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“He’s like you.”
Now, opening the door, I go to him, reaching out to put my hand on his forearm. He uncrosses them, wrapping me in a hug, and I tuck my face against his chest, thinking about this man as my home, my future.
He already decided.
Lips press against my head, and his voice is low. “Everything okay?”
I lift my chin to meet his blue eyes. “Liv just offered best wishes on our engagement.”
His brow lowers, and that dimple appears in his cheek. He looks up at Edward and Kimmie playing then back to me.
“I might’ve said something about you being my future wife.” His muscled arm tightens around my back. “What do you think of that?”
Laughter bubbles in my chest, and I reach for his cheeks, pulling him down for a kiss “I think it sounds pretty darn good.”
Placing his thumb on my chin, he pulls me to him for another kiss, another shimmering pass of his tongue against mine.
“It’s better than good. It’s perfect.”
EPILOGUE
Zane
Six Months Later
“It’s called forest bathing.” Rachel holds my hand as we walk along the boardwalk leading through the pitcher plant bog.
I got the book Jack recommended on cognitive behavioral therapy, and when she found it on my nightstand, she was all in with helping me practice mindfulness.
Jack keeps reassuring me it’s not woo-woo. Edward was right there with him, explaining PTSD is a real condition that can be caused by any trauma. He’d informed me CBT was a good place to start.
I simply said thanks.
“This isn’t technically a forest.” I look out at the narrow, vase-shaped carnivorous flowers. “It’s more like a swamp.”
“Forest bathing is just the term. It can apply to any natural environment where you walk and consciously connect to what’s around you.”
“Consciously connect?” My eyebrow arches, and she narrows her eyes.
“It’s not woo-woo!”
Holding up my hands, I exhale a laugh. “I didn’t say it.”
“You were thinking it.” She reaches for my hand again, and we pause, looking out across the bog full of hundreds of deep magenta and white plants. “They’re really pretty, aren’t they?”
“They eat bugs.”
“Isn’t it wonderful? Imagine what it must’ve been like down here long ago, when they didn’t have any sort of pest control.”
“Sounds like hell.”
“These plants were nature’s way of solving the problem. It’s so encouraging. There’s always a solution.”
Lifting her hand to my lips, I kiss it. “It’s true.”
School finished two days ago, and Eddie’s out at the horse farm every day with Ben. Austin started working with them as well after the football season ended.
Our little guy wrapped up a great first semester at his new school. He had the occasional challenge with figuring out the new schedule and finding his classes, but the initial weeks he’d spent with Allie paid off in helping him be comfortable in his new environment.
