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“But you tried, Sam.” She wiped the tears from her cheeks. “You tried to explain, and I just told you to fuck off.”
My heart cracked in two. I wanted to protect her even now from the heartache she must be feeling, the betrayal of having our folks lie like that. Bitterness still stirred in my gut, from old wounds, from years of being on my own, from being abandoned by the people I trusted most. Yet in that moment, the bitterness didn’t win. I opened my arms like I had when she was six and crying because she hurt her knee.
Nina collapsed into them, and I clung to her tight, holding on for dear life. To see her look at me with kindness once more was a gift I’d never expected, and I wouldn’t take it for granted. And I knew who was to thank for that. Nina’s hot tears stained my shirt, and I clutched her with all my might.
Nina believed me.
She believed me, and she still cared. At the end of the day, that was all that mattered.
“Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay,” I soothed, rocking back and forth. “It’s going to be okay.”
For the first time in a long, long while, I genuinely believed it. My gaze locked with Ames’s, and the gratitude roaring within me was unbelievable.
Thank you, I mouthed to her, and her stunning blue eyes crinkled at the edges with her warm smile.
This woman had stormed into my life like a hurricane, uprooting everything I knew—only to plant my roots in better soil.
I held Nina tight and basked in Amelia’s steady, loving presence as she watched over the both of us.
Nina had stayed with me and Ames through most of the day. We’d taken a break to go grab lunch at Jared’s Pizza, which meant we had leftovers for tonight because neither Amelia nor I were in shape to go anywhere.
When Nina had left, about an hour ago, we’d exchanged numbers and promised to fill in the gaps of what we’d missed out on over the years.
Ames had stripped down to a loose black tank, no bra, and her lacy panties. The sight had my core twitching to life, but we were both too bone-weary to fuck tonight. The volume of tears that had escaped me today bordered on ridiculous, and all her bruises from the fight had developed into a patchwork pattern across her skin. We had decided on a night of cuddling on her couch.
It was perfection.
She lay against me, her back to my front, and I kept my arms wrapped tight around her, like she might vanish. I still could barely believe she was mine. When I’d woken up today, I’d been sure I’d lost everything, yet tonight I had more than I could’ve imagined.
I still had my family at Knockout.
I had a new chance with my baby sister.
And I had the woman I loved in my arms.
“Fuck, I love you.” I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. A shiver rocked through her body, and I held her a little tighter.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing that,” she murmured.
“Then I’ll tell you as much as you want.” I nuzzled into her hair, inhaling the sweet scent of her, all lilies and sunshine.
“You know, making me watch Avengers again won’t change my mind over it,” Ames said. I lifted my hand and ran my fingers through her hair, and she sighed softly.
“It’s not for you. I fully expect you to pass out minutes in.”
“Rude but accurate,” she said, even though her smile was radiant. The comfort and ease between us was something I’d longed for and had never realized I’d been missing from past relationships. Ames understood me without a single explanation, and I loved her all the more for it.
I pressed another idle kiss to the top of her head. The opening scene for Avengers played on the screen, and a few slices of pizza still lay in the open box on the coffee table. Ames was curled into my arms, her lashes fluttering as I stroked my fingers through her soft waves. The heat from her, the sweetness of having those curves pressed up against me, was pure heaven. A long, elusive peace fluttered through me, settling deep in my chest.
If I got lucky, truly lucky, I would get the chance to show this woman what a treasure she was for the rest of my life.
Epilogue
Ames
Three Months Later
Today was one of those stunning fall days, all blue skies and crisp breezes.
