“No more secrets.”
“You said something once. About how when trust is so badly broken, it can’t be fixed. I never want to do that to you, Maverick.”
He threads his fingers through mine and lifts them to his lips, peppering soft kisses against my knuckles. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”
“Oh, I think I do.”
I draw him in toward me, and we kiss, my heart reveling in how good it feels to have nothing left standing between us. Nothing to hide. Nothing to fear. Well, apart from embarking on my first proper relationship. But after everything we’ve gone through, that shouldn’t be a biggie.
“Is Clancy watching?” I murmur into his lips.
Maverick snickers into mine. “He’s doing a terrible job pretending he isn’t, but he is.”
“Ugh. Family.”
“On that note, does this mean Ridge Duporth is going to be in our lives?”
“Pending the results of multiple DNA tests, possibly. Looks like I have a knack for attracting rich assholes who won’t leave me alone.”
“As long as I’m the only rich asshole who gets to have you.”
I frame his face in my hands, pulling him close until our foreheads meet. “You are, Maverick. You are.”
EPILOGUE
Maverick
Jackson and I are huddling under a blanket on the bench under the valley oak tree, waiting for the thirtieth, and final, fireworks show to begin.
“You warm enough?” I ask, my breath painting the crisp night air white.
He snuggles into me. “I am.”
After our breakthrough at the fundraiser, I called the fireworks company the next day to change the subsequent twenty-nine messages.
Same message style, less begging tone.
We’ve watched them together every single night. The first two weeks from Clancy’s back deck. On day fifteen, Jackson’s new cabin was ready for him to move into, so we’ve been watching them from the sanctuary ever since, spelling out my messages to him, letter by letter.
The last two nights’ messages were my most personal.
And longest.
The first one was something I heard while I was in rehab, and it’s stuck with me all this time.
Everyone has two lives. The second one begins when you realize you only have one.
Finding out about Jackson’s condition has only made me appreciate that sentiment even more. We wasted so much time arguing and playing games, time we should’ve used cherishing what remained of his sight.
But we can’t go back and change the past. And I’ve learned my lesson. We only get one life, and I intend on never taking that for granted ever again.
Last night’s display was just as deep, if not a touch lighter, courtesy of the queen of country music herself, Ms. Dolly Parton.
Find out who you are and do it on purpose.
The last few months have been the most challenging and grueling of my life. Taking over the sanctuary, remaining sober, and of course, Jackson. I’ve been pushed to my limits, frustrated beyond belief, but even during the hardest times, I kept going, guided by an internal driver I’ve never had before.
Purpose.
