Page 92 of A Beginner's Guide to Forever
“It’s the simplest thing in the world, actually. I love you and you love me,” he says, touching my cheek.
Physical touch, indeed.Flustered, I press on. “People will see our differences, even if you don’t.”
“You love me,” he repeats, his mouth lifting.
“I love you.” I’ve felt it for months, but finally saying the words out loud is a revelation.
And then he kisses me again, and any other objections I might have had are pushed aside.
When the grand opening celebration finally ends several hours later, we head out together, holding hands. I show Hart my apartment, the view from the balcony. The tiny kitchen.
“It’s small, but it’s clean,” I say. I can’t imagine it’s what he’s used to.
He nods, spying the copy ofLittle Womenhe gifted me sitting on a shelf.
I gaze at him, in disbelief that he’s actually here—standing beside my beige couch and mismatched end tables with a lopsided smile. My back hurts and I’m tired, but my heart has never been more full.
Turning to him, I wrap my arms around his trim waist. I breathe in his scent, wanting to memorize everything about this perfect moment. His mouth finds mine, and we kiss and kiss until his eyes darken with arousal.
His hands skim my hips, pulling me close. “You’re not going to run away from this again, are you?”
I shake my head, looking up at him, his perfectly chiseled features. His one-sided smile.
“I don’t think I could if I tried,” I say, borrowing his line from earlier.
Our reunion starts off sweet but soon turns frenzied. “How are you so sexy?” he whispers, kissing my neck, my shoulder, my collarbone.
“How ... are you ... so good at this?” I gasp, enjoying every touch of his lips to my skin.
After, when our limbs are pleasantly heavy and intertwined under the tangled sheets, he gazes at me. His arm is beneath my pillow, and I run my fingers through his hair. It’s so soft.
“Thank you for fighting for me, for coming here,” I whisper.
“There’s nowhere else.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
When Forever Feels Fragile
When I spot Adongo in the crowd of people, my smile is immediate. “Are you married yet?” she asks, shielding her eyes from the sun.
I laugh. “As a matter of fact ...” Hart strolls up just then. “I believe you know my husband.”
“You’re back,” Adongo says, shaking his hand warmly while a smile beams across her face.
Hart weaves one arm around my waist, keeping me close, and gives her a nod. “I am.”
We flew to New York and got married at the courthouse two months after he surprised me in Nairobi. It wasn’t a lavish affair or fancy in any way, but it was everything. All I needed. He was mine, and I was his.
During our time there, we stayed in his apartment, my first time seeing his place. If I’d been expecting a bachelor pad, it couldn’t have been further from my expectations. Sophisticated art adorned the walls, and there were elegant finishes everywhere I looked. A mahogany kitchen. A cozy den. A billiards room, where he liked to entertain his friends. A massive rooftop terrace. It was comfortable but elevated, which perfectly suited him.
Staying at his place in New York gave me a true look into his life. There was a bevy of domestic staff at his beck and call, ready to take care of anything and everything. He owned several cars as well as vacation properties. He woke early in the mornings, around five, while I was still asleep, worked out in his home gym with a trainer, and then brought me coffee. It was a comfortable routine, even if it only lasted a week until we returned to Nairobi. It opened my eyes to what life with him would look like. Our life. And it was dreamy.
And though work is currently keeping us busy, we’re planning a wedding reception for all our friends and family for later this year. It almost killed our parents that we’d decided to elope, so this was a happy compromise.
With all that’s been happening and the pace that it’s been moving, we decided to get an apartment in Nairobi, somewhere comfortable that’s ours, knowing that we’ll probably be here, in country, for about a year to ensure everything is running smoothly with the school. It’s too important to me to justhopeall continues on this trajectory. I’ve worked too hard and sacrificed too much to ride off into the sunset now.
Adongo’s smile as she takes us in is genuine. “I knew, you know. The first time I met you,” she tells Hart. “I knew you would end up here.”
