“What are you doing here?” I stuttered.
She shrugged, tossing a length of hair over her shoulder, and I wondered how it was possible that she’d grown even more beautiful since the last time I’d seen her.
“I came to visit you, because I was tired of waiting for you to visit me.”
Still trying to process her sudden appearance, I couldn’t say anything else for a few seconds. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“And ruin my Valentine’s surprise? I don’t think so.”
Leaving her luggage behind, she walked into my arms as though it was the most natural thing in the world, like we’d never stopped holding each other.
“It’s not Valentine’s Day,” I mumbled into her hair, feeling her body against my own.
“It’s close enough. I’m going to be in L.A. on the actual day, and this is the best I could do.”
When we separated, I saw a familiar mischievous glint in her eyes.
“I thought you were seeing someone,” I said, trying to sound casual as I mentioned the actor’s name.
“We went out a couple of times, but it just wasn’t right.” She waved a hand dismissively. “He was lacking that special something, you know? Like…when we were together, I kept thinking about the zombie apocalypse and wondering whether he could grow food and fix trucks and all that other survival stuff.”
“Yeah?”
“We love what we love, right?”
I grinned, relieved that she didn’t seem to have changed in the slightest.
“Right,” I said. “But I still can’t believe you showed up like this. You’ve got so much going on.”
“And you don’t?”
“It’s different.”
“Everyone is busy, because life is busy for everyone. I also came here to tell you something.”
“What’s that?”
“Do you remember that big speech you made on our last day together? You know, when you were pretty much trying to end things between us while doing your best to sound all noble?”
Though I wouldn’t have described it that way, I nodded, still unable to stop smiling.
“I’ve been thinking about that a lot, and I’ve now come to the conclusion that you were a hundred percent wrong about pretty much all of it.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Like I told you then, I was angry. I wouldn’t have expected a nice guy like you to be such a heartbreaker. But I’m finally over it, and I decided to give you another chance. So, from now on, we’re going to try it my way.” She fixed me with a stern gaze. “The long-distance thing, I mean. Where I visit you and you visit me, and in between we text and call and FaceTime each other because, as of now, we’re a couple again.”
As soon as she said the words, I knew they were exactly what I’d wanted to hear.
“How long can you stay?”
“Only a couple of days, but I have some free time next month. That’ll be your turn to visit me.”
My mind flashed to Paige and my aunt, but I suddenly knew with certainty that I would somehow make it work.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said.
“Now tell me that you love me. You stopped texting that to me a few weeks ago, and I didn’t like that, either. But I’ve decided I’ll forgive you for that, too.”
“I love you, Morgan,” I said, the words coming easily.
Rising to her toes, she kissed me, her lips as soft as I remembered.
“I love you, too,” she whispered. “Let’s make the most of these next couple of days, shall we?”
The turn of events was so dizzying that it was difficult for me to grasp what was happening.
“What did you have in mind?”
She surveyed the surroundings, then settled her eyes on me. “You know what I’d like to do first? Before anything else?”
“I haven’t the slightest idea.”
“I’d really love to meet your sister.”
“Paige?”
“I want to get the real scoop on what you were like as a kid. I’ll bet she has some interesting stories. I also want to tell her thank you.”
“Why?”
“You told me she raised you, and I love who you turned out to be. Why wouldn’t I thank her?”
It was my turn to kiss her then, if only because I knew she really, truly understood me. When I pulled back, I allowed my hand to linger on her hip.
“Let’s go up to the house,” I said, taking her hand. “I’m sure Paige would love to meet you, too.”