Page 73 of Beacon

“Did you mean it?” Mack asks after a few minutes, his voice scratchy as if he hasn’t used it in a long time.

“Did I mean what?”

“What you said earlier? About not joining back up with Maria.”

My heartbeat accelerates. My blood feels like it’s throbbing in my veins. But I manage to keep my words light as I say, “Yes. I mean it.”

“You definitely don’t want to join up with them again?”

“Definitely not.”

He shifts. Restless. Almost jittery. “Do you…? Will you get a place of your own in Halbrook to teach?”

“I… I don’t know yet.”

There’s another speaking pause. “Do you…? Has something changed?”

I stretch up to kiss him in the same way I did by the fire. But even better because our whole bodies are pressed against each other. “Yes. It’s changed.”

“So maybe…” He clears his throat. “So maybe we don’t have to only be temporary? Only no-strings?”

I choke back a little whimper in my throat. “I don’t think we have to be only that anymore.”

He clutches me against him with a strangled sob. He doesn’t say anything else. I really don’t think he’s capable of it.

And he doesn’t have to. Because the universe has miraculously shifted.

Maybe our entire future hasn’t been decided yet, but now—finally, at last—we don’t have to always be torn apart anymore.

14

We both sleepthrough the night. A couple of times I come to half consciousness and lift my head groggily, but as soon as I assure myself of Mack sleeping beside me, I drift right off again.

It’s still dark in the room and outside the curtains when I wake up for real. My head is slightly foggy, and I have a few torn muscles from the day before, but overall I feel good.

Really good.

Better than I’ve felt in ages.

Like an oppressive weight has finally been lifted off my shoulders.

I lay in the dark for a few minutes, trying to decide if my full bladder is a strong enough compulsion to get up and use the outhouse. It’s not like in the cabin where Icould run to the bathroom in bare feet and be back in bed in two minutes.

Since I can’t go back to sleep, I finally slide out of bed as discreetly as possible so as not to wake Mack. When he doesn’t move, I stick my feet in my shoes, grab my jacket and pistol, and head outside, hoping I don’t hit squeaky floorboards and wake the whole house.

Everything is dark and silent in the house and outside it. After I’ve peed and left the outhouse, I jerk in surprise when I see someone standing at the side door that leads to it.

It’s Mack wearing nothing but his trousers and holding a gun.

I shake my head at him as I hurry to him. “I was fine,” I whisper.

“Just making sure.” His familiar face is relaxed, and his dark eyes are warm. There are little crinkles at the corners of his eyes and mouth. “I gotta go too, so cover me while I’m in there.”

I blink. Then realize he’s teasing. I giggle. “You got it.”

He strides over to the outhouse and isn’t in there long. But I do keep my eyes open, scanning our surroundings to make sure there’s no sign of threat.

When he returns to me, he’s smiling. We walk back inside, locking and bolting the door behind us. We make it back to our bedroom without anyone else waking up.

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