“What if we soar?” I asked.
The air shifted. Her lips parted just slightly, like the words caught her off guard.
Tears filled her eyes then, but she smiled like no one had ever said something more beautiful to her before. Which was a lie, I said much better things before.
I reached for her hand. She let me.
I laced our fingers together and gave her hand a light squeeze.
“I was hurting, Alana,” I said. “I thought you didn’t believe in me. In us. I thought you gave up.”
“I did,” she whispered. “But only because I thought it would break me to believe in something that might leave me again.”
“I never wanted to leave. You pushed me away.”
“I know,” she said. “And I’ll be sorry for that every day, but I want to be better. I want to be brave enough to believe in the good things now. In you. Inus.”
I pulled her into me before she could say anything else. Held her like she was mine again.
Because she was.
Maybe this time we’d get it right.
Maybe this time, we wouldn’t fall.
Maybe this time… we’d soar.
EPILOGUE
ALANA
One Year Later
The kitchen was still a little bare—just a few mismatched mugs, some freshly bought plates, and a stack of utensils—but it was ours. Ours to fill with the messiness of our mornings, our laughter, and the small, quiet moments that felt just right.
Eden was already at the stove, flipping pancakes with that look of concentration on his face like he was a five-star chef.
I leaned against the counter, watching him. I loved mornings like this, with nothing to do but enjoy the moment.
“You’re flipping those pancakes like they’re about to land on a gold medal podium,” I teased, crossing my arms.
Eden shot me a look over his shoulder, his eyebrows furrowed in mock seriousness. “Hey, it’s a delicate art. You don’t just throw pancakes around. It’s all about technique.”
I snorted. “Sure, whatever you say.”
“You just wait,” he said, flipping the pancake in the air with exaggerated confidence. “This is gonna be the best batch you’ve ever tasted.”
I smiled and walked over to him, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek. “I’m sure they’ll be perfect.”
He turned to me with a grin, and without warning, grabbed a spoonful of batter and flicked it at me.
“Hey!” I yelped. “What the hell, Eden!”
He was laughing now, eyes sparkling. “You didn’t think I was just going to let you stand there and make fun of my pancake skills without consequences, did you?”
“You’resodramatic,” I grumbled, but I couldn’t help but laugh, wiping batter off my cheek.
“Oh, you think that’s dramatic?” Eden raised his eyebrows. “Wait for this.”