Page 134 of The Love You Fight For
“That, too.”
We fall back into silence, and my eyes wander to Chris’s newest tattoo, right where his neck and shoulder meet. My lips, bright red and impossible to miss. I can’t look at it too long, otherwise I’ll get turned on and will have to drag him to the cabin for a quickie.
He used the lipstick print I’d left on theHellfirenote over a year ago and had it permanently inked onto his skin. I was surprised that he’d been carrying the note in his wallet all this time. Even more surprised when he told me he was going to get it made into a tattoo right after I’d moved in with him.
But now that it’s done? I’m obsessed with it.
I might be a little obsessed with him, actually, and he knows it.
Later in the day, we take the speed boat to the marina for lunch. We listen to the live band, and everyone laughs at the way Gabe tears up the dance floor. We close out the night with a small campfire at the cabin, and it’s an absolutely perfect day.
As I curl up on Chris’s chest in our bed, I don’t think I could be any more content.
I didn’t know it at the time, but I think this was what I was fighting for all along. This is what I always wanted. I just wasn’t ready to admit it to myself. A love like ours. The family we have. The life we’re building.
It’s better than I ever could have imagined.
“Hey, babe,” I whisper, pushing up on my elbow so I can look at him.
God, he’s beautiful.
“Yeah, princess?”
He reaches up and runs a strand of my hair gently through his fingertips, the soft touch making me shiver. I press a kiss to his tattoo of my lips, and he hums low in his throat.
“I’ve found my true north,” I say softly. I can feel his heart beating under my palm. Can feel his light inhales and exhales on my naked skin. “It’s you. Our family. Our life. That’s my true north. I get it now. I understand.”
Chris wraps his arms around my body tightly, and I snuggle into him. He presses a kiss to my head.
“I knew you would,” he says, and I smile.
He did. He knew even before I did. I think back to our conversation the first time he brought me to this cabin, when I was warring with myself daily, fighting desperately for a future I couldn’t yet fathom.
What if I don’t have a true north?
You have one, princess. You just have to let yourself find it.
“Thank you for being patient with me,” I say as he runs his fingers up and down my back. “I love you.”
“I love you, Sam. My warrior princess. My fearless queen. My true north.”
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
One More Year Later
I can tellit’s late morning when I open my eyes.
I shoot upright and check my phone, briefly worried I missed my alarm before I remember it’s Monday. The Princess is closed on Mondays. But still, we’re usually there by now. We’ve got inventory and grocery shipments and payroll. Chris needs to finalize the menu for the week, and I need to look over our reservations list, which is about a mile long and scheduled two months out.
The responsibilities don’t end, and I love it.
I furrow my brow. No texts. No sounds coming from the house. I’m alone. It confuses me until I glance at Chris’s side of the bed and find a single red Gerbera daisy and a note. I smile as I reach for it, but then my heart starts to race.
I read it three times, my eyes growing wider each time before I finally tell myself to stay calm. This could just be a fun a little game. It’s probably not what I think it is. I’ll probably find him on the deck outside with fresh coffee and something delicious for breakfast.
That’s all.
This is probablynota proposal.
