carved into the stone.
“It means it’s their birthday,” Danika answered, and I hadn’t even known she was next to us.
“Today is their birthday?” I turned to ask, and Danika nodded. “They do this for each person’s birthday?”
“Yep.”
“That’s beautiful,” Sunny said, her voice sounding as emotional as I felt.
Danika left to follow Chance, who had started to wander to the other side of the memorial.
I tried to process exactly what we were looking at, but there was no way to truly comprehend it all. Wrapping my head around the sheer size of the buildings felt impossible. This city had lost so much. The whole country had. And it made me fucking ache, just thinking about all the people who never got to go home again when all they’d done was show up for work that day.
And maybe it wasn’t the right time, but at this sacred place, where so many people said I love you for the last time, I wanted to say it for the first time.
“Sunny,” I tried to say her name, but I choked. “Sunny,” I tried again, and she turned toward me, her silver hair reflecting the light, looking like a damn angel.
“Yeah?” Her expression tightened as concern for me spread through her features.
She sensed that I wasn’t okay. I reached out for her, needing her touch, and she walked past my hand and into my arms, pressing her head against my chest, where I held her.
“I love you,” I whispered, and I felt her breath hitch as she pulled away from me to look me in my eyes, wondering if she’d heard me right or not. Cupping her chin with my fingers, I repeated myself, “I love you.”
I leaned down and planted a kiss on her lips, hoping like hell she’d say it back because I’d never felt more vulnerable in my entire life.
“I love you too.” She wiped at her eyes as the tears fell, and when the snow started to fall as well, it felt like a sign from above.
Or a blessing.
Or whatever you wanted to call it.
But I took it as approval.
The rest of the day, I was on cloud nine. Knowing that Sunny loved me made me feel whole, complete. I’d always assumed that I’d stay broken forever, not worthy of being truly loved by anyone outside of my mom. But Sunny made me feel like all of that couldn’t be further from the truth. She made me feel deserving.
The four of us sat in a small pizza shop, eating the best pizza I’d ever had.
“You were right,” I said as I copied Danika and folded my slice in half, watching the grease drip out the bottom. “This is the best pizza I’ve ever had.”
“Told you,” Danika said as she swallowed. “And before you ask, it’s the water.”
“What is?” Sunny inquired, her nose red from the cold.
“Why it’s so good. It’s the water here.”
Chance just shrugged. “Just agree with her,” he said, and she punched him in the shoulder the same way Sunny always did to me.
“I really want to show you the office, Sun,” Danika said as she finished off the last of her pizza. “Do you want to see it?”
Sunny’s eyes instantly met mine, as if she was unsure of what to say in response. I gave her a smirk, letting her know I thought she should go without saying the words.
“Yes. I’d love to. But what are the guys going to do?”
Chance stood up and wiped the crumbs from his jeans. “I’m going to take you to the Tavern. And the girls can meet us there after they’re done.”
“Sounds good,” I said, clapping my man on the back.
“Okay.” Sunny grinned, looking excited as she walked over to me and gave me a kiss. “I’ll see you later.”
The girls walked out the door and disappeared out of view.
“Tell me this tavern has food.”
“We just ate pizza.”
“One slice, dude. We had one slice,” I complained. “I’m a growing boy.”
“It has food. Let’s go,” he said.
I braced myself for the cold as we headed outside. Just as I was about to suggest we take the subway, Chance’s hand was in the air, and he was hailing a cab.
“Where is this place?” I asked, not that I would have any idea where it was once he told me.
“Walking distance from the apartment,” he said.
I was relieved. I liked the idea of being close to the house.
When we finally got there because traffic in Manhattan was a bitch, the place was practically empty. The