I kissed the top of Rosie’s sweet-smelling head and rested my lips there for a moment. Maybe I would have this someday. Maybe it would be Meg and me making school lunches, in our kitchen (with Renzo still looking for scraps). Maybe we’d even have a couple little ones upstairs in bed already, or spitting water at each other, or asking for just one more story. I wanted it all, even the sleepless nights. Did she? Would she want it all with me? Could she imagine a life together for us in this small town, surrounded by family and friends? In a home where we went to bed together every night, her body tucked next to mine the way I liked?
The memory of holding her close in my bed, whispering secrets to each other in the dark, sent a spark shooting up my spine.
And just like that, I knew what I had to say.
Thirty-One
Meg
Another week crawled by.
I was doing my best to put my body, mind, and spirits in a better place, but it wasn’t easy. The one thing I had to look forward to was a surprise visit from April.
She’d called me on Friday afternoon and said she’d decided last-minute to purchase a booth at a wedding trade show in DC next week. The expo was Monday and Tuesday. If she flew in early on Sunday, could I spend the day with her?
I said of course and made sure my schedule was clear. Since I’d returned to DC, I’d been much better about leaving room in my planner for down time.
I offered to pick her up at the airport, but she said it wasn’t necessary and asked if I’d meet her at her hotel. From there we could walk around downtown, see the sights, grab drinks and dinner, and catch up. I said that was fine. She was staying at the Mandarin, which seemed oddly pricey for April, but whatever—everyone deserves a splurge now and then.
She texted me Sunday around noon.
April: Hey, I’m here! My flight got in early and it’s so beautiful, I can’t stay inside. Meet me at the WWII memorial instead? It’s walking distance from my hotel!
Great. Did she have to choose the one place in DC that reminded me of Noah?
Me: Okay. I’ll be there in 20.
On the cab over to the memorial, I wondered how different things would have been if he had kissed me that day. But no matter how I tried to see our story play out another way, I couldn’t. Our timing wasn’t the problem. His feelings were.
But I paid the driver, promising myself there would be no tears today. As I walked toward the fountain, I vowed to put Noah McCormick out of my head, even if it was only for twenty-four hours. Stepping onto the stone plaza bordered by granite pillars and book-ended by two victory arches, I took a deep breath and looked around for my sister.
Since it was a weekend, the memorial was fairly crowded. It was a little chilly today, so I tightened my scarf and stuck my hands in my coat pockets to get them out of the wind. Searching the groups of tourists from one end of the memorial to the other, I didn’t see anyone resembling April. I was about to pull out my phone and call her when I saw a man about ten feet away who reminded me of Noah. The same short, dark hair. The same broad shoulders. The same solid stance.
My breath caught as the similarities piled up.
The same chiseled jaw covered in scruff.
The same fire in his eyes as he moved toward me.
The same deep voice as he spoke my name.
My jaw dropped. “Noah?”
“God, I almost forgot how beautiful you are.” Without another word, he took my head in his hands, and kissed me full on the lips.
Someone in the crowd whistled.
I pulled back. “What are you doing here?” My heart was beating so fast.
“I came to slay a dragon.”
“What?”
“I came to fight for you, Meg. I never should have let you go in the first place.”
Tears filled my eyes.
His thumbs brushed across my cheekbones as he spoke quietly but forcefully. “Years ago when we stood right here, I wanted to kiss you. I wanted to tell you what you meant to me and take you in my arms. I wanted to tell you to wait for me, that I’d come back for you.”
“You said—you said you couldn’t be sure you’d even