Page 140 of Wish You Were Mine
EPILOGUE — FIVE WEEKS LATER
ASHER
I carried the platter of pizza into the living room, breathing in the mouthwatering aroma of tomato and spices. We’d cooked this pizza ourselves, rather than using a frozen pre-packaged version, and I was proud of our efforts. I glanced up and came to an abrupt stop.
Summer sat on the sofa holding out a narrow, rectangular box with a bow tied around it.
“What’s this?” I asked, placing the pizza platter on the coffee table.
She passed me the box without answering. It was an exercise watch. Taped to the front in block letters was a note that said:
CHECK THE SPARE ROOM.
A frisson of excitement ran through me, followed quickly by nerves. What the hell was going on?
I went to the spare room. The door was shut. Odd. The doors in Summer’s cottage were rarely shut. I opened it and my jaw dropped.
“That’s a…”
“Is it okay?” she asked anxiously. “I visited the shop in Queenstown and told them I wanted the best they had.”
“It’s perfect,” I breathed, staring at the top-of-the-line indoor exercise bicycle. I turned toward her. “But what’s the occasion?”
She nibbled on her lower lip. “I was hoping you might want to move in together, and considering yours was damaged during the fire, it seemed like a good incentive to have one here.”
I laughed, drew her into my arms, and kissed her. When I pulled back, I nuzzled her nose.
“I don’t need any incentive other than you. I’ve been thinking about how much I’d like to keep living with you.” I’d been staying with her while my house was repaired. “I’m worried it might be too soon though. Doctor Friedman warned me against making any major life decisions right now.”
I’d started seeing the therapist the week after Summer was shot. God knew I’d put it off long enough. I was beginning to realize that exercise only cured so much. I couldn’t keep ignoring my mental health and hoping everything would work out.
Summer leaned against me, her curves molding to my body. “If it’s too soon, we can wait. There’s no hurry.”
I kissed the end of her nose and paused to consider the possibility. Did it feel too soon? No, not really, considering we’d been sharing her cottage for weeks already.
She rested her cheek against my chest and snuggled closer. “Why don’t you talk it over with Dr. Friedman, and if you decide you’re ready, we can find a new place together. Somewhere we both feel at home, and which doesn’t have any bad memories.”
I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “I’d love that.”
She smiled impishly. “I love you.”
“And I love you too.” I closed my eyes and held her close, reveling in the feel of her. I couldn’t believe I’d come so close to losing her.
Cookie twined beneath my legs and meowed. I bent and scooped her into our embrace, turning it into a group hug.
My family.
All those years when my family had been urging me to settle down, I hadn’t realized just how amazing it could be to have someone to call my own. Now, happiness bubbled inside me every time I so much as thought of Summer.
She was mine, and one day, not too long from now, I’d marry her.
Summer Heaton had a nice ring to it.
I kissed her forehead. Perhaps I hadn’t seen it all those years ago, but Summer was my destiny. I’d never let her go.
THE END
