She comes easily, clasping herself against me, letting the tears flow.
And I think this could be about more than me and Stacey. She抯 been so strong for me, for my boys梡ushing through, keeping everything together梑ottling up all that emotion. Keeping it locked up tight inside.
Until now.
I stroke my hand down her wet hair, the words tearing out of me.
揑抦 so sorry, Violet. I didn抰 want to take you for granted, I didn抰 want to put everything on you. The only reason I told you to come back here棓
揘o.?She shakes her head. 揑t抯 not really anything you did. I just . . . I know how these things work sometimes. I抳e seen it with patients, with my parents. I know in real life, tragedies can bring棓
揧ou are my real life. I love you, Violet. I抦 so in love with you, I can抰 even see straight.?
I frame her face with my hands, looking into her eyes.
揧ou make me so happy, Vi. Happier than I抳e ever been梩han I ever thought I could be. And all I want to do for the rest of our lives is make you as happy as you make me.?
She smiles through the tears. And it抯 her real smile梩he one that lights up her whole face and my entire world.
揑 love you too, Connor. I抳e loved you for so long and that抯 all I want to do, for the rest of our lives . . . is keep loving you.?
I pull her back against me, murmuring sweet, worshipful words. And we stay in the shower holding onto each other, rocking slowly, until the water runs cold.
*
Afterward, we lie quietly in her bed, naked and wrapped around each other, as close as two people can be. Her head rests on my chest, and I slide my fingers through her long damp hair, her bent knee resting on my stomach. It starts to rain outside, the pattering of the drops against the roof enshrouding us in their rhythm梞aking Violet抯 room feel secret and warm.
揑 want you to move in with me and the boys,?I tell her.
She nods without a moment of hesitation.
揙kay.?
揧ou can rent out your house or put it on the market, whatever you want.?
揑抣l sell it.?
揂re you sure??
I cradle her head in my hands and I roll her under me. Violet spreads her legs, letting me settle between her thighs. I trace the bridge of her nose with my finger, teasing, 揧ou could hold onto it . . . it could be our love shack.?
She laughs. And I will never not love that sound.
揑抦 sure. It was always too small to be anything more than a starter home. And I抦 ready to jump into this with you, with both feet.?
I swallow hard, shaken by how much I feel for her.
揋od, I love you.?
Violet lifts her arms over her head, arching her back and lifting her hips, rubbing unabashedly and so fucking sweetly against me.
揝how me.?
And I do.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Connor
The first week of November, Aaron comes home from the hospital. He抣l be sleeping in the hospital bed we抳e set up for him in the living room, and he has lots of physical therapy ahead of him . . . but he抯 expected to make a full recovery.
The following week, I go back to work. Violet went back earlier, but now that she抯 living with us, we抮e able to coordinate our schedules so one of us is always home with him梐t least until he抯 fully mobile again.
Knowing Vi抯 with him when I抦 not梩hat she抯 calm and capable條ets me focus on my patients. It lets me be a doctor again. I don抰 know if I could抳e done that without her.
Stacey gets into a solid routine of seeing the boys every weekend梟o more canceling, no more dragging them around on errands梬hen she抯 with them, she抯 with them.
And it抯 awesome to see on their faces, in the way they get excited about seeing their mom.
Sometimes Brayden and Spencer spend the weekend at her place, sometimes she hangs out here at the house because that抯 easier for Aaron right now. Last Saturday we all watched Hereditary in the living room in the afternoon because the boys wanted to see if it was just as scary during the day as it was at night.
All of us梩he boys, Stacey, me, and Violet梬ho buried her face in my arm through most of the movie, because it抯 creepy as fuck.
It felt a little strange hanging out with my ex-wife and my girlfriend at the same time. But it was also good梤eally good. For the boys, for all of us.
Sometimes I think about what I抳e learned from the experiences of the last few months. If there抯 a lesson in it that I can pass on to my kids. And I抳e concluded that the moral of the story is simple but significant梩he good ones usually are:
Sometimes life can be a straight-up asshole . . . but then it gets better.
And that better can end up being more perfect than you ever dreamed.
*
One Saturday afternoon, when Vi and I are both home, a bunch of Aaron抯 friends梩he guys from the football team梒ome over. From the kitchen, I hear them talking in the other room.
揙nly you, Daniels. You can抰 just break your leg梱ou gotta pulverize it. Overachieving motherfucker.?
揑t抯 a gift,?Aaron replies dryly and I picture him shrugging and smiling in that smart-ass way he has.
Then they all laugh. I pick Aaron抯 laughter out of the din, and for a moment I stand there and close my eyes and just listen to my kid laughing.
揃est sound in the world, isn抰 it??Violet says beside me. Because that抯 how it is with us梬e get each other梜now each other inside and out.
揧eah.?I press a kiss to her forehead. 揟hough I can think of a few sounds that are definitely close seconds.?
I slide my hand into the back of her jeans, palming her ass. And she squeaks out a sexy little surprised gasp.
I give her a wink. 揟here抯 one now.?
*
After New Year抯， the hospital bed gets tossed out of the house for good. And Aaron goes back to school on crutches for the spring of his senior year.
I抳e never seen a kid so happy to go back to school.
If all goes as planned, he抣l hang up the crutches over the summer梛ust in time to pack up and ship him to the University of Maryland for his first year of college. He says he wants to major in sports medicine, to be a physical therapist or an athletic trainer.
My brother Garrett is thrilled by this development. And words don抰 exist to describe how proud I am.
In early April, a warm front sweeps into New Jersey, making the air feel more like June.
Vi and I have the afternoon off and the boys are in school, so I ask her if she wants to go for a jog on the trail behind her old house. I抳e always loved this town梚t抯 why I was determined to raise the boys here梑ut these woods in particular have a special meaning to me now.
Because that抯 where Violet and I really started.
We jog beside each other in easy silence and then I stop for a water break梑y the big boulder where she tied her shoe last year. I almost kissed her for the first time in this exact spot梐nd later, at her house, I did.
But I don抰 kiss her now . . . at least not yet, though that抯 on the menu.
Because she抯 just that awesome, Violet unknowingly puts my plan into motion when she says, 揝o your birthday抯 coming up.?
揧ep.?I nod. 揟he big 4-3.?
揑 don抰 suppose you want to give me a hint about what you抎 like? You抮e kind of hard to shop for.?
揂m I??
揧eah . . . I mean a motorcycle is obviously out of the question.?
揙bviously.?I chuckle.
She moves closer to me, running her hand up and down my chest.
揂nd I already spoil you with naughty lingerie on a regular basis.?
I smirk, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.
揟hat you do條ucky me.?