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Story: Delicious

“What difference does that make?” I shake my head as frustration and longing tugs at my chest. “We shouldn’t even entertain thoughts like that, babe. It’ll just make it hurt more.”

“I don’t agree. I think we need to tell the universe what we want. I know you love me with all your heart, and you know I feel the same about you.”

I nod. “Of course. You’re the best.”

“And we both know that Liam still has space in both our hearts. I’ve never stopped loving him and I know you haven’t either. Everyone we’ve met since him…”

He doesn’t have to finish that sentence. It’s been a disaster.

“We’ve been chasing a ghost, haven’t we?”

Marco nods. “’Fraid so. We have big hearts and we crave that feeling of fullness and completeness Liam gave us.”

I shrug. “So what do we do now?”

“We could—” Marco pauses as another server comes to our table, delivering two plates with a tiny bit of food on them.

I mean I-don’t-even-know-what-it-is tiny.

“An amuse-bouche,” the server says. “Seared scallop with lemon gremolata.”

“Thank you,” Marco says as I simply nod.

The food is sitting on a black spoon, so I pick it up and scoop the whole bite into my mouth. The flavors of citrus and fresh herbs with just a hint of spice explode on my tongue.

“Whoa,” Marco says, finishing his bite. “Amazing.”

“So good.” I drink some champagne, wishing I had one more bite of that. “What were you saying?”

“I guess I just want to know if we’re still on the same page.”

“About what? Adding a third?”

“No.” Marco shakes his head. “About Liam.”

I blow out a breath. “I don’t know why it matters. He’s gone, Marco.”

“I know that, but what if…” He leans forward. “What if we found him? Would we ask him to come back to us?”

My stomach twists at the idea of seeing Liam’s handsome face again. His carefree smile and boisterous laugh filled our home once, and their absence is noticeable. Marco and I love each other, I’ve never doubted that, but we loved Liam too. We loved him enough to let him go so he could follow his dreams.

“It hurts to think about it,” I admit. “Do I miss him? Of course I do. How do you not miss a light as bright as his?”

Marco nods. “I know, but I refuse to give up hope. I know how much he loved us, and I don’t think for a minute that you just get over that kind of love.”

Chewing on my bottom lip, I nod, blinking back the emotion that always follows thoughts of Liam. “I wonder sometimes. If he’s in love now. Happy. Does he have a lover that cares about his needs like we did? Or…”

“Or?”

“Or does he still miss us? Does he still love us?”

“So then…” He exhales, smiling. “We’re on the same page? If we were lucky enough to find Liam, we’d ask him to come back?”

As terrified as I am to even think of a possibility like that, I nod. “Yeah. We’re on the same page.”

Marco squeezes my hand. “I love you so much, Des. I would do anything to make you happy. You know that, right?”

“Of course. You’ve proven that a million times over.”

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