively. He starts pecking kisses all over my face. “Haven’t you ever proposed before?”

“I’m”—peck—“out of”—peck—“practice.”

“You have to give the other person time to adequately freak out,” he informs me.

“I didn’t give myself time to adequately think about it before I asked!” I squeak.

“You didn’t ask, youdemanded,” he says. “I have no choice but to say yes now.”

“Really?” I say, even as he’s flipping up the center console and pulling himself closer to me, his stubble scratching at my cheek. “We don’t have to. We could just be together.”

“No. I want the whole thing this time. I want to make you my wife again. We deserve a celebration.”

“Good.” I laugh. “I want Sam to be there. I want you in a tie.”

“I want you to have a pretty bouquet. Not just a pen and a paper.” He pulls back from my neck to look into my eyes. “I want to write some vows.”

I kiss his chin. “I do, too.”

CHAPTER 38

ELLIS

I’m not the least bit surprised to see that my siblings, along with Fisher and Indy, are all at my place when we pull down the driveway. I’d only texted Micah to give him a heads-up that we were coming back early, but I figured he’d tell the rest. Wren and I share a look, then unload ourselves from the truck, moving like our limbs are lead. We school our faces into flat, regretful expressions when they start approaching us.

“Heyyyy,” Sage calls. “So happy you’re home?” She says it like it’s a question. I almost cave when she gets closer, and I can see the disappointment in her eyes. She hugs Wren first, then makes her way over to me. “Drive go okay?” she asks in a strained voice.

Micah has already crossed the front lawn, too. Only Silas hangs back on the porch with Indy and Fisher.

“So, did you have a good trip or not?” Micah asks.

“Micah,” Sage growls.

“What?! Let’s just get it over with now, all right? Theycame home a day early, so clearly it didn’t work out, and that’s fine. They need to know we still love them, right?” he asks, crushing Wren to his chest in a hug. “We can all move on with our lives.”

I catch Wren’s eye from where she’s being suffocated in Micah’s arms. When he steps away, we study one another from our opposite sides of the gravel.

I cross my arms and kick at a loose pebble with my boot. She lets out a sad sigh.

And then we take a step toward each other.

I let my arms fall before we take another.

And another.

And another.

“I think we nailed it,” she says just before she bumps into me, and I turn her in my arms and lower her into a deep dip, crushing my mouth to hers.

I’m not sure who screams, who whistles, or who claps, but for a crowd of four, they’re all loud as hell.

I disappear into the feel of her lips, the scent of her mixed with all the smells of home, and it’s like I’ve finally come alive under my own skin again. The version of me I was meant to be, misshapen heart finding its matching piece. By the time we come back up for air, we’re being circled in a hug by everybody.

Everybody but one.

“Where’s Silas?” I ask.

Wren and I walk hand in hand around the side of the house until we meet the backyard. Silas is sitting in a lawn chair with his face in his hands, a beer bottle dangling from a finger he’s got curled around the neck.