“I love you too, Dylan. And I’m so proud of you too.”
I couldn’t resist pulling her in for a quick hug and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Now go back out there and continue being the best lead therapist I’ve ever seen.”
“I’m the only one you’ve ever seen.”
“I could see them all, and you’d still be the best.”
EPILOGUE
Six months later
Juliette
“Do we have to go? I like it right here,” I said as I snuggled closer.
“We’re already late and the restaurant is a bit of a drive. We needed to go ten minutes ago.”
“You can’t blame me for being late this time. You were the one who followed me into the shower.”
“It was worth every second. I’ll follow you wherever you go, baby.”
“Especially if I’m wet and naked?”
Dylan grabbed me around the waist and pulled me in for a hard but short kiss. “Don’t tempt me or we’ll never make it outof the house.” He shifted his grasp to hold my hand and gently pulled me to the door.
It had been six months since that day at the fire station when we reconnected, and it felt like we’d been touching each other in some way every possible moment since.
Dylan had gone in for another surgery, this time to repair a partial tear of his bicep from when he jumped to the tree. The surgery was optional, but necessary for him to return to work. It was an emotional day for both of us when the cardiologist and pulmonologist cleared him for surgery with cautious optimism that he would eventually be cleared to return to work.
I put my OT skills to good use on my most important patient and helped him through all of his rehab. It felt really good to be able to take care of him. Dylan was not the most obedient of his limitations, but I wouldn’t have expected anything else from him.
Everything was looking good for us. Last week Dylan received full clearance from all his doctors, and yesterday he passed the firefighter’s physical fitness exam, which we celebrated with ice cream sundaes at home. That led to licking ice cream off places I’d never imagined before. It was sexy and messy and ended with us laughing at ourselves in a moment that I wanted to freeze and keep forever. We were naked and trying new things. Enthusiasm and love and carefreeness and pure happiness filled us so completely that it was bursting out of us. Absolute perfection.
Beth had tracked Leo to New York City where he seemed to be living, working, gambling, and blending into the crowd of the city, so we were optimistic that he had no reason to come back.
Kayla pled guilty, so we didn’t have to go through a trial. Dylan may never be able to forgive her, and I knew he’d never be okay with what happened to me, but he finally accepted that Kayla had more going on than he’d ever realized, and that herissues went far beyond anything to do with him. He was starting to forgive himself, which was all that really mattered.
With relief that all the threats were behind us, we were heading out to meet our friends to celebrate Dylan’s return to work tomorrow. I was sad to leave the bubble we’d wrapped ourselves up in these past months, but also happy to get back to normal, and Dylan was excited to return to work.
As we drove to the restaurant, our intertwined hands resting on my thigh, I asked, “Why did you choose a new restaurant instead of Nolan’s or one of the other usuals?”
“I read a few reviews and if it’s everything they say, I think it might become one of our new usuals.”
“Wow, that’s big praise. What did the reviews say?”
“Some reviews were good, said the food was good. But most were bad. So bad that it’s perfect.”
“What?” I laughed. “That makes no sense.”
Dylan glanced over at me. “One review complained that it was too quiet with no music for ambience. Another one said that they ruined her family’s dinner because there were only booths. She wanted a big table for her whole family to sit together. She was livid that not only did they have no big tables, they didn’t even have little tables to push together, and her family had to split up into small booths.”
“You found me a restaurant that’s quiet with small booths?”
“I told you, baby, I’ll do everything in my power to make you comfortable and happy.”
“My caveman, always taking care of me.”
“Even though you don’t need it.”