Page 68 of Carson

Her eyes light at the sound of it, and she smiles.

“I completely gutted the van when I got it. The dragonfly was the only thing I kept,” she admits, moving her hand from my chest to the scruff on my face.

We stay like that for a few minutes, soaking in the final quiet moments of our trip.

“I will cherish coming here with you forever,” I whisper.

“Me too,” she agrees. “But now it’s time to get back to Cole.”

I groan, wondering why she had to go and bring him up, ruining the moment.

“He messaged me tonight,” she continues.

That fucking stings. He’s ignored me this entire trip.

“He misses you, too.”

“He said that?”

“Well, not in so many words …” She grabs my face with both hands when I cut her off with the noise I make, and the roll of my eyes. “I heard it in what he did say. He’s hurting, Carson. He thinks he’s losing you. You have to show him that he’s not.”

“How do I do that?”

“You just have to continue to be there.”

“He’s pushing me away.”

“I was going to push you away tonight, but you didn’t give up.”

“I never give up on the people I love,” I say, and as the words leave my mouth, I understand what she’s saying. There is nothing I can do but show him that I’m not going anywhere.

“Funny, he said the same thing about you.”

“He and I are kind of a package deal,” I say hesitantly, because this is probably something I should have said before asking her to make a commitment to me.

“I know. I’m okay with that. Cole is part of what made you into the man I’m falling in love with.”

“That goes for all of the people in our pasts …” I let my words trail off, hoping she understands what I’m saying.

I accept that her father will also be a part of our lives. To an extent. What he did shaped parts of her life, whether either of us likes it or not. I can be angry about it while still embracing the vulnerable, scared parts of her he changed forever. I can hate what created those scars without loving her any less because of them.

The way she curls into my chest tells me she understands what I’m getting at.

“Thank you for wanting me just the way I am,” she whispers against my skin.

“Thank you for choosing me,” I whisper back.

Tomorrow, when we fly home, we’ll step off that plane as Luna and Carson.

Luna and Carson.

Not Cole and Carson.

I’ll admit that it does hurt a bit …

but growth always does.

Chapter Twenty-Four