Page 97 of 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Forty-Two

I can’t fight off my smile. As much as I want to be here forMama and for Cliff in case anything goes left, it was hard not driving over toNaz’s hotel last night.

“He would have called, yeah,” I agree. “Head on up, Mama.”

She kisses my cheek and makes her way to the steps. I hearDaddy watching Family Feud. Surely my father isthe only one recording episodes of that show.

I make quick work of the dishes and fend off restlessness. Idon’t want to bother Naz when he’s at the dinner. Hesaid he’d call when he left to let me know how it went. As much for distractionas anything else, I climb the steps up to the roof. It seemed so much biggerwhen I was eighteen. It was the best place to come dreamand hope. Now it feels smaller and, with all us kids gone and never using it,neglected. Out of forgotten habit, I check the storage bench and grab an oldblanket, then spread it on the cement floor. It’s quiet up here, peaceful, andI wrap myself in memories—all the good times we had here as a family. Cliff wasalways on grill duty. I blink back tears as much for all that he lost as forhow our conversation ended last week.

“Someone once told me the stars feel really close up here.”

I sit up on the blanket, turning my head toward the stairsleading back into the house.

“Naz.” I almost collapse withrelief, glad to see him. Needing to hold him.

“Your mom let me up.”

He crosses the roof and settles down beside me, stretchingout on the blanket and pulling me onto his lap. I cuddleinto him, disrupting his neatly tucked shirt by slipping my hand under it anddragging my palm over his warm skin. He kisses my hair and squeezes me tighter.

“Go ahead and ask,” he says, his voice tinged with humor.

“How’d it go? With Cliff, I mean.”

“He apologized to me.”

I pull back, shock stretching mymouth open. “What? Cliff did?”

“Cliff did, and I’m sure you’ll have one coming your way,too. Apparently he went to group and got some perspective.”

The knot that’s been in my stomach since I landed yesterdayslowly loosens. “He’s okay?”

“I think he’s stronger than you give him credit for.” Nazlooks up at the stars, a small frown bending the thick line of his brows. “Ithink he’s stronger than he gives himself credit for, but yeah. He seemed to bein a better place. I told him that was good since he and I will probably berelated someday.”

I go completely still in his arms,twisting to peer into his face with the light so dim.

“You said what?” I gasp, clutching a handfulof his shirt reflexively.

“Oh, he was fine with it.”

“What about if I’m fine with it? Maybe I’m not convinced youlove me.”

He lies back on the blanket, taking me with him and pullingme up until we’re chest to chest and our faces are centimeters apart.

“I have ways of persuading you,” he says, nibbling the lineof my throat, his hand wandering up over the rise of my hip.

“Hmmm. I remember the last time we were up on this roof, allthe persuading you did. Is that what I should expect?”

As he looks into my eyes, the laughter fades from hisexpression.

“You should expect that when the time is right,” he says,his voice sure and fervent. “I’ll ask you to marry me and refuse to settle foranything but yes.”

The teasing smile dies on my lips as emotion warms my heart.

“You should expect that I’m going to spoil you and take careof you and remind you every day that I may not deserve you, but I’m neverletting you go.”

Tears gather at the corners of my eyes, and I let them fall.

“That night right here,” he says, looking around therooftop, “should have been our beginning, but instead everything went wrong.Everything in my life went right, except that. Except you.”

And it changed everything, he’s right. If Cliff had shownrestraint, not punched that coach—if he hadn’t let his resentment eat away athim, hadn’t turned to drugs…his life could have been exactly as he’denvisioned. I could have avoided an army of frogs before I found my prince. Butin the time apart from Naz, I grew into myself. Learned to accept mypreferences, my desires. I learned to listen to my body and trust my instincts.I learned what a good friend is. I learned the difference between a good man anda bad one. What I was willing to accept and what I couldn’t do without. Thoseyears made me. They made Naz. Maybe the same forces that pushed us apart whenwe were so young, so untried, delivered me literally into Naz’s arms when hewas ready for me and I was ready for him.