Page 33 of The Art of Dying

I slid my hair over, letting Kitsch work on the clasp. It took him a hot minute, but then he stepped to the side to admire his gift against my skin.

“Damn. It looks as good as I thought.”

I tucked my chin to see the tiny, smoothed rock hanging from the gold chain. “Oh my God, Kitsch. Thank you so much. It’s beautiful.”

“I thought maybe it would help you think of me.”

“I don’t need help to think about you, but it’s absolutely gorgeous!” I said, touching its soft edges. “I won’t take it off.”

He returned to his seat, watching me for a moment before speaking. “You promise?”

I bit my lip, smiled, and nodded. “You promise me you’ll always be extra careful, and that you’ll come home to me?”

“I’ve never been more motivated. I have lots of plans for you.”

I reached across the table and held his hand again, and he gently squeezed my fingers. “Are we ready?”

We. We were awe. And I had a feeling—if it kept going like this—that we always would be. “Let’s go home.”

He walked me to the truck, and as always, opened my door. He lifted me up, set me gently on my seat, then took my hand and kissed it. We sat in silence for a few seconds and then he let go, taking a step back to scan me from hair to heels.

He shook his head. “Damn, I’m a lucky bastard.”

I giggled as he closed the door and watched as he jogged to the other side and climbed behind the wheel. He turned the ignition and then reached for my hand.

That’s when it hit me. It was the last time I’d sit next to him in his truck for a while, the last time we’d drive home together holding hands, the last supper together, the last kiss goodnight. I held in my tears until he parked in our driveway, but then they wouldn’t stop.

“Damn it, baby,” he said, hopping out and rushing to my side. He opened the door and lifted me out, setting me on the ground. He hugged me tight, and I could tell he wanted to say something comforting but couldn’t find the words. When I lifted my head to look into his eyes, he wiped my cheek and then cleared his throat before he spoke. “I’m sorry it’s not easier with me.”

I shook my head. “It’s not that. It’s so easy with you, Kitsch. I’m just going to miss you. And I’d rather miss you than not have you at all.”

He watched me for a moment, then his brows pulled together. “You’re not going to give up on me while I’m gone, right? You’ll wait for me? I know that’s a crazy thing to ask this soon, but… I just know… you’re it for me. I’m in love with you, Mack. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

I sniffed and then smiled. “I’ll be right here when you get back. Every time you get back.”

Kitsch’s head fell back. “Oh, thank God.” He picked me up and kissed me, carrying me into the house without pulling away, even when he unlocked the door.

The security system began to bleat, and he set me down. “Oh, shit.”

I covered my ears while he tapped furiously at the keypad, trying to disarm the alarm, and once it was off, we both burst into laughter.

“I don’t think it has to alert the police; they can hear that thing from here!” I said, wiping tears from my eyes.

“That would scare off the devil himself,” he said. The alarm silenced and then his laughter trailed off. He checked all the locks and then looked over at his pack sitting on the chair next to the door.

The air in the room seemed to change, and I walked over to Kitsch, wrapping my arms around his middle. “See? I’m going to be the safest girl in town.”

Kitsch looked away for a moment, lost in thought and then down at me, touching my cheek. “Mack, if Mason comes here, if he bothers you, I’m going to lose my shit.”

“He won’t,” I said, shaking my head. I pushed up on the balls of my feet to press my lips against his. “Now take me to bed,” I whispered.

He lifted me into his arms, then sighed. “I can’t believe I only have a few more hours with you.”

“You have so much more than that, Kitsch.”

His eyes softened. “Promise me… promise me you mean that. Because it happens to my buddies all the time. Everything’s perfect, but the time apart gets old. Before they know it, they get a phone call, it’s over, and there’s nothing they can do about it.”

“As long as you love me and do right by me, we’re doing this.”

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