Page 97 of Because You Loved Me

Noa had all kinds of feelings at that moment. All of them very, very good. “What feeling is that exactly?”

“Oh. Where do I even begin?” His voice was light, and teasing. “First, there’s obviously the feeling of love.” He kissed her chastely.

“Of course.”

“But then there’s the feeling of happiness.” Another feather-light kiss.

“Are you happy?”

“So happy,” he said. “But don’t forget about the best feeling of all.”

“And what’s that?” Noa couldn’t have wiped the smile off her face if she’d tried…and she certainly didn’t want to try.

“Easy,” Asher said full of confidence. “It’s hope.” He gave her another G-rated kiss.

“Hope?” She didn’t bother trying to hide her confusion.

“Hope.” Asher smiled and nodded. “Hope for the future. That maybe one day we’ll be like your parents, renewing our vows and talking about all the things we’ve been through together, just to come out on the other side stronger for it all.”

Noa let his words settle deep inside her. “I don’t think the man I met not that long ago would have said that.”

He winked. “That man didn’t realize what the love of a good woman would feel like.”

“Now you do?”

“You know I do.”

She bit her bottom lip. “I kind of like this mushy version of you, Asher.”

“I can’t help it. I’m full of all the feelings, sweetheart.”

“Oh, you’re definitely full of something, Asher.” Noa laughed. “But I love it.”

“And I love you.”

He kissed her again, and this time there was nothing G-rated about it.

Epilogue

Three Weeks Later…

Two backpacks sat by the front door of the cabin. Noa checked her crossbody travel purse one more time for her passport. “Are we crazy?”

“I think we’ve already established the answer to that, sweetheart.” Asher came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her as he nuzzled the back of her neck. “We are completely, totally, and without question…crazy.”

He spun her in his arms and kissed her thoroughly.

“I didn’t mean in general.” She laughed.

“Oh good, because I didn’t want to try to explain to you again how crazy I am about you and how I know you’re just as crazy about me. And how together, we’re crazy in love and how we are extra crazy for taking a chance on that love after such a short time.” He tried, and failed, to look serious. “I mean, I’ll explain it if I have?—”

“Enough.” She smacked him lightly on the arm and walked toward their ready-to-go backpacks. “You know what I meant.” Noa turned to look at him. “Are we insane for doing this? For taking this trip around the world instead of figuring out jobs, or what we’re?—”

“No, Noa.” He silenced her with a gentle finger to her lips. “Nothing about this is insane. This is perfect and exactly what we should be doing right now. And your parents and Ryan and his parents were incredibly generous to offer this to us.”

After New Year’s, when they’d had a chance to recover from the chaos of everything and how fast it had all changed, Noa told Asher about the offer for the plane tickets, and he’d immediately thought it was an excellent idea.

In fact, although Noa had a bit of hesitancy, Asher had never wavered from his certainty that the very best thing they could do at this point in their lives was travel. With Asher’s forced sabbatical until spring, and Noa unsure about what shedidwant to do now that she’d admitted that she didn’t want to work in the family firm, there wouldn’t be a better time to take such a big trip.

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