Page 94 of Through the Snow Globe
Linus looked at her. “I don’t know. It had its good moments,” he said, his gaze holding hers. “Didn’t it?”
Was he there? Was that even possible? Then again, was any of this experience possible? “Yes, I guess there were some good moments.” She nodded as tears filled her eyes. She’d never cried so much in front of others. The moments that had made up the days she’d repeated had changed the course of her life. Oftheirlives together.
“You know, Diana has been running your toy store for you while you’ve been in here,” Joann said.
“Yeah?” Linus shifted and tried to sit up higher. He was weak right now, but Diana knew that he’d grow stronger. She’d help him rebuild his muscles and his endurance. He had an aisle to walk down after all. “Thank you, Di.”
“You’re welcome. I actually kind of enjoyed it, much more than I would have thought.” She tilted her head. “Not enough to wear silly ties or such.”
“Ah, how I miss my tie collection,” he teased, sounding more and more like his old self. “Please tell me you didn’t ditch any of my favorites.”
Diana laughed. “I didn’t touch a thing. Except maybe that holey Snow Haven High T-shirt you always leave on the floor.”
Linus’s eyes went wide. “You didn’t?”
She bent and kissed his lips. “I might have worn it a time or two, that’s all.”
“Ah, well, that’s perfectly okay. Seeing you in my old T-shirt might actually be good for my health.”
Joann cleared her throat. “Okay, I think I’ll just give you two some private time.” She looked around nervously. “Not that you needthatkind of private time.” She reached for Dustin’s hand. “We’ll just go back to my place for tonight. I’m sure you two want some time to catch up.”
Diana reached for Dustin and pulled him in for a hug. “Be good for Grandma Joann, okay?”
“I will. I promise.” Dustin walked over to Linus’s bedside and gave him a hug as well. “I’m glad you’re awake, Mr. Linus. Diana said you might adopt me once you’re a married couple.”
Heat scorched Diana’s cheeks. That was a big decision. Maybe too big for a guy who’d just woken from a monthlong coma. “Oh, um . . .” She looked between Dustin and Linus. “We can talk about that some more later, okay? Have fun with Grandma Joann.”
Dustin nodded and headed out the door with a wave.
Once Diana and Linus were alone, he reached for Diana’s hand. “I’m not sure what’s real and what’s not right now, but I know it’s good to be here, with you. It’ll be even better when I’m home.”
“It’s really okay that Dustin is staying with us?” she asked, hoping she hadn’t guessed wrong. She loved having Dustin live with her. They’d bonded in a way that Diana guessed a mother would with a child.
“It’s more than okay.”
“If it’s any consolation, I missed out on most of the month too,” she told him. “I just remember December fourth, the day of your accident, and then landing myself here on Christmas Day, waiting for you to wake up.”
“Why is that?” Linus asked.
“I guess . . . I guess I was just lost without you.” She shrugged. “That’s the only way to explain it, at least.”
Linus squeezed her hand. “Well, now you’re found. We both are. We’ll have to celebrate Christmas privately when I get home.” He closed his eyes. “I’m tired right now, though.” He cracked his eyes back open. “I’m afraid if I close my eyes for too long, I’ll slip back into my comaverse. Will you stay with me tonight?”
She squeezed his hand back. “I’ll stay with you forever. How’s that?”
“That sounds like a proposal if I’ve ever heard one,” Linus said, blinking sleepily again.
Diana leaned in and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Linus Grant, will you marry me?”
“Name the time and the place. I’ll be there,” he said softly before closing his eyes for good.
“As soon as possible,” she said, leaning back in her chair and wondering at all the things she couldn’t possibly understand. Then she closed her own eyes and stopped trying. From now on, life was their oyster. Scratch that. It was their snow globe.
Epilogue
December 4th. The following year.
“Rise and shine, sleepy girl.”
