Page 7

LUCAS

S nowflakes whizzed past me as I sped down the side of the mountain. I hadn’t snowboarded much before, but I found that I was a natural on the slopes. I shifted my weight from side to side, then jumped to do a full three-sixty rotation and landed it with ease. Snowboarding was the perfect activity for our day off, because it really took my mind off things. I hadn’t been sure I wanted to come, but at this point we’d been at it for hours, and I’d lost count how many times I’d gone down the slopes. I was really glad Professor Warren had suggested this.

Warren had brought along a potion infused with fae illusion magic, which created isolated snowfall along a smooth slope. It was strange, because it was summer and the forest was green with foliage, yet the path ahead was nothing but ice and snow. The air was warm, and I was dressed in a t-shirt, but as I bent my knees and dragged my hand through the snow to steady myself around a curve, the snowflakes were ice cold on my fingers. The illusion would disappear in a couple of hours, but for now, it was as good as the real thing.

“Beat you to the bottom!” Professor Warren called from behind me.

I saw a flash of color, and then he was gone around another bend. “Not if I beat you first!” I called.

His laughter echoed behind him, and I bent my knees to pick up speed. Professor Warren used to be a competitive snowboarder and knew his way around the slopes. I would’ve thought his leg injury from the night Octavia Hall was destroyed would slow him down, but after being treated by a healer in Hok’evale a few weeks ago, he was doing much better. As I rounded the corner, I saw that I was catching up fast and the end of the slope was quickly approaching.

I caught up with him just as the ground evened out, and we reached the bottom of the slope at the same time. We slowed beside each other.

“Nicely done!” he praised. “Ready for another go?”

I smirked playfully. “How about this time we race to the top? You think you can keep up, old man?”

“Who are you calling old man?” he teased. Warren grabbed his snowboard under his arm and took off up the trail next to the slope.

I immediately raced after him and quickly passed him. The slope wasn’t super long—it hardly made it a fraction of the way down the mountain—but it was perfect for a day like this.

By the time I made it to the peak, I was out of breath. I set my board aside and took a swig from my water bottle, which was sitting in a pile of snacks and supplies we’d left near a large boulder. I could see Professor Warren through the trees. He must’ve realized he didn’t stand a chance, because he’d slowed down and was only halfway up the slope by now.

I sat on the boulder and breathed in the fresh mountain air. The sun had already dipped low in the horizon; we’d been here all day. The sound of Miles’s and Grant’s laughter echoed over the mountaintop as they sped down the trail. From this vantage point, beautiful greenery seemed to stretch on forever, interrupted only by the peaks of Gothic structures nestled in the valley below. Octavia Falls appeared so quiet and peaceful from up here, which was strange given everything happening in the coven right now. Looking at our town from this angle could really give a guy perspective.

I’d been sitting there alone for a few minutes when Professor Warren reached the top of the trail. “Whew. That was a close one,” he joked.

“Yeah, I won by mere inches,” I teased. “Thanks for doing this. We all really needed a break.”

Warren obviously heard my tone turn serious. He set his snowboard aside and came to sit beside me. “You want to talk?”

I knew I could trust him with anything. “I’m just thinking about how big this town is—how big the world is—and why I choose to focus on little things that don’t matter.”

“But they do matter,” Professor Warren countered. “Why do you wish to diminish your problems?”

He thought I was getting down on myself, but that wasn’t what this was about.

Still, his question prompted me to really think about the answer. “I guess if I can see that these problems aren’t as big as I’m making them out to be, then it’s easier to find solutions.”

“Does it help you to see things that way?” Warren asked curiously.

“Sometimes,” I admitted. “When I get caught up in ruminating, a slap in the face can really wake me up. It’s helpful to be able to separate the real problems from the bullshit. Losing your kid—that’s a real fucking problem. Things like helping feed and house our people are real problems.”

I gave a sigh. “But trying to gain my parents’ approval when I already know they’ll never give it is useless. I don’t understand why I’m still trying.”

“Because you care,” Warren encouraged.

“It’s just so silly to be sad all the time when all I’m really doing is just battling a voice in my head,” I said thoughtfully.

“And why shouldn’t that be treated as real as any other problem?” Warren questioned. “We filter the world through our own minds, so if we don’t treat our minds right, everything else falls to pieces.”

I propped my elbows on my knees and kept my gaze on the town below. “I guess so. But can’t I just choose to make it easier? It’s my own mind, after all. I’ve got control of it.”

