Page 117 of Without You

He waggles his eyebrows. “I’ll let you polish mine.”

Deacon laughs at his own joke when the doorbell rings. His eyes widen. “Who’s that? Is this why you’ve been busting my balls to put a shirt on?”

“Ding. Ding. Ding,” I joke.

“Okay, fine,” he starts, as he walks backward to our room. “But that still doesn’t explain why I don’t know who’s at the door.”

“It’s called a surprise,” I answer back.

When Deacon is out of sight, I quickly pull my phone out and send a quick text.

Me: Opening up soon, just waiting for Deacon.

When Deacon returns, his eyes dart between me and the entryway. “Why didn’t you open it?”

“Since when do you ask so many questions?” I tilt my head to the door. “Go on, open it.”

If I didn’t know surprises weren’t his thing, I do now. The glare he aims my way, paired with his heavy and unhurried gait, is a clear indication he’s not impressed.

As a result of not warming up to surprises, he opens the door slowly, as if on the other side Pennywise the clown is ready to pounce on him.

When the door widens, I hear a collective “Surprise,” and watch Deacon take a step back in complete shock.

I make my way to him and the small group of people on the other side of our door. Excited that they’re all here, because I asked them to be, gives me hope that not all is lost for Deacon and me on the family front.

Smiling, I step out in front of a still very shocked Deacon and greet Victoria, Hayden, Christy, and Wade, with quick one-armed hugs. Lia is too busy trying to get her Uncle Deacon’s attention, so I take her out of Victoria’s arms and see if I can give her a little help.

I call out his name, and it takes him a few minutes to process I’m actually talking at all. When he looks at me, I hand him Lia.

He wordlessly places her on his hip, giving her a kiss on the cheek, and then turns to me. “Did you know about this?”

“I might’ve had a hand or two in it,” I say, feeling a little under the microscope. “I thought we could end the year on a good note.”

Unshed tears shine in pools of happiness in Deacon’s eyes, and my heart expands exponentially. My love for him is unable to be contained; it grows daily. Endlessly. Always.

Without a care in the world, he cups the back of my neck and unapologetically fuses our mouths together. “I love you so fudging much,” he murmurs against my mouth.

The chorus of laughter surrounding us pulls us apart. Hesitantly, I let my gaze wander across the four sets of eyes, knowing that if they didn’t want to see us together or support us—I was mostly concerned with Victoria’s reaction—they wouldn’t be here.

I’m more than surprised when I see the happy tears fall down Deacon’s sister’s face, but it’s the proof I need, to know with certainty, that with her, we don’t have anything to worry about.

Deacon, Wade, and Christy say a casual hello, since we’ve already seen them and spent time with them as a couple, and their excuse to come over was to show off Christy’s new engagement ring.

Hayden takes Lia from Deacon when Victoria throws herself at him, crying a never-ending well of tears. I give the beautiful little girl a kiss on the head, and then can hear Deacon calling me over.

They’re both red-eyed and smiling, and it’s a bittersweet moment for me. Seeing how happy he is, and knowing how much he’s lost just to get here makes me see red.

But I do my best not to think about it, because from here on out we have each other, and that will make us unstoppable.

When I reach their two-person circle, they both throw their arms around me. The moment isn’t just about Deacon and me getting together. With the addition of Victoria, it’s three people who share a special, life-changing bond. And even though Rhett is no longer with us, it’s the first time in a long time I’ve felt him and felt peace instead of guilt.

When we separate, Victoria looks between us, her arms on either one of our biceps.

“Fudging pregnancy hormones,” she supplies while wiping her nose with a tissue. “I’m so happy you two are together,” she says. “Never in a million years did I ever imagine you two together,” she says. “But the way he kissed you in the doorway? The way you are so in sync together? It’s like…”

“It’s like they’re made for one another,” Wade pipes in, finishing her sentence. “I told Deacon the same thing a few weeks back.”

“I’ve never seen my brother kiss anyone in public,” she gushes. “And he’s happy. Just look at how different he looks.”

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