Page 154 of For Wrath and Redemption
We pull up to Sav’s just before 5 p.m.
When Torren turns off the car, we climb out, but I don’t move toward the house.
“Are you going to come in?”
I shake my head. “No. Not yet.”
“I’ll send her out, then.” He holds the keys out for me, jangling them a few times before dropping them into my palm with a smirk. “It’s the new one.”
“No shit.”
Just before Torren reaches the door, he turns back around.
“Hey, at the risk of sounding like a complete asshole and making you extremely uncomfortable again...”
“Don’t do it,” I warn, but he doesn’t listen.
“I’m really fucking proud of you, Jo. I’m proud, and I believe you. I know it’s going to stick this time. You deserve happiness.”
I pause. I needed to hear that, and surprisingly, I believe them.
“Thanks, Tor.”
He nods once, then turns and disappears into Sav’s house. When the door closes, I stare at it and start to count. At eighty-five, the door opens, and I hold my breath as she steps out onto the stoop.
She’s beautiful, and I lose my breath. Her curly brown hair is down, falling just past her collarbone. She’s in a plain black T-shirt and leggings, and when my eyes fall on her stomach, I start to cry.
Tears fall silently as she closes the distance between us. I dreamt of that beautiful smile every night since I left her in New York, but nothing compares to seeing it in person.
I expect her to stop when she reaches me, but she doesn’t. Thank God, she doesn’t. Instead, Claire wraps her arms around my waist and hugs me tightly. I pull her against my body and bury my face in her hair. I inhale deeply, filling my lungs with her. Lavender and sugar. It calms me immediately. She lifts on her tiptoes and lays her head on my shoulder.
“I missed you.” Her lips tickle my neck as she speaks, and my shirt dampens with her tears. “I missed you so much.”
The relief those words give me is unmatched. I’ve never felt relief like this. She’s not angry. She doesn’t hate me. I force a swallow and pull her closer.
“Do you still love me, Trouble?”
“Yes. Do you still love me?”
“Endlessly.” I pull back and kiss her lips, tasting her tears as they mix with mine. “I love you endlessly.”
She laughs lightly and kisses me again. She missed me. She loves me. She’s still mine.
I cup her face in my hands, deepening our kiss. I don’t want to let her go. I want to stand in this driveway forever with her in my arms.
“You’re still mine.”
She nods, then wraps her hands around my wrists and guides them down her body.
“We’restill yours. Both of us.”
The moment my hands are on her rounded stomach, my tears come faster. I press my forehead to hers, kiss her once more, then lean back and look. Her small hands top my larger ones as she gently presses my palms into her skin, and I’m in awe. It’s not a very large bump; my splayed hands cover it almost entirely, but it’s noticeable. It’s beautiful.
Then her breath hitches, and her eyes connect with mine.
“Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
She smiles and shakes her head. “No...it’s...”