“Yes, but there are parts of life we can’t control—things that happen to us that alter us forever. You cannot wrestle your mind out of feeling.”

“But I can change how I feel,” I replied. “It was an easy decision to leave my parents behind when we weren’t living in Octavia Falls, because I didn’t have to see or deal with them. Now that we’re back, I’ve got to make things right. To feel better about my parents, all I have to do is forgive them. So why does that feel like the hardest thing in the world?”

“Just because it’s simple doesn’t mean it’s easy,” Warren said. “Have you considered that if you’ve tried to forgive them and it hasn’t worked, perhaps that’s not what you need? Sometimes, there are problems we can’t fix, and so all we can do is move on, because the damage is already done, and trying to fix them isn’t ever going to make it feel better.”

I furrowed my brow. “How can you move on without forgiving people?”

“Forgiveness is a misnomer, because everyone has a different way of viewing it. For some people, forgiveness is not about accepting or excusing behavior, but simply releasing anger and resentment, even if the person who did them wrong doesn’t deserve it. But for others, the anger and resentment is serving them, and so to release does them a disservice.”

“How can anger and resentment be a good thing when it doesn’t feel good?” I asked curiously.

“It only feels bad when you’re resisting it and wallowing in it. If you’re willing to accept your anger, it no longer has a hold on you, and you can use it to fuel yourself, until that anger dissipates without the need for forgiveness at all.”

“Hmm…” I mused on his words. “Let me get this straight. I let my parents back in because I thought that was the path to forgiveness and healing. But you’re saying if I accepted my anger, I could use that to uphold my boundaries, which would’ve protected my family. I don’t have to sit in the anger, but just use it as needed?”

Professor Warren nodded. “That’s it exactly.”

I sighed heavily. “Does it ever end, Professor? I’m so sick of learning these lessons over and over again.”

Warren chuckled lightly. “I’m in my forties, Lucas. I’m not an ancient wiseman. I’m still learning a lot myself. But I will say it does get better, as long as you put in the work. This is a lifelong journey. What worked for you yesterday may not work today. Life can’t be solved by a single epiphany, but progress can be made, and you’ve made so much progress. But you don’t have to do it alone. We’re all here for you. Whatever you need, we’re going to back you up.”

“What does Lucas need?” Miles asked as he trudged up the trail. Grant followed closely behind him.

“A fucking happy pill—that’s what I need,” I cracked. It felt good to laugh about it, because I always took life so seriously, and it wasn’t doing me any favors. “Nothing to worry about. Just the same shit, different day.”

Warren wore a curious expression. “It’s not the same, though. You’re discovering new facets of yourself all the time. This problem with your parents is a new angle you haven’t dealt with before, because you’ve never been the person you are now. You’re a husband and a father now. You’re not just dealing with your parents, but with your son’s grandparents. Before, the decision was whether or not to let them be a part of your life. Now you have to decide if you want them to be a part of your son’s life.”

“I guess that’s true,” I said. “It’s hard, because I want my kid to grow up around family, but I don’t want him around my dad. But if they aren’t around, he won’t grow up with grandparents. I think my mom would be a really good grandma, but not if my dad’s around. Nadine’s already made the decision—as long as my mom’s still with my dad, she doesn’t get to see Marcus.”

“Is that what you want?” Grant asked, sounding concerned.

“I don’t think Nadine’s wrong,” I admitted. “My mom screwed up bringing my dad around, and I’m not about to give her a second chance on that. But I do think it’d be all right for my mom to come see Marcus if Nadine and I were there.”

Grant frowned. “It sounds like Nadine gave you an ultimatum, which isn’t fair. She’s got to realize Marcus is your kid, too. If you want him to have a relationship with your mom, Nadine needs to support you.”

Miles scowled. “I’m sure it’s not that simple. Nothing’s more important than keeping Marcus safe.”

“Nadine’s just trying to protect our kid, and I don’t blame her for that,” I said. “I think what’s hard about this stuff is that there’s so much nuance, and on top of that everyone’s emotions are involved.”

“Did you mean it—about the happy pill?” Miles wondered.

I scoffed. “Nadine seems to think I need one. I’m really not sure it’s for me.”

