“May you forever be the best of friends.”
With one final step, they came to stand back where they’d started. They exchanged vows and rings, both of them promising to love, honor, and cherish for the rest of their lives.
And then, at last, Connor got to do what he wanted to.
He drew his princess close and kissed her.
September 4
Shanti shut off the alarm,rolled over, and kissed Connor’s bare chest. “Wake up, sleepyhead. It’s your first day of school.”
His eyes flew open. “Shit.”
Shanti couldn’t help but smile. The man who’d taken on an army was nervous about starting classes. “Take a shower and get dressed. I’ve got a surprise for you.”
Connor took her into his arms, rolled her beneath him, kissed her. “I love you.”
He said those words often now.
“I love you, too. I’m so excited for you. I can’t wait to hear all about it when I get home this evening.”
Their four-bedroom condo was a ten-minute commute to United Nations Plaza, where Shanti had taken a job as an attorney for the UN’s refugee resettlement program, and only twenty minutes from Columbia University. They would never have been able to afford the place if it hadn’t been for the money she’d inherited from her grandparents. Now, they had a home in the heart of the city, a place where they could put down roots, where they could raise a couple of kids one day.
While Connor showered and shaved, she went out to the kitchen and found the recipe for chocolate chip pancakes that she’d gotten from his mom. By the time he joined her, she’d gotten the pancakes off the electric griddle and had set them on the table with real maple syrup, butter, and coffee made just the way he liked it—hot, black, and strong.
His face split in a wide grin. “Chocolate chip pancakes? You’re the best.”
“Today is a special day. We need to celebrate.”
She watched while he took his first bite. She wasn’t much of a cook and hadn’t made these before.
He chewed, nodded. “Mmm. Perfect.”
She took a bite. “Oh, theseareyummy.”
They talked about little things—the bus schedule, the weather, the arrival of the new dishwasher tomorrow.
Then it hit Shanti. “A year ago, today, we were running through the jungle. It was the day we found the old temple ruins, remember?”
Had that really been a year ago? How their lives had changed in the course of that time. Howtheyhad changed.
“Hell, no, I haven’t forgotten that—Stone Porn Temple.” He grinned when she started to object. “I know. I know. It’s sacred art.”
They went through Connor’s schedule together. He’d opted to major in Peace and Conflict Studies and had won a full scholarship thanks to his high test scores and the brilliant and very personal entrance essay he’d written about the impact of combat on soldiers and their families.
After breakfast, he cleaned up while Shanti showered and dressed. She was wearing a skirt suit and carrying a briefcase, while he was wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and carrying a backpack full of books and notebooks.
All too soon, it was time to say goodbye.
“Have a wonderful day—and try not to notice all the eighteen-year-old women running around campus in tight jeans.”
Connor wrapped his arms around her. “You have nothing to worry about—ever. Everything I want is here with you.”
They kissed, sweet and slow.
Shanti pulled out her phone. “I need to take a photo to send to your mom. Stand by the door with your backpack.”
He gave her a look that said this was stupid. “You’re kidding me, right?”