Page 116 of Until We Meet Again

"Hey, little sis," he murmurs, placing his hand on top of her grave. He holds up our intertwined hands, proudly showing them off. "I bet you never thought you'd see the day, huh?"

I know he’s been anxious about this—he still clams up a little when we talk about the twin he lost way before her time, so to see him relax here brings me so much happiness.

"She'll be laughing at the fact that I'm out holding hands in public."This coming from the guy who never takes his hands off me, no matter where we are."She'd never let me hear the end of it if she were here."

"She had the same sense of humor as you, I take it?" With a grin, I gently place the white lilies I brought with me on her grave.

"She was worse." My head is nestled against his broad shoulder while I hold onto his arm tightly.

As painful as it is for Zane to be here, I can feel him releasing some of the energy that builds up inside him. It's like he finds relief in feeling close to Kimberley again, and no matter how much he insists that he's happy in Chicago, I know deep down that he would love to be back here.

He once said he would move around the world for me, and I'd do the same for him.

"I wish I could've met her, Zane."

"So do I, sweetheart."

"Do you think I could have a moment alone with her?" Zane's eyes widen in surprise before he nods at me.

"Sure, I’ll head back to where we came in and wait for you." He kisses his hand and places it on top of Kimberley’s headstone before turning to me and gently pressing his lips against my forehead. As he turns and walks away, I find myself alone with the woman I will never get to meet but owe so much to.

"Hey, Kim. Zane usually calls you Kim, so I’m taking on the name if that’s okay. I thought we could have some girl talk without your brother."

I gaze up at the sky, toward the heavens, and even though I never had the chance to meet Kimberley, I imagine her now clouded in nothing but the beautiful blue sky.

Part of me has no idea what I'm doing or why, but I know I need to do this. If there's more to life than this, and there's a glimmer of hope that she's listening to my words, I have a few things I need to say to her.

"I suppose the first thing I should say to you is thank you. If you helped bring Zane and me together, then I need to thank you because I feel like I've hit the jackpot with him. Even if he spent a little too much time behaving like an ass."

I close my eyes again and smile, allowing myself to feel every bit of my love for him. "I promise his heart is safe with me, and I'll love him for the rest of my life. I'm also going to try to bring him home to you, but you know how stubborn he is." I laugh and feel a surge of energy rush through my body, and I choose to believe that Kim approves of this idea, too.

He's peaceful here.

"They've set aside a seat for you at the wedding tomorrow, right next to me and your mom," I say. "I hope that's okay." I stand there for a few more minutes, unsure what to say or whether I should say anything at all, and when I feel ready to leave, I make my way back to Zane. He waits for me by the cemetery's towering gates, casually leaning against a wall with legs crossed at the ankles and arms folded over his chest. As I approach, he draws me closer to his body, and we stand still for long seconds in a moment of shared warmth, grateful for each other's existence.

"All good?" he asks.

"Yeah, thank you."

"Ready to go get smothered by my mom?"

"I think so," I reply, and he captures my laugh with a kiss before we head back to his family home.

His parents, especially his mom, Bridget, smothered me the moment we stepped through the front door, just as he'd warned me. There were happy tears, lots of hugging, and an overwhelming feeling of love and appreciation. I know that Zane and me being here means the world to them.

Half an hour later, we gather around the large pine dining table with his family, enjoying the creamy chicken casserole his mom had prepared for the five of us.

I've been lucky enough to hear stories about Zane's childhood. However, they haven't only been talking about him but also about Kimberley and Callum too. His dad told me how Zane and Kim's bond was so strong that sometimes Callum felt a little left out, but what the three of them shared was an enormous amount of love. He also said that Zane and Kim used to get into all kinds of trouble, and Callum was never far behind, trying to be a part of the fun, but as the baby of the family, he could get away with a lot more.

Zane adores his brother, but the closeness between him and his twin is widely acknowledged and spoken about amongst them all—they were each other's shadows, always there when the other needed something. In a way, they keep Kimberley's memory alive through Zane, and he told me that he used to run from it, but now he embraces it. As much as it's healing for him, it's also healing for his family.

He lost her, and it devastated him because of how much he loved her. And to love so deeply, no matter who it is or how you love them, is something to be thankful for—to feel the love that some people never experience.

"I can't believe my baby is getting married tomorrow." Bridget gushes over her youngest son.

"I had to wife her up fast. She’s too amazing to lose, and I know there are plenty of jerks who’d love to swoop in." I giggle, and the table joins in, but Zane’s gaze stays focused on me like he has a million things on his mind.

"I can't wait to meet her."

---