“It could be worth trying,” Miles suggested. “Antidepressants really helped me by stabilizing my emotions. It’s like all my life I’ve been on this emotional roller coaster—either climbing a mountain or standing at the edge of a cliff ready to fall off. Now it’s like a weight has been lifted. This impending worry and rage that used to follow me everywhere has calmed down. I still feel like me, but it’s like my mood swings don’t control me anymore. The track ahead feels smooth. I’m telling you this because I resisted meds for a long time, thinking that I was weak to give in, but it’s just another tool, and there’s nothing weak about accepting help. Our brains don’t work the same way other people’s do, but that just means that our version of normal is different, and we need to find our own tools to operate effectively.”

“You should’ve seen this guy a couple of years ago,” Grant said. “Miles couldn’t hardly operate a fork. He was all like, What’s the point in eating? Nothing tastes good anyway. ”

“It was bad,” Miles admitted. “But I finally took control of my life, and now look at me! I’m the youngest sheriff Octavia Falls has ever had, I’ve got great friends, and I’m engaged to the hottest chick in the state! I’m finally in a good place, and I want that for you, too, Lucas.”

Warren turned to me. “At the very least, it may be worth speaking to your therapist about your options.”

“I’ve got to do something,” I agreed. “The last thing I want is to let my parents affect my life any more than they already have. I just don’t want to be a bad dad and make the wrong decisions for my son.”

“You’re a brand new father,” Warren encouraged. “You haven’t had the time to be a bad dad yet. So go say hello to your baby boy and be the best damn father there ever was.”

“Yeah, you know what? I am a great dad,” I said as I stood from the boulder. “I’d do anything for my son, and that’s more than my dad could ever say about me. My child isn’t going to be raised by a broken father like I was. I’ll never be like him, because no matter what, I’ll be there for Marcus. That starts with taking care of myself, so I can give him all of me.”

“Yeah!” Grant cheered, throwing a fist into the air.

“That’s the priest we know and love!” Miles exclaimed.

“What exactly is your plan?” Warren asked.

“I need to get my health back on track and go back to therapy,” I said. “At the very least, I’ve got to start meeting with Dr. Mack again.”

Warren offered a kind smile. “I’m proud of you, Lucas.”

“Thanks, all of you,” I said. “I know it’s not easy listening to me whine.”

“But we love Whiny Lucas,” Grant teased.

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure I’m a joy to be around.”

“No, you know what?” Grant stated firmly. “I’m serious! Whiny Lucas is a guy who’s aware of his problems and determined as hell to find a solution. You’re always looking for ways to make things better, and then you go out there and you do it, dammit. I’ll take Whiny Lucas any day over some complacent warlock who’s just going to sit inside their comfort zone and accept shit for the way it is. Does it get annoying sometimes? Sure, but you know what? You’re our whiny, annoying little bitch, and goddess, we love you for it.”

Everyone stared at Grant as his passionate speech echoed across the mountaintop. A silent beat passed, and then I broke into laughter—full body, clutch-my-stomach laughter.

“Fuck, man,” I cracked up. “You just don’t hold back, do you? Come here.”

I pulled Grant into a hug and clapped him on the back. Strangely enough, he told me exactly what I needed to hear. “Goddess, you make me sound so emo,” I joked.

Miles shrugged. “Well, I mean, if it quacks like a duck…”

I slugged him lightly, and he ducked away from me, laughing. “If that’s what I am, I’ll own it. I’ll be the best damn emo dad there ever was.”

Grant snickered. “You’ll raise little emo babies!”

“Maybe I will,” I challenged playfully. “At least if Marcus grows up to be a little emo kid like me, I’ll know how to handle him.”

Grant nudged me in the side. “You say that, until you realize you’re just raising a carbon copy of yourself.”

“Dear Goddess, no,” I groaned. “I can’t imagine.”

“Marcus will be his own person, with his own set of interests and challenges,” Professor Warren encouraged. “But no matter what happens, he’ll have great parents to lead him in the right direction.”

“Thanks,” I said.

Professor Warren shot a glance at the setting sun. “We should gather our things and head back to town.”

“One last race down the mountain?” Grant suggested. “The winner gets all the glory.”

“You’re on,” I agreed.

We gathered our things, then took off down the slope one last time.

“Speed it up, Grandpa!” Miles trash-talked Warren.

Warren didn’t say a thing as he passed Miles, spun one-hundred and eighty degrees to board backwards, and still out maneuvered us all.

We laughed all the way to the bottom. Warren had beat us all by a mile, and Grant came in second. He wouldn’t let us forget it, either.

