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“And neither did the stress or grief I felt over your absence. My body can’t sustain a pregnancy,” I say as if to remind myself that this is no one’s fault. Not really. “I won’t let you blame yourself for this.”

“And I won’t let you blame yourself, either.”

“It just happened.” I give him a sad smile, accepting that placing blame is a moot point. “It would have happened even if you hadn’t left and even if I hadn’t been drinking.”

“It just happened.” He nods softly.

“I need to know you’re not here because you feel guilty.”

“Of course not.” He pulls me closer, dropping his forehead against mine. “I’m here because I’m so madly in love with you the thought of being anywhere else would be a torture worse than death.”

A light laugh escapes my lips and he pulls back enough to study the reaction.

“I doubt anything is worse than death,” I point out.

“That’s because you don’t know what it’s like to live without you.”

“I could say the same about you.” I curl my fingers into his hair.

“Then let’s make a promise to each other right here and now that we won’t put the other through that ever again.”

“You know we can’t promise that. You don’t know what the future will hold.”

“Maybe not. But I know that I don’t want to live without you.”

“And I don’t want to live without you.”

“So then, let’s not live without each other.”

“It’s that simple?”

“It’s that simple.” He smiles down at me and for the first time since I woke up, the crushing weight on my chest feels a little less heavy.

“Okay then,” I agree.

“Okay then.” He takes my face in his hands, his mouth finding mine in an instant.

He kisses me slowly, tentatively, like he’s afraid I might shatter.

“I’m not made of glass,” I murmur against his lips. “Nowkissme.”

He smiles against my mouth and then does just that, kisses me until there is nothing left but him and me and the promise of our future together.

Chapter Twenty-one

River

Three Months Later

“Red, if you don’t hurry up, we’re going to be late.” I rap my knuckles on the bathroom door, not sure what’s taking her so long.

“I’m almost done,” she calls back, followed by a loud crash and a slew of curses.

“You okay in there?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I come in?”