Page 57

Because, Simon and I—we’re her home.
Always have been.
“Hey, Simon, I—”
I stop short, what I’m seeing in front of me rooting me in place.
Claire.
She’s standing at the stove, her back to me, swimming in a pair of my pajama pants and an old T-shirt from my drawer. Simon’s at the kitchen table, making his way through a stack of pancakes.
When I speak, Simon looks up from his plate and Claire turns around, both of them looking right at me.
“Where are you going?” Claire says, her brow scrunched.
“I’m going to find you.” I probably look like I feel. Disheveled. Insane.
Her lips twitch. “Do you have time for breakfast before you leave?”
I rush her, crossing the kitchen in a few long strides to pull her into my arms. Lifting her off the ground, I crush her against me. “You’re here,” I say against her neck, breathing in the smell of her.
“I am.” She laughs, pulling back just enough to see my face. “Where else would I be?”
Nowhere.
Because this is where she belongs.
Where she’s always belonged.
“Hey, Simon—” I lift my face and turn to find him watching us. “Should we ask Claire to stay?”
“For dinner?” he says, a goofy grin plastered all over his face. He has questions, I’m sure, but he looks happy. Happier than I’ve seen him in a long time. For the first time since I’ve been home, I don’t just hope. I know we’re going to be okay.
I look down at her and smile. Taking her face in my hands, I smooth my thumbs over her cheekbones, reveling in the feel of her soft skin. The color of her eyes, a soft, muted blue, aimed up at me. I lean down, lowering my mouth to brush it against hers and she sighs, the breath of it skimming across my lips as hers stretch into a smile to match my own. “Dinner could work,” I say without looking away from her. “But I was thinking more along the lines of forever.”
The End