Page 94 of Dandelions and Smoke

“Here’s what else I know,” he says, his baby-blue eyes looking stormier than the clouds above us. “You give everyone around you the one thing you’ve always wanted: unconditional love. You make sure that everyone knows how special and important they are to you.”

My breath hitches, and I pull my lip in between my teeth as he continues.

“We’re all here to make sure that you realize, that you know, you deserve the same love you give ten times over. We all love you, Rory.” He glances at everyone around us, and I do the same. They nod, and I feel it in every fiber of my being that what he’s saying is true.

Lucas clears his throat, and Billy, Blake, and Tris take the hint, filing inside to give us privacy as Chief gently leads me to sit with him on a bench just off the porch.

“I’ve loved you since before I even knew your name and every day since. I have spent each second with you falling in love. I love you, Rory Bolton. Nothing and no one is ever going to change that. I won’t ever let that happen, and whatever I have to do to make sure you know it, I’ll do.” He wipes a stray tear from my cheek. “If I have to move to Florida to make sure you’re never cold again, then that’s what I’ll do.”

A watery laugh escapes me as I blink away the tears that refuse to cooperate, wiping at the ones that get away with the sleeve of my flannel.

“I love you too, so much,” I start, my voice quivering despite my efforts to steady it. “But what about Jasenia? What about Scout? If Lettie explained what happened, then you know I can’t be the reason a child doesn’t have his father or watch you resent me when she makes your life a living hell because I’m in it.”

His expression softens at the edges, a small, sad smile on his face as he trails his hand over my curls and cups my cheek. “You have the most beautiful heart and a capacity for empathy unlike anyone I’ve ever known. You left because you thought you were protecting me from an impossible choice, but I need you to understand that this isn’t about choosing between you and my son. This is about all of us. I’ve told you once before that I choose us and I still mean it, but now it means something different.”

“So, what are you saying?” I ask, needing to hear the words.

Dropping his hand from my cheek, he looks out toward the pasture. “I want us to be a team, making decisions together. This isn’t just my life anymore. It’s ours. Our life, our mess, and I don’t want it any other way.”

He falls silent beside me, giving me the time to find the meaning behind his words and understand each one without feeling rushed. For a heartbeat, his gaze drifts past my shoulder, unfocused and lost in thought. When his eyes find mine again, they’re brighter than before, lit by a fragile hope that steals my breath.

He’s choosing to stay, even when leaving would be easier.

The pressure that has been weighing me down for weeks now finally lifts, and I take what feels like my first deep breath since I left. Biting my lip, my thoughts begin to settle, and I place my hands around his neck, knowing that there’s no way I’ll ever walk away from this man again, no matter how messy things get.

“Our life,” I agree, with a small nod and smile. I was willing to break my own heart to protect his, but here he is, putting the pieces of mine back together.

I pull him closer, sharing with him a kiss that feels like a promise. He wraps his arms around me, and I melt into him, feeling at peace and like I’m exactly where I belong when I’m in his arms. As our lips collide, his fingers dig into my skin with a possession and need that’s demanding and desperate. The time apart has only made everything between us burn brighter.

Lightning cracks across the sky and thunder erupts as if on cue, causing me to take a sharp intake of breath as I break away and look up at the sky. A single raindrop falls, landing on my cheek. Another lands on Chief’s shoulder, and within seconds, the drizzle becomes a relentless downpour as if the heavens above were waiting for this moment.

Looking at Chief, a lopsided grin forms on my face as I stand. Another clap of thunder sounds as I pull all the pain, every echo that’s buried itself deep within me, up and to the surface, allowing the rain to wash it all away.

Chief joins me, threading his fingers through mine with a deep chuckle as I laugh and lift my face to the storm, arms wide, welcoming this new beginning just as I welcomed the night we met.

TWENTY-ONE

RORY

We’re soaked through our clothes, the rain a steady rhythm around us, when the screen door clatters, bouncing off the house.

“What the hell are you two still doing out here?” Billy calls from the porch, his words muffled beneath the endless percussion of the storm.

I grin at Chief, and he shakes his head as we make our way onto the porch and out of the storm.

“Is everything right in the world again?” Blake asks, wrapping a towel around me and, to my surprise, handing one to Chief.

“I’m not sure I can speak for the whole world,” I answer, shaking my hair out to get Tris all wet as she joins us. “But everything in ours is.”

She’s batting my arm as Lettie walks outside.

“That’s fantastic news. Now if it’s alright with everyone else, we’ll see ya’ll later.”

“Wait, what? Where are you going?” My gaze ping-pongs frantically between her and Lucas.

“Apparently someone has been in labor and didn’t want to tell anybody,” Lucas says, shooting her a glare as he follows behind her, carrying three duffel bags and a body pillow.

“What?” erupts from all five of us at once.