Page 18 of Gone for the Ghost

“Now we figure it out together,” I reply, tightening my arms around her and marveling at the solid reality of the woman who taught me that some endings are actually beginnings in disguise.“We write the rest of our story.”

“I like the sound of that,” she says, settling more comfortably against my chest.“Though I should warn you—I’m still going to sing in the shower.”

“And I’m still going to critique your comma usage.”

“Perfect.”She sighs with contentment that speaks to the rightness of partnerships built on acceptance rather than attempts at transformation.“Some things should never change.”

Outside, Maplewood Grove continues its peaceful existence, unaware that in apartment 3B, a ghost has learned to live again and a writer has discovered that the best love stories aren’t about perfect people finding each other.They’re about imperfect people choosing to grow together, to build something better than either could create alone.

The best romances, I’ve learned, are written by people brave enough to believe that love can transcend every limitation, including death itself.And this—Lily warm and solid in my arms, our future stretching ahead like pages waiting to be written—this is better than any happy ending I could have imagined.

Because it’s not an ending at all.It’s the beginning of everything we’re going to build together, one choice at a time, for as long as love allows us to keep writing our impossible story.

***