“I cannot live without you, my love,” Louis tells Maya with the kind of sincerity that can’t be faked. He takes her hands and holds them with the intent of making sure everyone around him can tell just how tightly he’s gripping. Like he’s announcing that Maya is his and only his. “If you’ll have me, I’ll follow you anywhere.”
Gross.But no matter how disgusting I think it is, Maya seems to think it’s the best thing she’s ever heard because she’s giggling with joy and nodding vigorously. “Yes! Yes! I want you to come!”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” I hear Cody groan in exasperation, which only makes me all the more supportive of my best friend’snew companion. Maybe Cody is a sweetheart—mysweetheart—but I still think it’s funny to see him so worked up over his baby sister having a boyfriend. He’s such a cliché.
“Oh, stop it!” I scold him. “Be happy for them. They found love. You gotta hold onto that once you get it.”
Louis nods in agreement, staring at Cody. “It’s true. And I do love your sister. More than I have ever loved anyone or anything ever before.”
Cody eyes Louis warily but takes a step closer. “You mean that?” he asks, and Louis nods vigorously.
“I swear. I will never hurt her, for as long as I live.”
Cody thinks for a moment, then gives a small nod. “Well, alright. I give you my blessing.”
Louis thanks Cody profusely, gathers his and Maya’s bags, and walks hand in hand with her into the terminal. Cody and I stay outside. I don’t think I can handle having to watch my best friend get on a plane. It might break my heart.
“You know what you said about love?” Cody asks after a moment of sad silence. “That you have to hold onto it?”
I nod. “Yeah. What about it?”
Cody shrugs, but I catch the small smile spreading on his lips. “Nothing. Just that I’m glad you stayed. It’ll make it easier to hold onto you when you’re sleeping in my bed with me.”
I blink, putting the puzzle pieces together. “Wait… you mean…”
Cody takes my hand and squeezes it tightly. “I love you, Darcy. A lot. And I think I always have.”
I think I might literally burst with excitement. I didn’t know it was possible to feel this happy. I never thought another man would tell me he loved me for as long as he lived, let alone Cody. But God, am I glad he did.
“I love you, too,” I tell him softly. “More than I ever thought it would be possible to love anyone.”
EPILOGUE
DARCY
Cody looks so precious in the snow, with white flakes dusting the brown of his hair and his nose a blushed red. He’s adorable. So intoxicatingly adorable, I can’t believe that he’s mine. He’s too perfect. And he’s mine.
“You’re getting better at this,” he tells me on our walk back to his apartment from my ski lesson. He’s been teaching me on the weekends, even though I think I’m already pretty decent at it. He insisted I could always learn more which, okay, maybe he’s right on that one, but him giving me the beginners course feels a little patronizing.
“Am I getting better, or was I always good?” I mischievously bicker, to which Cody playfully rolls his eyes and shakes his head.
“And above all, humble,” he jokes, and I give a firm nod of agreement. He takes my hand in his, and we share a loving look that only six months of sharing a bed can allow for. He’s my person, through and through. Waking up next to him every morning feels like winning the lottery. He’s my prize. He’s my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The sunshine after the storm. He is everything to me.
“Don’t forget that Maya wants us to call her when we get home,” I tell Cody as we trek through several feet of fresh snow. “Her plane takes off in the morning, and she wants a triple confirmation that we can pick her up at the airport.”
Cody groans. “I’ve already told her four times that we will be there! I’m her own brother. She should believe me when I tell her things.”
“She should,” I agree with an amused smile. “But I guess that’s just not how the world works sometimes. So we’re gonna call and pinky promise to be there twenty minutes early just in case she arrives earlier than planned.”
Cody nods, and I can see his adorable grin spreading. “Yes, ma’am.”
I almost let out a girly giggle but manage to stop myself at the last minute. “I thought I told you to stop calling me ‘ma’am.’ At least wait until we’re back at home.Please.”
Cody smirks mischievously, his eye catching mine out of my peripheral vision.
“You like it that much, huh?”
I scoff and shove his shoulder just hard enough to get his attention but still too gently to do any actual damage. “Oh, hush, you attention whore. You keep your hands and your dirty little names to yourself until after you call your sister, then you can call me anything you want as long as I get to take your clothes off.”
