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“I—” I exhale. “Never mind. I should be calm. I’ve called Ethan, and he said he’s on it. He’s going to that imposter. I’m sure.”
“I think we’ve gone past the stage where we hide things from each other,” Lily says softly. “Besides, if you don’t tell me, how do I know how to help?”
I take her hands.
“I feel like a failure,” I say. “I should have acted on my instincts and looked into him earlier. But I wanted to give him a chance. I didn’t want to be the paranoid, distrustful person. And look where it got me.
“He could have taken you, Lily. You… I almost lost you.” My voice breaks.
She cradles my face with her hand, looking into my eyes. “But you didn’t. For you, you might have reacted late, but for me, you were there in the nick of time. Logan, you believed every word I said, and I’d like to think that something you did or said prevented him from acting on his plan.”
“But…” My throat chokes up. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Maybe not in the active sense, but you’ve been very protective of me. I’m sure he must have seen that and backed off,” Lily says.
I open my mouth to argue, but she silences my speech with a kiss. Her lips, slanted against mine, catch me unaware at first, but the warmth soon spreads to all parts of my body. I wrap my arms around her, pulling Lily close.
Her scent engulfs my senses; the feeling of finally crossing the line we’ve been tiptoeing around feels like a prolonged euphoria that I bask in. I run my hands over her back, marveling at how good it feels to hold her in my arms.
Like every doubting thought—every barrier I’ve set up suddenly disappears.
I sigh when she pulls away.
“That… we should have done that long ago.”
“But—” I leave the rest unsaid.
She nods. “I know. The unknown variables. Why don’t we find out what they are, then?”
“Are you sure you want to see them? I know they are your belongings, but you’ve been torn between knowing about your life and living a new one.”
Lily takes my hand, and we interlock fingers.
“I have you, don’t I?”
“Don’t forget about me!” Madison yells, jumping off her seat. “I’m coming too.”
I open my arms, she runs into them, and I ruffle her hair. “I’m sorry, pumpkin. I’m sorry I scared you.”
She shakes her head. “It’s okay. You were worried about Lily getting into danger. I was also worried, but didn't know how to help.”
“You’re helping me already,” Lily says. “You and your dad are supporting me on each side. Which,” she shrugs with a smile, “is just perfect.”
I can see the fear she’s hiding in her eyes, and I reach out to squeeze her hand. To remind her that no matter what, I’ll be here. Whatever the outcome, I won’t let her deal with it alone.
“I don’t know how to feel,” Lily says as I sit beside her on the front porch hours later.
I kiss the top of her head. “Maybe you should give it some time? It’s a lot to unload, I know that.”
She turns to me, and I see the tears in her eyes.
“I mean, it feels so good to have pieces come together finally. I can remember a couple of things, like my name, the fact that I was a nurse, and I was supposed to be on leave. But the rest—I don’t know. If you lose a partner, aren’t you supposed to feel grief?”
I don’t know how to answer that. Because on my end, there is still a sense of loss when Sarah crosses my mind. But what I felt for the most part of the last two years was guilt. That is why I’m unable to offer words of comfort or advice.
“I don’t know,” I end up saying. “I wish I have the words you need, Kaylee. I want to take away your worries. I want to promise you that you’ll never have to deal with something like this again—to hold you so close that you get relief, at least for tonight.”
“Kiss me, then,” she says.
