Rely on Me - Elizabeth Knox Page 0,45

him. Thankfully he’s doing well, speaking and even has been up walking around the hospital with one of the nurses.

Much like Mammoth, I decided to collide our two families here. We usually have Christmas at my grandparents home outside of D.C. but not this year. Mammoth’s parents were set to come here anyway, so we’re in Philadelphia at an apartment Mammoth’s parents rented for the week, all getting to learn about one another.

Mammoth’s parents adore my sisters, and my mom liked him until he dropped the bombshell I was moving in with him. She said it was untraditional, weird for me to move in with a man I’d only been dating for a week. I know it’s crazy, because it is. There’s no arguing that fact, but Mammoth’s parents . . . they got a hoot out of it. Apparently ever since he was a child he went after what he wanted, and the same is true with women.

Mammoth had told everyone he knows he’ll be marrying me, which had my eyes almost popping out of my head in shock. I don’t know if I’m ready for that. “I’m fine,” I say, looking out through the window onto the Philadelphia skyline. It’s snowing and while I’m normally not too fond of the cold and wet, it’s a beautiful sight. Mammoth and I have decided to stay the night in the city so I can go see my father before I have to work tomorrow, and he’ll come pick me up when I’m set to be back.

“Good, ‘cause Astrid and Johanna had a question for you.”

I glance back to see my two older sisters a couple feet behind Mammoth. “What’s up?”

“Fredrik mentioned to us how you wouldn’t be using your apartment. Is this true?” Astrid questions.

I nod, folding my arms over my chest. “Yeah, I think we made it clear as day.”

“How would you feel about Astrid and I using the apartment for when we’re here in the United States . . . we could pay you the rent and electricity, and whatever else would need to be paid.” Johanna interjects.

Okay, now I’m curious. “Are you two moving here? Like permanently? I thought you guys wanted to be in Gothenburg?”

“No, not anymore. Not if you’ll be here . . . we want to be closer to you, so we can go to the beach on the weekends and see each other. Truth be told, we thought you were going to come back to Gothenburg after a point, but you haven’t.” Astrid speaks this time, the emotion cracking in her voice.

“Please, if it’s alright we’d love to use the apartment. We could have girl’s nights and do everything Astrid said, plus more.” Johanna speaks again.

“What about your jobs?”

“We can get transfers.” Astrid states.

“I’m going to quit and find something here. I have enough to live on my savings for a while.” Johanna says.

“What the hell, go for it. I don’t care. It’s better you two live there than me paying for nothing.”

“Yes!” Johanna and Astrid wrap their arms around me. “Reunited again, at last!”

Oh boy. What can of worms did I just open?

Epilogue

I will look at you across any room and think you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen for as long as I breathe.

~ A. R. Asher

Mammoth

6 months later . . .

The funny thing about time is that it’s constantly moving forward. It passes before we realize it, or it passes slower than we want. Often times I remember being a boy back in Sweden, in my grandmother’s flat. It was just outside the center of Stockholm. She lived on a side street and her neighbors would hang Christmas lights from their flats to their neighbor across the way. The two buildings would do this until the end of the street.

Looking back now it was one of my most treasured childhood memories. Now, here we are. It’s the middle of summer, and we’ve slowly started to feel at home here in Kitts Hummock. It wasn’t easy at first. Gamble and Hart spent most days at the hospital with Ace. But all things considered we’re fucking lucky. It probably sounds odd, although it’s true. On Christmas Day they received the news she could be transferred to Delaware and the entire club was overjoyed.

Ace should’ve died. That’s what her doctors said back in Baltimore and boy did they bitch and complain when we had to leave Baltimore and transfer her. They said the transport could kill her, that she could become unstable