Page 105 of What I'm Looking For

“I got your letter.” She pokes a finger in my chest. “I’m still bad at the Shakespeare translation. I got that you love me and that you were saying goodbye. That’s about it.” She kicks a toe in the dirt before hugging me hard. “I love you, too.”

“I thought you?—” I start.

“Maybe we?—” she begins at the same time.

“You go,” I say.

She looks up at me with brave brown eyes. “Maybe we could try again?”

“Yes.” I frame her face with my palms. “I don’t care about the long distance. We’ll figure it out.”

She pulls back. “Long distance?”

“Did you not take that job? In Philadelphia?”

“No! I mean, I’m doing it. I start next week.” Her face glows. “It’s really exciting. I’ve been wanting to tell you all about it!”

“So, we’ll have to try to date long distance. I don’t think I can just move to Philadelphia.”

“What? No! It’s here. That was the whole point. They’re opening a new office here.”

“Oh.” I shake my head, trying to catch up. “In your letter you said you were going down there, so I assumed?—”

“Ahhh. I guess I didn’t include some of the pertinent details.” She looks away. “I was kind of upset when I wrote that letter.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she sighs. “I didn’t really want to break up with you.”

I step close, finding her warm hands. “You didn’t?”

Shaking her head, her gaze meets mine. “I didn’t.”

“That’s funny.” I press her hands to my heart. “Because I didn’t want to break up with you either. I wanted to tell you that you’ve changed me. In a good way. In fact, yourlove”—I draw out the word and lean in to kiss her again before continuing—“may be the reason why that performance was so convincing.” I tilt my head toward the stage. “You taught me that risking loss makes life much more precious.”

Kate’s eyes shine. “Well, lucky for you, you can’t seem to lose me.”

“‘I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest,’” I whisper before brushing my lips over hers.

“‘My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep,’” she interjects before I can go on.

My jaw drops, and I lever back to take in her proud face. She learned a Shakespeare quote. I wait expectantly to see if she’ll finish it.

Her arms sweep up into the air as she does. “‘The more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite.’”

Before she can take another breath, I reel her in to whisper, “I think you just won the game.”

Epilogue

Five Years Later

KATE

Will hands the enormous diaper bag over to Deb as I carefully transfer a sleeping baby Imogen into Pam’s arms. A squeak escapes her tiny lips, but thankfully her adorable eyes remain closed.

Naturally, the other three adults present are as captivated as I am by the face of our little girl. “Maybe we should all just stand here and stare at her all night,” I whisper.

Deb resettles their own little girl on her hip. “You and Will have a nice dinner and then go to the award ceremony and celebrate. Little Imogen here will sleep and wake up and play and have a bottle of this yummy breast milk you pumped and then go to sleep again.” She gently pushes me toward the door. “Now get outta here so her aunties can spoil her. And you’re going to share your toys with your cousin, aren’t you, Rosalind?”

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