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Grinning back, I hand her a cup of coffee, and she tips her head farther back for a kiss. Bending at the waist, I softly place my mouth to hers then take a seat next to her in the empty chair. “Yeah, we come home tomorrow.” She sighs, then continues, “I’m not ready. I wish I could live here forever.” She might think she could live here, but she couldn’t. It’s too quiet, and she’d miss her family after a few weeks. I don’t mind solitude, and I still couldn’t live here forever. “I’ll tell him. Tell Dad I love him. Yeah, we’ll be there. I’ll let you know when. Love you too, Mom.” She whispers the last four words then pulls the phone from her ear and drops it to her side.
“Everything okay?”
“Mom’s ecstatic. She said to give you a hug and to tell you she’s happy for us and expects us at dinner when we get back and I have a day off.”
“Good, and we’ll make that happen,” I promise, lifting my feet to the rail in front of me.
“Dad said welcome to the family,” she whispers, studying me.
I smile, grabbing her hand and bringing it to my mouth. “Told you we talked and that it’s all good between us.”
“I thought you were lying,” she murmurs, and I laugh, doing it loud, and she grins at me then sets her coffee on the ground. She stands, coming to me, settling herself in my lap, wrapping her arms around my sides, and resting her head on my chest. “I don’t want to go home tomorrow.”
“We can come back anytime.”
“Something to look forward to.”
“Yeah, Angel.” I kiss the top of her head then ask, “Do you want a big wedding or a small one?”
“I don’t know.”
“What?” I lean back to look at her, and her eyes meet mine.
“I never really thought about it before.” She shrugs.
“You plan everything, baby.”
“Until you, I didn’t think I’d find a man who I’d want to spend my life with. All my other goals have been attainable. Finding a man who loves me the way you love me seemed outlandish, completely impossible. So I never put much thought into what my life would look like if I did find a man to spend it with.”
“Time to change that,” I tell her gently, and she nods.
“What kind of wedding do you want?” she asks after a long moment of us just staring out into the forest surrounding us, soaking in the peace and just being us.
“The kind where, at the end of it, you’re my wife,” I tell her honestly, giving her a squeeze, and she laughs.
“I can do that, but when your aunt comes for Christmas, maybe she, Mom, and I can start getting some ideas together,” she says quietly, causing my chest to get warm and my gut to tighten.
“She’ll love that.”
“Good.” She leans up and kisses my jaw. “We have a plan.”
“We have a plan,” I agree as her words from earlier wash over me, ripping me open and putting me back together again. I didn’t think I’d find a man who I’d want to spend my life with. All my other goals have been attainable. Finding a man who loves me the way you love me seemed outlandish, completely impossible.
Outlandish, completely impossible. I thought the same thing—that there was no way I’d find someone perfect for me. But right when I wasn’t looking, she walked into my life, proving that every fucking thing happens for a reason.
Chapter 11
Harmony
STOPPING IN FRONT OF THE nurses’ station I look over the top at Mimi, who’s bent over a stack of papers with her head in one hand and a pen in the other as she writes. “I’m going to the gift shop to get a coffee before they close. Do you want one?” I ask.
She looks up then leans back in her chair, stretching her arms over her head. “Yes please, milk and three sugars.”
“Got it, can you keep an eye on my rooms?”
“Sure,” she agrees, and I smile.
“Be right back.” I head down the hall and out of the double doors. Stopping at the elevator, I press the down arrow, my ring catching my attention like it’s done every day for the last week. I love my ring; it’s perfect—more than perfect—I still want to pinch myself every time it catches my eye. Getting on the elevator when the doors open, I go down to the first floor, get off, and then head for the gift shop, smiling at people as I pass.
Glimpsing Dr. Hofstadter as he stands at the end of the hall talking to another doctor, I blink. His nose is swollen, there is purple and yellow bruising under his eyes, and there’s an ugly yellow-green bruise on the underside of his jaw. His eyes come to me, and as soon as our gazes lock, my stomach twists when I see the look on his face.
