Page 130 of If You Stayed

I closed my eyes, feeling a level of bliss hit my soul and my sole as his thumbs circled the arch of my foot. “Thank you,” I said, melting even more into my pillow.

“Always.”

“How are you?” I whispered when he lay down beside me after the foot massage.

“Happy,” he replied. “How are you?”

“Happy,” I echoed. So, so happy. “Thank you for finding me again.”

He kissed my forehead and pulled me in more, holding me so close that I was able to rest my head against his chest. “Thank you for staying this time.”

As we fell asleep, I knew, come morning, I’d be just as happy as the night prior because I had everything I could ever want surrounding me day in and day out. I had laughter, I had peace, I had joy, and I had love.

This was it. This was ours. The good and the bad. The uphill battles and the downward slide. The easy days and the hard nights. We’d faced them all together, no matter what.

Gabriel Sinclair was mine, and I would always be his.

Therefore, I had no other choice but to stay by his side, to stay in his arms for the rest of forever. I was home.

Home.

I was finally home again, because of Gabriel Ayodele Sinclair.

My joy had come home.

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