Page 57 of When I Found You

“I highly doubt the universe will implode if I know a few details about the future.” He chuckles. “If I wasn’t financially secure, I would say there are a few prime opportunities one could take advantage of.”

“You can’t. It wouldn’t be right.” I clutch the notebook tighter.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m perfectly capable of managing my wealth without the aid of insider information.” He winks. “As for some of the other events you discuss, well, I doubt anyone would believe us even if we tried to warn them of impending destruction.”

“You’re probably right.” I tap the notebook and ease my grip a fraction. “Is this why you came after me? I mean, after reading it, you must have realized I wasn’t crazy or you would have called the cops.”

“I came after you because I love you and I wanted to ensure your safety.” He kisses my forehead. “But yes, the spoilers in your little journal helped solidify my belief in your story.”

“I should burn this damn thing.”

“If that’s what you wish.”

The rest of the drive is silent. A gentle contentment settles around us once we arrive home.

Home. It’s so strange to think of it as my home.

I glance up at the massive building and then at the man standing tall beside me. He takes my hand and squeezes infusing me with confidence. The snow falls around us gently enfolding us in snapshot of picture-perfect winter magic.

I may not understand how I became stranded in 1985, but I understand the reason I’m meant to stay. Arthur, my dad’s boss, and the man I love beyond reason. Beyond time itself.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Arthur

New Year’s Eve 2020

Spoilers. Such a simple, inconspicuous word, and yet for the last thirty-five years, it has been our secret code for knowing the unknowable.

“Did you fall asleep already?” Kate calls from the doorway.

“How can anyone sleep with you nagging them to death?” I snap back in a loving tone.

“For that comment, I’m drinking both these hot cocoas.” She ambles into the room with a tray bearing cookies and two steaming mugs.

Her hair, as well as mine, turned white years ago. She may have a strange little shuffle when she walks and her face is careworn with the passage of time, but she’s still the same beautiful woman I married in 1985.

“Are we watching Doctor Who reruns?” I ask as she sets the tray down on the table.

“I was hoping we could watch An Affair to Remember.” She smiles. “It’s a classic.”

“It’s better than Sleepless in Seattle.” I snort and reach for a cookie.

She slaps my hand. “Not better. Different. I prefer Grant to Hanks.”

“You like older men,” I tease her and plant a kiss on her cheek before snatching the cookie with awkward grace.

Kate sticks her tongue out and pulls her phone from her apron. “Nearly midnight, maybe we should wait for twelve and then turn in.”

“You want a little New Year nookie.” I add a wink, and she blushes. I love that after all these years, I can still make her blush.

“Oh, Arthur, you never change.” She turns up the volume on the television and flips until a movie catches her attention.

I study her profile. She’s my best friend, the love of my life, and the woman I didn’t know I needed to keep me in line. How did I get so lucky?

My gaze drifts to the row of photographs lining the wall and taking up all the space on the bookshelves. Photos of us through the years, with her parents, with her holding herself as a baby, which still makes me chuckle. But the best photographs are of our kids and grandkids. My heart swells with pride at the life we created together and how amazing the journey has been.

Kate never did tell her parents. She spent as much time with them as she could up until the day her dad passed. I held her as she wept the day before and then every night for a month after. We mourned his death together. I lost my friend the day she lost her father. She never regretted stealing those final moments with him, even though he didn’t know her role in his life.

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