Page 125 of That Last Secret

There’s no need to panic.

I wonder if I should call Logan and just listen to his peace of mind. I know he’s sleeping and wouldn’t mind if I woke him up for this, but I decide against it.

I can do this.

I finally leave the bathroom and find Brooke in the living room, waiting for me.

“You got this,” she tells me, as if she’s heard all my thoughts.

I smile at her. “Wegot this.”

And for the first time in a while, I believe it.

“I can’t believe this is our last test ever,” Brooke says next to me.

“Don’t forget the boards.”

“The big one that makes us officially nurses,” she squeals. “I am so excited for this. We did it, Emiline. We made it to the end and are about to each live out our dream of being nurses.”

I smile over at her as we walk the last block to class.

Just as we round the last corner, the campus comes into view, and I stop dead in my tracks. Brooke notices and looks from me to the front of the building and back to me, and a broad smile fills her face.

“You’re one lucky girl,” she whispers before walking ahead of me and leaving me behind.

I stand still. Frozen. My feet are cemented to the concrete.

Logan takes a few steps off the stairs and approaches me.

He’s here.

He showed up… for me.

“W-What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

He stops in front of me, brushing a stray strand of hair away from my face and behind my ear. “You didn’t think I was going to miss you going into your last nursing school exam, did you?”

“I mean… yeah. You worked. You should be sleeping.”

His hands reach up to hold my face, and his smile makes me want to melt. It’s full of adoration and reassurance.

“I’m exactly where I want to be.”

“Logan.” I exhale under my breath.

“You got this,” he says, then leans in to press his lips to mine. It’s on the busy sidewalk of New York, out in the open for the world to see.

I sink into him, my hands gripping his T-shirt.

He showed up for me.

Logan pulls away, keeping his lips close to mine. “I couldn’t let you walk in there without you knowing how proud of you I am. You’ve come so far. You’ve sacrificed so much. And you did it, Em. This is your last hill before you graduate.”

I blink away the tear that fights to come to the surface.

“I’ve never met someone as driven as you. I know you worry about not being good enough or you’re afraid that you will fail. But you didn’t fail. And you’re more than enough to be a successful nurse.”

I close my eyes and listen to the words he continues to say.

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