Page 297 of Come Back to Me

This woman.

She gets me.

Every fucking time.

Voice thick with emotion, I rasp, “I love you, Calamity Jane.”

“And I love you, Butch.”

Tucked up in one another’s arms, we kiss.

And it’s simple and beautiful and us—our union. Our link. The bubble that once overwhelmed her, cocoons us so that the outside world can’t reach us unless we let it in.

When she pulls away, her eyes are bright with happiness and her lips are red from our kiss.

I half expect her to say something sweet, or loving, or tender, but nah. That wouldn’t be Tee.

“We need to go to church, Cody.”

“Since when did you turn religious?”

“I made a deal with God about you not being dead when I abandoned you by our lake.” Her lashes flutter. “So we have to go to church.”

“Babe, that was over a year ago.”

She wafts a hand. “Better late than never.”

Something in her tone has me asking, “What else did you promise him?”

“Nothing. Much,” she says on a rush. “Is this the right time to tell you that I hate flying in small planes?”

I rub my nose over hers. “Nah. As always, perfect timing, my clever girl.”

“I love you, Cody.”

“And I love you. Thank you for coming back to me, Tee.”

Her expression turns solemn. “I’ll never say goodbye to you.” Her grin whips out, lightning fast. “Remember that?”

I pretend to clutch at my heart. “How could I forget?”

Theo

Istare at the grave in front of me.

Snow drifts over the mound of soil that’s no longer freshly tilled, flower petals thrown askew from the last bunch I brought here.

A hand clamps to my shoulder. Rough, fierce. “You doing okay, Theo?”

Recognizing the voice, I turn to my best friend. “Been better, Colt.”

“Understandable.” He clears his throat. “I saw the bastard in town.”

Hatred flickers inside me. “Why hasn’t Cody arrested him yet?”

“No proof.”

I dig my fingers into my eyes. “I loved her for so long?—”

---