Page 91 of Code Name: Grit

It wasn’t a question, but I answered anyway. “I’m learning. Every day.”

“They require a different kind of protection,” he continued, his voice low. “Not from danger—they face that head-on—but from the belief that they must face it alone.”

I considered his words, understanding the wisdom earned through decades of regret. “She spent her whole life with walls around her heart. I don’t want to be another barrier. I want to be the space where she doesn’t need them at all.”

Cassio turned to me then, his eyes—so like Lumi’s—searching my face. Whatever he found there must have satisfied him, because he nodded once, decisively, before returning his gaze to the water.

“You’ll marry her,” he stated, neither a question nor command.

My hand moved instinctively to my pocket, where a small velvet box had been burning a hole for the past two days. “With her permission.”

A smile flickered across his face. “Good answer.”

When they left late that afternoon, the parting felt less like an ending and more like a promise to continue what had begun. Lumi stood on the porch long after their car disappeared around the bend, her expression unreadable.

“What are you thinking?” I asked, moving to stand beside her.

“That life is strange,” she replied, leaning into me. “A month ago, I thought I knew exactly who I was and what I wanted. Now, everything’s different, but somehow, exactly right.”

I pressed a kiss to her temple. “Different how?”

“I have a father,” she said, wonderment in her voice. “My parents are seeing each other.” She chuckled. “It’s so crazy.”

“Crazy good.”

“Crazy amazing. Plus, I have a real relationship with my brother.” She turned in my arms to face me. “And you.”

“Especially me,” I teased, drawing a laugh from her.

“Especially you,” she agreed, rising on her toes to kiss me properly.

My parents arrivedthe next morning with minimal fanfare, but maximum enthusiasm. My mother, Sylvia, embraced Lumi immediately, as if they’d known each other for years rather than minutes. My father, Craig, moved more cautiously, always the observer, but his smile was genuine when Lumi drew him into a conversation about the history of the Hudson Valley.

We spent the day showing them around Cold Spring—the small shops along Main Street, the hiking trails that wound through the nearby mountains, the farmer’s market where we bought fresh produce for dinner. Throughout it all, I watched my parents watching us and saw the approval in their eyes, the relief at seeing their only son truly happy perhaps for the first time in years.

That evening, before they left for their hotel, my mother pulled me aside while Lumi and my father discussed the merits of various hiking trails.

“She’s the one,” my mother said, her voice soft but certain. “I knew it the moment you introduced us.”

I smiled, unable to deny it. “How could you tell?”

“The way you look at her when you think no one’s watching. The way she anticipates what you need before you ask.” She patted my cheek. “But mostly, it’s the peace in your eyes. I haven’t seen that since before Kelly.”

The mention of Kelly’s name didn’t carry the usual sting. Instead, it felt like acknowledging a chapter that had shaped me but no longer defined my story.

“I loved her,” I said, the admission easier than it had ever been. “But what I feel for Lumi is different. Deeper.”

My mother nodded. “That’s how it should be. Each love teaches us how to love better the next time, if we’re willing to learn.”

Lumi and I stood outside after my parents drove away. The moon hung low over the river, casting a silver path across the dark water.

“I like your mom and dad,” Lumi said, wrapping her arm around my waist as I drew her closer to me. “They’re kind. Genuine.”

“They like you too,” I replied, leaning down to kiss her temple. “My mother practically suggested we elope tonight.”

Lumi laughed, the sound warming me from within. “A bit premature, don’t you think?”

I turned her so we faced each other. “Is it?”

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