Page 123 of American Beauty

He moves, and each thrust is slow, controlled—like he’s savoring the feel of me, the rhythm of our bodies syncing. Wemove together like we’ve done this in every lifetime before. His hands grip my hips, grounding us both, and when he picks up the pace, my body arches, mouth parting with a soft cry.

He kisses it away. “This… us… it’s the only thing that’s ever made sense.”

His words shatter me.

I come with his name on my lips, every nerve lit like fire, and he follows with a sound that’s half-curse, half-confession—like I just undid him from the inside out.

He collapses over me, arms tightening, like he never wants to let go.

And I don’t want him to.

We lie tangled in the sheets, bodies slick with sweat, hearts still racing. I rest my head against his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart.

“I didn’t know it was possible to be this close to someone,” I whisper.

His arm tightens around me, lips pressing to the crown of my head.

“You’re it for me, Magnolia Steel.”

The quiet settles in, but it’s the good kind––the kind that only exists when you’ve been undone.

His breathing slows, syncing with mine, and I feel it in my bones—that sacred stillness that only comes after being known in every way a person can be known.

I curl closer, brushing my lips against his chest, right where his heart beats steady and strong. The heart that chose me—again.

For so long, I convinced myself I didn’t need this. That independence meant solitude. That safety meant distance. But lying here now, in the quiet aftermath of all the walls we’ve torn down, I know better.

This man—this love—isn’t the end of who I am. It’s the beginning of everything I didn’t know I could have. And for the first time, I let myself believe in a future that doesn’t scare me.

A future with him.

Chapter 32

Magnolia Steel

Hospitals were neverpart of my story—only backdrops to someone else’s battle. The only real time I spent inside one was when Violet’s mom was fighting cancer. She survived. She’s thriving. Stronger than ever.

Alex will be stronger than ever, too.

He’s not here because he’s broken beyond repair. Still, it doesn’t make this easier.

I’m sitting beside a hospital bed, holding the hand of the person I love while someone prepares to cut into him. I’m smiling like my chest isn’t caving in, trying to be brave for both of us. I don’t know if I’ve ever been this terrified in my life. And I swear, it’s like I’ve forgotten how to breathe.

Alex sits upright in the bed wearing a brave face, but I sense the tension beneath his skin. It’s in the way his thumb keeps tracing circles against my wrist. The way he hasn’t looked away from the far wall since they took his vitals.

I shift in my seat beside him, reaching for the scratchy hospital blanket and tugging it higher across his legs. “You doing okay?”

“Fine,” he says, his voice steady. But his eyes flick to mine—and that’s where the truth lies.

Not fine. Not really.

“You don’t have to pretend with me.”

His mouth twitches, a smile ghosting across his lips. “I’m not pretending. Call it compartmentalizing.”

I raise a brow. “Sounds like a fancy word for scared.”

This time, his smile sticks. “Maybe a little.”

---