Page 142 of Lee

Lee knew he should insist they break things off, but she was offering him a lifeline that he really didn’t want to let pass him by. In all the uncertainty in life, he wanted the certainty of Rori in his life.

The problem was that he didn’t have a clear vision of a path forward. He didn’t know what to do next, even with Rori by his side.

Maybe he needed to talk to his mom and dad. For the first time since his discovery, he knew he needed their advice. And he needed to know what they knew.

“I don’t want to break up.” The words rushed out of him.

The smile that bloomed on Rori’s face at his words was the most beautiful thing Lee had ever seen. And she was focusing it on him.

Lee was so glad that she’d stood up to him. That she’d fought for them.

It reminded him of the interaction they’d had at the clinic when he’d asked her why she didn’t stand up for herself. At the time, he hadn’t understood what she’d said to him.

But now, she was standing up for herself and what she wanted. Their relationship was important enough for her to do that.

“I need to apologize.”

Her brows furrowed at his statement. “For?”

“When your mom and sister stopped by the clinic, I was wrong for getting upset that you didn’t stand up to them.”

“Thank you for apologizing.” Her face relaxed into a smile. “You are, of course, forgiven.”

Lee knew he was fortunate that she didn’t hold that against him. “You didn’t deserve for me to act the way I did.”

“Now that I know what you were dealing with, I understand. But at the time, it did hurt.”

“I shouldn’t have acted that way, and I’ll try not to let it happen again. Always call me out on stuff like that if I don’t recognize it myself.”

She deserved the best version of himself, and Lee was going to do all he could to get to that point.

He didn’t want to talk about his past anymore, but he also didn’t want to leave Rori yet. “Do you want to go for a walk?”

“At the park?”

He shook his head. “I don’t really want to deal with the family at the moment. Can we just wander around the neighborhood?”

“It’s not the prettiest place to walk,” Rori told him. “But it’s nice enough.”

“I’ll wait out by my car so you can get changed if you want.”

“Yeah, I’d better do that if I want to be comfortable.”

Together, they got to their feet, but before Lee left, he stepped toward her and opened his arms. Without hesitation, Rori moved into his embrace and wrapped her arms around him.

Lee pressed a kiss to her temple, and for the first time in over a week, he felt a glimmer of hope that maybe he could deal with everything. Maybe he could have the future he had hoped for.

After too short a time, Lee let Rori go and left so that she could change.

His spirits had definitely lifted since he’d arrived earlier. Not a lot, but enough that he didn’t feel like he was being crushed beneath the heavy weight of the information he’d learned.

And when Rori walked out to join him, Lee thanked God yet again for bringing her into his life. She hadn’t been afraid to remind him of something that he’d forgotten, and he was so grateful for that.

Hand-in-hand, they meandered along the sidewalk, talking about everything but what they’d gone through over the past week. Lee found enjoyment in Rori’s chatter about the animals she’d been befriending at the shelter.

The vise that had been around his chest loosened as they walked, and it felt like he could breathe for the first time in forever. And that he could begin to plan for the future. That he could tackle the hard things, like a conversation with his mom and dad.

Rori’s support gave him the courage to approach his parents after they arrived back later that week.

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