Page 147 of Drive

Complete.

“I love calling you my wife,” he murmured as he stroked my skin with lazy fingertips right before his breathing evened out, his hair tickling my chin while he lay on my chest. I ran my hands through his tousled dark locks as I peered at the bookshelf across from our bed. And on that shelf sat the last few years of memories. A picture of my parents knee-deep in the freezing Pacific with matching smiles, Neil and Paige standing on the edge of the sound, hand in hand, looking over their shoulder at me right before I hit the shutter button, and Lexi and her beautiful little boy, a replica of his father, holding matching starfishes in their hands.

Lexi and Ben made Benji on our wedding night, but remained apart, their story still unfinished. But I had faith. The sleeping man in my arms gave me enough to believe they would find their way back to each other, just as miraculously as Reid and I found ours.

Our black and white wedding photo, my favorite, stood proudly on the middle shelf. Reid was kissing me for the first time as his wife, and I’d never in my life been kissed that way. I didn’t have a second thought that day. I didn’t think of Nate or the wedding we would have had. Nor did I hesitate when I walked down the aisle on my father’s arm to the man who looked at me with a reverence so powerful, he had six hundred guests tearing up. It was a moment I would relive for the rest of my life.

I used to think I was cursed for having fallen in love with two men. But, in hindsight, I realized what a gift it was. They were my lovers, my teachers, my best friends, and I would love them both until I took my last breath.

While I had also given Nate my heart, Reid had stolen the other half of my soul and refused to give it back. He was selfish with it, and never gave up on me, reciprocating my faith in him, reminding me he was there, always there, waiting for the day I would come back to claim it. He kept it safe and away from anyone who threatened to take it. And he did it by keeping his promise to me. A promise that I used to think had little to do with me, but I later realized was the start of him becoming the man he wanted to be. And in turn, we finished each other’s dream. A singular dream of a life full of love and music.

I glanced at the clock next to the photo—11:10 p.m.—and waited for the digital flip.

Make a wish, Stella.

This time I wished for Nate. I wished him the same unbelievable happiness with his new bride that I’d found. I hoped he felt the same kind of completion with the other half of his soul. I hope she kept his dreams safe, his heart guarded, and never let him forget what an incredible man he was. I hoped his life resembled his own idea of a fairytale.

Because my rock ’n’ roll fairytale had just begun.

THEEND. . . well, not really.