Page 88 of How Good It Was (Excess All Areas 3)

“Are you sure? This doesn’t feel very much like the strong kind of presence my dad was. A man’s man. It feels weak.”

“Weak? There is nothing weak about admitting you are only human, Luke. And I bet your dad had his moments too. When he felt like the world was too much. We all do. What you’re doing, confronting what is happening instead of continuing those behaviours, is brave.”

The sincerity and force in her tone caused his words to catch in his throat. Suddenly, he wanted to put his sunglasses back on, like a physical shield. “It all feels like a lot of work, but the idea you won’t be around at the end of it terrifies me.”

“I don’t have a crystal ball. I don’t think any of us know what the future holds. But I’m here. With you. I’ll hold your hand, hold you up, and help you through this. I mean, isn’t that the point of relationships? To be there in sickness and health. To see each other through the rough and smooth.”

“Our relationship has been a contract one, so far.”

Willow stroked his hair back off his forehead. “So is marriage when you think about it. Prenups, licenses, marriage certificates. Perhaps our contract looked a little different to other people’s at the start. But it’s ours. And it’s working.”

“Is it?” He felt like a pathetic puppy dog needing some reassurance.

“It would be stupid of me to pretend everything is perfect. I’ve got a lot of baggage of my own. But there’s something beneath the noise of all this. When it’s just you and me and Cletus, it’s more than enough. It’s the outside world that starts to detract points. Stress with my dad, your history.”

Luke cupped her cheek. “Then, let’s focus on us, Will. Let’s make time and space to work on ourselves and each other. We owe it to Cletus.”

“I’ll do it because we owe it to ourselves. No one else. And because whatever you and I are, we owe it to each other to bring the very best version of ourselves to this relationship. When we do that, we can help each other.”

Her words inspired him. The best version of himself. Fuck, he hadn’t been that for a really long time. It was time he cleaned up his act. Right then and there, he made the decision to stop with the drugs.

“I’ll meet you back here on these rocks a year from now. No matter what happens between you and I. Promise me we’ll meet up here and see how far we’ve come, yeah?”

Willow kissed him gently. “I promise.”

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