Page 25 of Hidden Ascent

“If I were a shower, where would I be?” he mumbled as he crept down the hall, taking in his surroundings.

The sound of crackling drew him to a door on the left where he found a living room lit by a fire in the hearth. A woman was standing in front of it, facing away from him. Isla.

* * *

“Jemi, what are you doing out here?” Peter refused to sit next to his wife when she patted the blanket.

“Don’t be like that.”

“Like what? Protective of the woman I love?”

“I needed the fresh air.”

“Then open a window.”

“You know what I mean. I wanted to see the trees up close.”

“Why?”

“Because, Peter, I need to. Do you know how suffocating it is to be stuck in that bed all the time? I’d rather be dead.”

“I can’t believe you said that.”

Her voice softened. “Sorry. But a few minutes outside won’t kill me.”

“You’ve had a few minutes. I’ll take you back inside.”

“Just a few more. Please. Sit next to me.”

Peter looked at his watch. “I’ll give you two minutes.”

“How many years have we been together? You haven’t changed at all.”

“Neither have you. You’re as stubborn as the day I met you.”

“The best day of my life.”

“That’s not what you said at the time.”

“That’s because I didn’t know you.”

“I think you could read me like a book. I was arrogant and full of my own self-importance. You saw right through me.”

She cradled his face with her palm. “We all have our weaknesses.”

He didn’t bite when she gave him a cheeky grin. “I am who I am today because of you,” he said, keeping the mood serious.

“That’s sweet of you to say. But it’s also dull. I wish you’d stop treating me like I’ll break at any moment.”

“That’s not what I’m doing. I want you to know how much you mean to me.”

“And I do. I don’t need you to make grand romantic statements completely out of character to prove that.” She frowned and looked back out at the forest. “But I do want you to promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“If the Lord calls me home, I don’t want you to stop living.”

“Jemi—”

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