“Professor Warren used to snowboard competitively, so it doesn’t really count that he won,” Grant claimed. “So technically , I came in first place.”

Miles clapped him on the back. “If that’s what you want to believe.”

Professor Warren had brought his own car, and we’d come in mine. We piled into our respective vehicles and descended the mountain, going our separate ways.

When we arrived home, the girls were in the living room doing their nails. The cats lazed around, all except Rishi, who was chasing a toy bat.

“Times have changed since I was young,” Rose was saying. She sat in her wheelchair, holding her hands out in Chloe’s direction. Chloe painted Rose’s nails a deep red. “When I was a kid, my friends and I would sneak out of the house, strip down under the night sky, and perform séances in the woods!”

Chloe gasped playfully. “Rose, you naughty girl.”

“Wasn’t nudity more taboo when you were younger?” Talia asked. She wiggled a stuffed animal at Marcus, who was squirming around on the floor.

Rose scoffed. “I was a rebellious child and very in touch with my sexuality. Don’t tell me you girls have never danced naked under the full moon.”

“Never in a group, but I would not be opposed,” Onyx said. She leaned over and painted polish onto Nadine’s toes.

“It sounds freeing,” Nadine agreed. She sat curled up under a blanket next to Onyx.

Miles chuckled as we stepped into the room. “Count me in!”

Chloe threw a cotton ball at him. “You weren’t invited.”

He kissed her on the side of the cheek. “I guess we’ll have to schedule a ritual of our own.”

“Oh, please.” Chloe rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t hide the blush rising to her cheeks. She wouldn’t admit it, but she was totally smitten by him.

Grant went to sit beside Talia on the floor, and he tickled Marcus’s belly. I leaned over the arm of the couch to give Nadine a kiss, but I immediately picked up that something was off. The kiss wasn’t as soft as normal, and there was a hint of concern in her eyes.

“Did you have a good day?” I asked.

The girls went quiet, and all eyes turned to Nadine. She pulled the blanket off of herself, revealing an ice pack on her hands underneath.

My stomach dropped. “Nad, what happened?”

“A flare-up.” She cleared her throat, because just saying that seemed to choke her up. “Everything’s going to be okay. I went to the doctor, and I got a steroid injection. It should help.”

“I should’ve been here for you,” I insisted.

“There’s nothing you could’ve done,” she replied. “I tried calling, but you didn’t have service. I had my girls here, and they helped.”

Marcus started crying then, and Grant quickly backed away. “I didn’t do anything! I swear.”

“He’s okay,” I assured him. “He’s just hungry.”

“Tired, too, I’m sure,” Talia said. “He missed his afternoon nap.”

She went to pick him up, but Nadine cut in. “Lucas and I can put him to bed. You guys have helped so much already.”

I took Marcus from Talia’s arms and rocked him back and forth. “I’ll start his bottle,” I told Nadine. “Come to our suite whenever you’re ready.”

I wanted to hear all about her day, but I didn’t want to rush her. I went to our room and changed Marcus, then fed him a bottle. He was out cold before he finished the whole thing. I set him in his bassinet and quietly closed the bedroom door behind me. Nadine was sitting on the couch in our living area, and the door to our suite was closed.

I sat beside her. A tear fell down her cheek, and I reached out to wipe it away. “Nad, I’m sorry I wasn’t here. I should’ve checked on how you were doing before I left. I thought I was letting you sleep in, and Goddess knows none of us are getting enough of it lately. I didn’t stop to think if there was something more going on.”

“It’s not your fault,” she assured me. “There’s no use in assigning blame. I’m not angry; I’m frustrated. But I gained some perspective today, and I don’t want to keep fighting.”

“Thank Alora, because I can’t handle fighting with you, either,” I said. “I came to you for help, but I should’ve realized you were struggling, too. I’m really sorry I put all that on you.”

“I’m your wife, and it’s okay to come to me if you need help,” she countered. “I don’t want you to ever feel as if you can’t lean on me, because that’s what marriage is for. I really wanted to help you, and I got frustrated when it felt like I couldn’t. It wasn’t right of me to take it out on you. When things get hard, we have to recognize where we’re at and figure out what works for us at different times. Some days, I’m going to have to lean on you more, and others, you’ll lean on me. Marriage isn’t about never fighting, but navigating those disagreements together.”

“I agree. I know you were just worried about our family, and I could’ve done a better job at trying to understand your perspective. I’d like to work together on this, and I’m willing to explore all our options.”

