Page 314 of Saving Forever with the Hockey Captain

The words settle into every place fear has lived inside me. She reaches up and cups my face with both hands, her thumbs brushing away tears I hadn't realized were there.

"Do you know what I saw when I walked into this penthouse tonight?"

I shake my head.

"I saw books with dog-eared pages because someone actually reads them."

"I saw a blanket folded over your favorite chair."

"I saw photographs of children whose names you've never forgotten."

"I saw a picture of Toby asleep with popcorn all over his shirt."

A watery laugh escapes both of us.

"I saw your parents."

"Your family."

"Your friends."

"Your life."

She smiles. "I didn't see a billionaire. I saw the same man I've loved since the day you stubbornly argued with me about following doctor's orders."

I laugh quietly.

"I was right."

"You absolutely were not."

We both smile. Then her expression grows serious again.

"The money is simply one fact about your life."

"It isn't your character."

"It isn't your kindness."

"It isn't your faith."

"It isn't your heart."

She gently rests her forehead against mine. "And that's the man I’ve fallen in love with."

***

The last knot I've carried for years loosens so completely it almost takes my breath away.

I hadn't realized how tightly I'd been holding it. How deeply I'd believed that one hidden part of my life made me somehow harder to know. Harder to love.

Annette kisses me before I can find words.

There is nothing hurried about it. Nothing uncertain. It's the kind of kiss that says I'm still here. The kind that quiets fears no amount of reassurance ever could.

When we finally part, neither of us moves very far.

She smiles.