Sammy needs me to be there for him.
Wagner needs me to make his life harder and easier in equal measure so that maybe one day, he can finally open up to me.
The staff and animals at the rescue center need me to make the place financially viable.
And Jackson needs me. Maybe he’d never say that out loud, but he does. There’s nothing wrong or weak about that. It’s okay to need someone. It’s what makes us human.
“Did I ever tell you about my bench theory?” I ask, tugging my coat tighter around my body.
“No. What’s that?”
“Do you remember the first time we spoke out here?”
“I do. It was the day you waltzed in and announced you were the new owner.”
“Correct. Except I didn’twaltzin here. I walked like a normal person. Anyway, after I made the announcement, you were riled up. I suggested we go outside to talk.”
He grins. “More witnesses for your murder?”
“Exactly. You sat right at the very edge of the bench, as far away from me as possible. I thought it was funny. You were probably too angry to notice.”
“I was.”
“Whenever we’d meet out here, I’d observe where you sat. Little by little, you started moving in closer.”
“So that’s why you’d smile and look so ridiculously happy for no reason. It all makes sense now.”
“You’re wrong. I did have a reason. I took your physical proximity as a sign of how we were progressing.”
The corners of his mouth dip, and his shoulders droop. “That’s…that’s actually really sweet.”
I reach for his hand. “Then why do you look sad?”
“Because it just makes me realize how much of a jerk I was to you.”
“You had your reasons.”
“That doesn’t excuse my behavior.”
“True. But there’s a world of difference betweenactinglike a jerk andbeinga jerk. You’re a good person. A little rough around the edges, but that has its charm.”
“You say that now.”
“I’ll say that forever.”
His lips part, but before either one of us can say anything, the night sky erupts in sparks and glitter for the final message.
I wrap my fingers tighter around his, watching his face the whole time as I read out the letters to him.
I
L
O
V
E
