Page 78 of Surrender
Keefe barked a laugh. “You want food now?”
“Hey, emotions are exhausting. I need chips.”
He laughed and kissed her again—slow at first, like he was afraid she’d vanish if he moved too fast. But when she leaned into him, when her hands gripped his shirt, the kiss deepened. All the pain, the silence, the longing—was poured into that kiss. And for a moment, time stopped.
When they finally pulled apart, their foreheads resting together, both of them breathless, Gwen gave a shaky laugh.
“So, do we get to start over now? Surrender to our fate?”
Keefe smiled, brushing her damp cheek with his thumb. “Not starting over. Just picking back up right where we left off.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure about you.” He paused, eyes locked on hers. “Always have been.”
Epilogue
Gwen sat cross-legged on the sofa, both hands covering her eyes and a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“No peeking,” Keefe said from somewhere to her left, a thread of laughter woven through his voice.
“I’m not peeking.” She could hear him moving about the room, clearly trying to time this surprise just right.
“Okay, you can open your eyes…” Keefe said, waiting for just the right moment—when she looked her absolute cutest. “Now!”
Gwen dropped her hands and looked around. Nothing seemed different at first. Then?—
She heard it. A tiny, high-pitched sound.
Her eyes darted down—and her entire face lit up.
“A kitten! You got me a kitten! Come here, sweet little baby, come to mammy!”
The little bundle of fur currently dangling from Gwen’s pant leg by its tiny claws had completely stolen her focus. She nearly forgot Keefe was even in the room—which didn’t bother him a bit. The joy on her face was more than worth it.
Her expression made his chest feel too full for words. He would have bought a hundred kittens if it made her look at him like that every day.
“What’s your name, little one, huh?” she cooed, reaching down to gently scoop the fuzzball into her hands.
“Bessy,” Keefe answered for the fuzzy black-and-white face.
Gwen looked up, “No.”
“Oh, come on.”
“You cannot name our cat after your stove!” she said, laughing.
Keefe snickered. “Why not?”
Little Bessy, as Keefe would continue to call her no matter what Gwen decided, climbed up Gwen’s shoulder and into her hair like she’d found a new nest. Gwen winced and laughed, delicately detangling kitten claws from her curls.
It was as good a moment as any. Maybe the best.
“Um, Keefe...” Gwen hesitated, her voice suddenly softer, almost reverent. She looked up at him with something tender and brave in her eyes. “I kind of have a gift for you too.”
“Don’t tell me you got us a kitten too.” He grinned. Honestly, knowing her, he wouldn’t have been surprised.
“No, this is a gift for the both of us. Not a kitten but... it will be a baby.” She looked at him, her eyes glistening with tears barely held back.
