Page 106 of Sweet as Puck

“Us. Ash.” I looked down at her and smiled, the sharp pain of losing him tempered by the sheer joy of having Cara and Alec in my life.

I touched her chin, lifting her lips up to meet mine, and I kissed her tenderly. She tasted of the strawberry daiquiri she’d been drinking, and I was instantly addicted. I tangled my tongue with hers and drew her closer, pressing myself against her soft curves. We broke apart, and I nuzzled her cheek and added, “I love it here with you and Alec, sweet girl. I love our life together. I still can’t believe that the universe gave me a second chance at happiness.”

“You deserved it,” she whispered.

“He deserved what?” Alec asked as he slid in behind Cara and wrapped an arm around her waist. This bar was one of our safespaces, one of the few places in town that we freely exercised PDA.

Alec kissed Cara soundly, their mouths melding together in a slow dance. I loved watching them. They were so different, but that’s what made them perfect for each other. Cara was sunshine and happiness, and Alec was like a flower reaching up to capture the rays, slowly unfurling and coming alive. He still had his days when he second-guessed his self-worth, but his therapist helped. He was working hard to eliminate the rejection and isolation he’d struggled with for years.

Cara and I did what we could to help. We made sure we showed one another how we felt, and every chance I had, I told them that I loved them. I never wanted Alec or Cara to question what either of them meant to me again. Seeing him in the airport that day, hurting after I’d walked away from them, was something I never wanted to repeat.

I reached for him and tugged the tie free from his hair, letting the soft strands fall around his face. I loved him like that—mussed up, naked, and sleepy was my favourite Alec—but dressed in his suit and tie, he was a knockout.

Cara broke their kiss and smoothed her hand down his tie. Her voice was warm and her smile loving when she responded, saying, “A second chance at happiness. Just like you deserve too.”

Alec cupped her face and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. He breathed her in and turned his gaze to mine. Our eyes locked, and something so much deeper than desire passed through me. It was adoration. It was love and commitment and a promise to be there for one another.

I mouthed the words to Alec, and his eyes lit up, happiness dancing in them. He whispered, “I love you too.”

He grasped my nape and pulled me closer. Then he pressed a slow kiss to my lips, and I melted, needing to get closer to him. Iparted for him, our tongues tangling as I explored his mouth. He tasted of mints and that underlying flavour that was so uniquely him. My heart sang and my breath caught. I held Cara tighter, never wanting us to be apart.

They’d put me back together again. They’d mended my jagged pieces. Cara was my sunshine. If Alec was a flower, I was a butterfly. I’d been a chrysalis, trapped in a state of flux. I was neither my old self nor the person I wanted to be. But Cara came along and kickstarted my emergence. Alec taught me to spread my wings, and Cara’s light and warmth gave me the strength to fly. And that’s exactly what I’d been doing from the moment we worked things out. I was riding a high that had lasted for months, and I didn’t see us coming down any time soon. Life was only getting better.

Alec was the first to break away. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes glassy with desire. I wanted to find somewhere quiet to love on both of them, but we had plenty of time for that.

We had forever.

And they lived happily ever after.

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