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They left most of their supplies other than one small bag at the community. They have only a few diapers for Lucy, and no towels, blankets, or food for themselves. They’re starting from scratch and the first destination is a travel stop off the beaten path.

“These places have everything,” Cole says. “Truckers would pull in and get a shower, a burger, souvenirs for their wives, and an oil change.”

Cautiously, after tapping the outside wall a few times with the shotgun butt as a warning, they enter a combination drugstore and mini-mart. Home goods line one wall and useless trinkets sit on the other in between shelves of candy bars.

“Not bad. Still got some stuff we can use.” Cole pulls a set of sheets from the plastic, fashioning a sling for Lucy. “Not as fancy as the other one, but it’ll do. ”

“My arms thank you.” Olivia groans in pleasure as the weight of the baby is lifted. “She’s getting big.”

“Growing fast. Not five pounds of potatoes anymore.”

“Did you just call Lucy a potato?”

“What? I like potatoes.”

There’s a single pack of diapers on a far wall and a backpack with a tear in the front that they grab, anyway. Olivia takes several Slim Jims, chapstick, a few pink snow balls, and a pack of underwear.

“Jackpot!” He holds up a can of sardines, opening one for Flower to eat on the floor. She inhales the tiny fish at light speed, making little humming noises of pleasure, while Cole stuffs several cans into a bag.

Olivia picks up a pack of boxers, nudging him with her elbow. “Looks like your style.”

He snorts at the reindeer smiling happily from the fabric and Rudolph’s red nose gracing the crotch, but his attention shifts to a glass case, prompting him to wander over. “Might be a good idea for you to wear one. It would be proof for the next group we meet.”

She raises a brow as he slides open the top to access a variety of rings. “Well, that’s about as romantic as the first proposal.”

“Stop, I’m serious.”

“So just me? Are you one of those guys that doesn’t wear a ring? Need to be free?”

“Pick one. I’ll wear it. Just none of those ugly shiny ones.”

She pursues the options, passing over the flashy platinum and gold he hates so much and landing on something made of wood. Earthy and raw, just like him. That’s the band that would show the world he belongs to her…if this were real. Which it’s not .

He nods his approval of her choice before taking his turn to pick hers and that’s when he balks, reaching for several rings before pulling back at the last second.

He’s putting far more effort into this than she expected, passing over the giant fake diamonds and gaudy stones before finally settling on a smaller, more delicate version of his own.

“If you want a diamond, we can get one of those instead. Just figured it might snag on things.”

“This is perfect,” she says softly, switching gears quickly to purse her lips with a tease. “Should we say something?”

“You mean like to have and to hold, blah blah blah?”

“Sure, something like that.”

She slips her palm into his offered hand while he holds the ring in the air, his tone just as light as hers. “I, Cole, promise in this here truck stop to always have your back, share my snacks with you, and go on diaper runs.”

She rolls her eyes. “That snack one is important.”

“Am I saying this or what?”

“Yes. Please continue.”

“Alright, as I was saying, snacks, diapers, whole nine yards. I’ll even beat up Lucy’s suitors when she’s a teenager.

” He pauses, something shifting that turns him serious and shy all of a sudden, as if what comes next might make her scoff or reject him.

He should know by now that her acceptance is endless.

“Promise to be good to you. Always,” he continues.

“Treat you how you deserve until you believe you deserve it, then after that, too. I won’t ever leave you.

We’ll do all those things you talked about.

Maybe not the roller coasters but the s’mores and campfire.

The dog. All of it. The three of us together. ”

This started out as a prop for their cover.

More of a joke than anything serious. She hadn’t considered any possibility beyond that.

He wouldn’t want this yet, maybe not ever, and she’d been so certain she never would again.

Yet here she is with heat prickling behind her eyes as it all becomes so very real.

“I love you,” she says simply, hoping he can see the truth of it.

She has her own vows pulled up on short notice that she wants him to know, but he’s rushing forward a moment later, responding to her admission with the warmth of his kiss.

“I was about to keep going,” she half laughs, grinning against his mouth.

“Already said enough. Love you, too. More than I thought I could love anyone.”

She hadn’t dared to hope he’d say it back. When he does, she’s certain her expression matches his own, full of relief and wonder at being given something they’d assume themselves unworthy of.

“I think we did this backward,” she smiles, realizing they hadn’t exchanged rings before diving right into the kiss.

“We do a lotta things backwards, but somehow they work out just fine. Come on, family photo.” He grabs the camera from the bag with his right hand and holds it out for a selfie, leaning in close as they hold up their ring fingers toward the lens. “Say ‘I Do’ on three.”

They both belt out those two words as he clicks the shutter.

She couldn’t get rid of her last ring fast enough.

She tossed it in the trash of that subway bathroom, leaving it behind along with the man this new world gave her a chance to escape.

It was a chain tying her to a life she wanted to forget, and she promised herself she’d never wear another.

Wouldn’t be that vulnerable for anyone, or risk another marriage that felt like a prison.

She doesn’t feel like a captive with this wooden band on her finger. She only feels lucky. It’s confirmation of a new family formed in the ruins of a broken world.