Page 105 of Dream Lake
“Hit,”she said, letting out a coughing sob, “and you were all s-smashed up on the ground, and I th-thought you were—” Breaking off, she swallowed painfully against another burst of crying. She would never recover from the sight of him unconscious on the road. The fear still hadn’t left her. Her shaking hand touched his shoulder, just to make certain he really was there, that he was alive.
He took both her hands and brought them to his chest, where she could feel the strong, steady thump of his heart. “Zoë. I have so much to say to you, it could take all night. A year. No, a lifetime.”
“Take as long as you want,” she said with a sniffle. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Alex put his arms around her, gathering her into a deep, secure embrace. So strong. So vital. He was silent for a long time, understanding somehow that she needed the feel of him. She laid her head against his chest, breathing in the scents of dirt and tar and night air.
Pushing aside her hair, Alex pressed a few light, hot kisses against the side of her face. “When you told me you loved me,” he said quietly, “I got scared. Because I knew when a woman like you says that, it means… everything. Marriage. A house with a porch swing. Children.”
“Yes.”
He sank his hand into her hair and tilted her head back. He looked into her eyes with a sober intensity that she couldn’t doubt. “I want those things, too.”
She had been shaking with nerves and fear before, but she felt shaky in a new way now, because she understood that he meant it.
His mouth caressed hers, a searing pressure that lingered until her knees went weak. “We’ll take it at your pace,” he said. “As fast or slow as you want.”
“I don’t want to wait,” she told him, her hands creeping up his warm, hard back. “I don’t want to spend a night without you ever again. I want to move in together right away, and get engaged, and set a wedding date, and…” She stopped and gave him a sheepish glance. “Is that too fast?”
Alex laughed quietly. “I can keep up,” he assured her, and took her to bed.
***
Alex awakened in a wash of morning light. He lay still, relishing the feeling of waking up in Zoë’s bed, his head half buried in lavender-scented pillows. His arm swept across the white sheets, reaching for her, but all his hand encountered was empty space.
“Zoë’s in the kitchen,” he heard Tom say.
Opening his eyes, Alex did a double take as he saw that Tom wasn’t alone. A slender young woman stood beside him, their hands clasped. Her blond hair was arranged in smooth curls and parted on the side. She had a lovely, slightly angular face, her eyes bright with intelligence.
Alex sat up slowly, keeping the sheet pulled up to his waist. “Good morning,” he said, dazed.
She gave him a familiar smile of mischief. It was more than a little disconcerting to see Emma’s smile in this drastically younger version of herself. “Good morning, Alex.”
His wondering gaze slid over the two of them. The air was luminous with happiness, emotion translated to light. Tom had lost the ever-present shadow of loneliness, his dark eyes snapping with joyful vitality.
“Everything’s okay, then,” Alex said, giving them both a questioning glance.
“Glorious,” Emma said. “Everything is the way it should be.”
Tom’s gaze lingered on Emma before returning to Alex. “We came to say good-bye,” he said. “We’ve got places to go.”
“Do you?” It hit Alex that the ghost was finally leaving him. They were both free. What Alex had never expected was that he would feel so forlorn at the prospect. “I’ve never been so damn glad to get rid of anyone,” he managed to say.
Tom grinned. “I’ll miss you, too.”
There were things Alex needed to say…I will never forget you and your obnoxious singing and smartass comments, and the way you saved my life. You became the friend I didn’t even know I needed. And you made me realize that the worst thing isn’t dying, but dying without ever having loved someone.However, it didn’t seem that they would have the time or opportunity to talk. And he saw from Tom’s gaze that he understood all of that, and more.
“Will I see you again?” Alex asked simply.
“Yeah,” Tom said, “but not for a while. You and Zoë have a long life ahead of you. And a big family to start on—two boys and a girl. And one of them is going to grow up to be—”
Emma interrupted hastily. “Alex, pretend you didn’t hear any of that.” Turning to Tom, she clicked her tongue reprovingly. “Still a troublemaker. You know you weren’t supposed to tell him anything.”
“It’s your job to keep me in line,” Tom told her.
“I’m not sure anyone could manage that,” she retorted. “You’re a tough case.”
Tom lowered his head to hers until their foreheads touched. “Not for you,” he murmured.
