Page 91 of I’m Already Gone

“Thanks, buddy,” Ethan says, taking it.

Ollie beams. “You’re welcome.”

My eyes burn and my chest constricts as I watch Ethan patiently guiding my son through each step of his task. It feels like looking through a window at a future that could have been ours. A past love that I deeply miss.

My hand, without conscious thought, goes to the small, diamond cupcake necklace at my neck. After all these years, it still holds emotional value, a touchstone to my past. Our past.

“What are you guys doing?” I finally ask, finding my voice.

Ollie whips his head around so fast I fear he’ll topple over. His mouth splits into a ridiculously wide grin.

“Mama! Look! Ethan got a new door for you!” He launches himself at me, grabbing my hand.

“Come on!” he urges, tugging me forward.

“A door for me?” I ask, confused. “What was wrong with the old one?”

Ethan straightens up, stepping back from the doorway, a slight, almost shy smile playing on his lips. “This.” He points to a sleek little box on the wall beside the door, then presses a button.

My jaw drops as the patio doors silently and smoothly slide open on their own.

“Oh, wow,” I breathe.

“Isn’t it cool, Mama?” Ollie bounces on the balls of his feet. “It opens the door for you so you don’t have to fight with it anymore!”

I turn my gaze to Ethan, and my eyes prickle with unexpected tears. “You… you did this for me?”

He nods, his eyes soft. “Figured you shouldn’t have to wrestle with a difficult door every time you want some fresh air or want to water your garden.”

I let go of Ollie’s hand, wrapping my arms around Ethan. He stiffens for a split second, but then that old, familiar comfort kicks in, and his arms come around me, holding me tight.

“Thank you, Ethan,” I murmur into his shoulder.

He buries his face in my neck, and I close my eyes, relishing letting the familiarity of his touch wash over me. “I don’t want to see you struggle with anything, not if I can help it,” he whispers, his voice a little rough. “This is me taking care of you.”

I bite back the tears, letting myself be in this moment, in his arms.

When we finally pull apart, his gaze lingers for a moment, then drops, freezing when it lands on the small, diamond charm at my throat.

“You… you still have it?” he asks, his voice barely a whisper.

My hand instinctively goes to the necklace, my fingers tracing the tiny cupcake. “Of course I still have it,” I confirm, a soft smile touching my lips.

He looks directly at me, and his smile spreads, slow and genuine, as if he’s just won the biggest lottery in the world.

Maybe he hasn’t, but in that moment, with his smile reflecting my own, I know without a doubt that I have.

“Lily?”

I look up from trimming the rose stems to put in a vase, a little startled. Ethan’s parents, James and Erica, stand inside the sliding glass door, hesitating at the threshold like they aren’t sure if they should be here.

“Hi, James, Erica.” I try to push myself up from the patio armchair, but my grip slips on the smooth metal armrest, and I plop right back down with a soft thud.

“Please, don’t get up, Lily,” James says as he strides quickly across the flagstones toward me.

He’s beside me in an instant, pulling me into his arms. It feels less like hugging a person and more like being enveloped by a giant, gentle teddy bear.

He presses a tender kiss on the very top of my scarf-covered head.