Page 136 of Blue Jean Summer

And should Catherine leave me waiting while she finished her time on earth, I’d linger at the gates of heaven, holding the door for her until she decided that it was time to join me.

I believed that the two of us would make it. And I believed that she did too.

Catherine buried her head in my shoulder as we made love. There was no other word for it.

Her body tightened around mine. We sank into a desperate rhythm.

This was the kind of love that became folklore.

I memorized every staccato breath and incoherent plea that fled her lips as we moved together.

Catherine’s fingers dug into my shoulders as her delicate features tightened in anticipation.

I stole a kiss and whispered sweet nothings as I snapped my hips into hers. “Come for me. I’ve got you, love.”

That one word was greater than every fear of fleeting time.

Love.

Catherine came with a cry of delight, bringing me over the edge with her. The world went silent except for our twin heartbeats and percussive breaths.

“You okay?” I asked as I nipped at the side of her neck where her pulse raced, then soothed the bite with my tongue.

Her beautiful, feathered lashes lowered as Catherine sank back into the pillow. “Yeah. You?”

“Better than okay,” I said.

Her smile was deliriously content. “I can officially check ‘balcony sex’ off my bucket list.”

I chuckled. “Technically, we didn’t go all the way out there. But I’m more than happy to oblige next time. I wouldn’t want to leave your fantasies unfulfilled.”

Her eyes crinkled at the corners. “I like the sound of that.”

“Of what?”

“That there will be a next time.” She trailed her fingers down my chest. “That we have time to explore all our fantasies.”

“Tell me one of yours,” I said as I eased off her and grabbed a handful of tissues from the box on the nightstand to clean up.

“You,” Catherine said as I knelt in front of her. “You are my wildest fantasy.” She was quiet as I cleaned between her legs and tossed the tissues in the little trash can beside the bed.

“Something on your mind?” I asked as I pulled her into my arms.

Catherine looked a little sheepish as she mulled over her thoughts. “I just…I never knew it felt like this. I thought it was supposed to be this big, sparkly moment. Or maybe something that’s angsty and tenuous. But it’s not. It’s…safe. Comfortable.”

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “What is?”

“Love,” she said simply.

I felt it too.

Love didn’t need big houses to grow. It sprang up in the cracks and crevices of our wounds. It defied mountains, climbing them without care or worry. It flourished in times of rain, and in the sun that always followed.

Chapter 35

Catherine

“Well, it’s about time,” Hallie said with a huff as she tossed a pair of oven mitts on the kitchen counter.