“Maybe my suggestions weren’t the best solutions,” Nadine admitted. “I pushed when I shouldn’t have, and I’m sorry. Your depression is like my disability. It doesn’t ever go away, even when you get better, but we can work with it and find solutions. Ultimately, that means the decision is up to you. I will be here to support you whatever you decide, on the medication issue and with your parents.”

She had no idea how much those words warmed my heart. “And I’ll be here for you,” I promised. “I want you to know how deeply I value your opinion, and if you don’t want Marcus around my parents, we can take a step back from them for now. If we decide to change our minds in the future, we can talk about that, but we need to be on the same page and make that decision together.”

Nadine sniffled. “I don’t want you to feel pressured by my opinion, though. I want you to stay true to yourself, and then we come together and find ways that work for both of us.”

“And I don’t want you to ever stop expressing yourself ,” I insisted. “You weren’t trying to push me—you were just offering options because you care. I thought about what you said, and I’ve decided to resume therapy with Dr. Mack. I’ll talk to her about medication. I still don’t know if it’s for me, but the least I can do is get more information about it so I can make an informed decision.”

“If that’s what feels good to you, then I’ll support that,” Nadine replied. “I know we can take care of each other, but to do that, things need to change. Our work schedule isn’t sustainable. We can only get so much done in a day before we crash, and anything after that is wasted time anyway, because our productivity plummets.”

“Are you suggesting we cut back our hours?”

“I don’t think we have any other option,” she said. “My illness flared up and your depression is coming back because we’re running ourselves into the ground.”

I was apprehensive, but deep down, I knew she was right. “If we focus on ourselves, the community is going to suffer. There aren’t enough hours in the day to focus on the coven and ourselves. If we make this choice to take time off, it’s a selfish one.”

“I know, but we have to do it even if we don’t want to,” Nadine said sadly. “I don’t know about you, but I can’t keep going like this. I’m not capable of working efficiently through this kind of flare-up. I need to heal, so I can give my all to the coven and fix these problems for everyone.”

I chewed the inner side of my lip. “How can this be the right decision? Our people need us.”

“And we’ll help them as much as we can, but we need to know our limits.” Nadine frowned. She clearly didn’t like this any more than I did. “I thought we could help everyone, but now I’m not so sure, because so many people don’t even want our help. We need to get our health in order before we face the priestesses, or we don’t stand a chance. That’s really the only way we can help everyone.”

I took her hand in mine. “All right. We’ll reduce our hours and focus on getting better.”

Nadine let out a sigh of relief. “I really appreciate you being here, because even though we had a fight, I know we can come together and solve it. We just need to communicate.”

“And we’re improving,” I agreed. “Nadine, I promise you that no matter what comes our way, I will never stop putting in the effort.”

She wiped her eyes. “I will always be here, too, Lucas.”

“I love you,” I whispered as I caressed the side of her face.

I leaned in, and my heart lifted as my wife closed the space between us. I placed a gentle kiss on her lips, and she responded with a soft moan. She tasted so sweet. Desire for her ignited deep in my belly. Our passion was unmatched as our emotions ran high, tangling into one another and igniting a fervor between us.

“I love you, too.” Nadine’s hand traveled up my chest, then to the back of my neck, where she ran her fingers in my hair. She drew me closer. “I’ve missed this.”

I tenderly kissed her again, intentionally being careful with her. She kissed me over and over, and my dick hardened. It’d been so long since we’d been intimate, because we’d been waiting for her body to recover from delivery.

I pulled away from her. “Nad, we should wait. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Her fingers tightened in my hair as she pulled me closer and parted her lips against mine. “So be gentle,” she breathed.

She was deliberately trying to drive me wild, and it was working. My head spun as she leaned back, until she was lying on the couch. I was extra careful not to put any weight on her.

I had to practically wrestle myself away from my wife, and by the time I did, I was already panting in wanting. “We need protection.”

She shook her head. “I’m not ovulating yet. We almost never get to do it without a condom, and I want to feel your skin on mine.”

“Are you sure you want this?” I had to make sure we weren’t getting ahead of ourselves.

Desperation flared in her gaze as she locked eyes on me. “I don’t want it, Lucas. I need it. Being close to you like this… it helps. So please, Lucas… make me yours.”

She dragged me close again, sealing her request with a kiss. My dick gave a jerk in my pants, and I wanted nothing more than to fill her up and show her just how much I loved her.

Carefully, deliberately, I began trailing soft kisses down her neck and across her collarbone. Nadine gave tiny moans of pleasure that turned me on even more. I helped her slip out of her clothes, then situated a pillow under her head as she laid back, fully exposed.

Her breasts had swelled during pregnancy, and they were still larger than normal, which was really fucking hot. She ran her hands over her chest in a sensual way, showing them off. Fuck it all if that didn’t drive me absolutely insane.

I knelt beside her and kissed her belly, which was different now that she’d given birth. The skin there wasn’t as firm as it used to be, and she had stretch marks that were still fading. I kissed each one of them, because honestly it was the sexiest fucking thing in the world. She’d carried my babies and given life to our children. So yeah, if I had the chance to kneel at her side and give her all of me, I was going to fucking worship this woman.

It felt more than appropriate, because Nadine might as well have been a goddess herself with the hold she had on me. I didn’t mind falling to my knees and worshiping her. In fact, I found great pleasure in succumbing to her every desire. Nadine had always said she wanted us to stand on equal ground in the relationship, and for the most part we did, but when it came to moments like this, our primal nature emerged and I realized it was natural to submit to her—not because I put her on a pedestal for everything I thought she could be, but because I honored her for everything she already was.

Nadine closed her eyes and took in the sensations of my lips caressing every inch of her body. My tongue grazed her nipple, and I ached to take her in my mouth.

“May I?” I asked.

“Yes,” she begged.

I drew her nipple into my mouth, and I nearly came right then and there. I brought myself to my full height on my knees, straining to withhold my burning passion as I drank her in. She tasted so sweet.

She moaned in pleasure. “Fuck, that feels so good.”

I trailed my delicate touch up her legs, gently stroking her at the apex of her thighs. She let out a light sigh that begged for me to continue. I slipped a finger inside of her and worked her slowly.

I couldn’t resist her intoxicating scent, and I climbed onto the couch between her legs to take her in my mouth. She gasped as my tongue rolled over her sensitive areas. I explored her body with my fingers and tongue for a long time. I didn’t want the beautiful moment to end.

“I want you inside of me,” Nadine begged.

I lifted my head from between her legs, my breath unsteady with a craving for her. Nadine kept her eyes on me as I unbuttoned my jeans and stripped down. She smiled at the sight of my cock, which was hard and ready for her. Carefully, I positioned myself above her. Nadine tilted her head back and closed her eyes. I slid my cock inside her gradually, deliberately drawing out the sensation. She was so warm and velvety, and she enveloped me completely. My heart hammered, and my breath wavered as I made her my own.

Nadine bit her lower lip as I filled her up. “Keep going,” she pleaded.

I wrapped an arm around her waist, supporting her hips as they tilted upward into me. I drew myself out of her slowly, then pushed into her again in a steady rhythm. It felt so fucking good to be this close to her. I watched her facial expressions to make sure I wasn’t going to hurt her, but she parted her lips and begged for more. I went deeper, but I didn’t increase my speed. I wanted to make love to her, for her to feel safe and cared for, so I moved inside of her at a soft, tender pace.

Nadine’s fingers tightened in my hair. “I’m going to go… Fuck, Lucas?—”

Nadine reached her peak, and her body contracted around my cock. It was my complete undoing. I came inside of her, thrusting as deep as I could go as we spiraled into a beautiful orgasm together.

I sagged against the back of the couch, my head spinning. “Do you… feel any better?”

Nadine gave me a soft smile. “With you, I always feel better.”

I climbed off of her and began cleaning up, then came back with a blanket that I draped over her. I put on a pair of shorts and sat beside her on the couch. Nadine cuddled close to me, and I wrapped my arms tightly around her. Her naked body felt wonderful against my exposed skin.

I kissed the top of her head and played with the ends of her hair. “Thank you for being here, Nadine. You don’t have to be, but the fact that you chose me, and continue to choose me every day, makes me the luckiest guy in the world.”

She entwined her fingers in mine. “It’s easy to choose you when you’re so kind and gentle with me. Even when things get tough, you come in and say, I want to do better, and I’m going to. Being able to grow alongside each other and build a life together means so much to me. If we were perfect, there’d be no room for growth, and I want to keep growing and experiencing life with you. As long as we keep working together, we’ll make it through anything.”

“We will,” I promised—at least, I hoped so. Professor Warren was right when he said some of these problems didn’t have solutions, and never would.

That didn’t mean we’d ever stop trying to fix them.