Page 35 of When Grump Met Sunshine

Claire nodded, her eyes shimmering with unspoken emotion. "I know what that feels like. To be afraid to say the wrong thing because the stakes feel too high."

He leaned back slightly, watching her. "Amanda was... she was everything for a long time. Losing her made me afraid to even feel again. But then you walked in, and it wasn’t like lightning. It was more like sunlight sneaking in through a window I didn't realize was cracked open."

A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "That might be the most poetic thing anyone's ever said to me."

Jack grinned, just a little. "Well, I had help. Evelyn didn’t hold back—she reminded me of all the times I put my life on pause, told me straight up that clinging to grief was costing me more than I realized. She told me if I kept hiding behind grief, I'd end up building a life of regret instead of one filled with possibility. That kind of shook me."

Claire raised an eyebrow. "The mentor you mentioned?"

He nodded. "She reminded me that love doesn’t erase what came before. It just adds to it."

There was a long pause, filled only by the wind rustling the trees outside.

"I think," Claire said slowly, "that I spent a long time thinking love was conditional. That it had to be earned over and over, or it might vanish. Derek made me feel that way. Always like I was one mistake away from being too much."

Jack’s expression darkened, but he didn’t interrupt.

"But with you," she continued, her voice strengthening, "I don’t feel like I have to shrink myself. I feel seen."

Jack leaned forward again, his hand brushing hers. "You don’t have to shrink. I want all of it. The messy, the honest, the brave. Especially the brave."

A lump caught in her throat. She squeezed his hand lightly. "Then let’s stop trying to do this with half-measures. Let’s stop editing ourselves."

He nodded, eyes never leaving hers. "What does moving forward look like to you?"

Claire paused. "It looks like weekends at the beach, homework at the kitchen table, and a fridge covered in their art and spelling tests—proof of messy, beautiful growth. Real conversations. Trust. Support. A partnership."

He smiled. "That’s what I want, too. Chloe already adores you and Gabe. I think she’s halfway convinced you're magic."

Claire laughed softly. "Gabe thinks Jack the brain surgeon is the coolest guy on the planet. He keeps going on about how cool it was when you helped him make that volcano erupt during the project—he’s been reliving it all week. He even told his teacher you should come in and be a guest speaker."

They both chuckled, the shared amusement easing any remaining tension.

"It’s not always going to be easy," Claire said.

Jack nodded. "But it’s going to be worth it."

Claire shifted closer. Their hands still linked, their knees now touching. "Thank you for the letter. For not running."

Jack looked down briefly, then back at her, his eyes softening. "I wanted to. More than once. But then I'd hear Chloe laugh, or remember something you'd said, and it just... kept me grounded."

He squeezed her hand. "Thank you for being patient. For seeing me."

Claire smiled, brushing her thumb across his knuckles, her touch lingering just enough to let him know she was fully present in the moment. Her heart fluttered—steady, hopeful—matching the quiet warmth she saw reflected in his eyes. "It's easy to see you, Jack. The real you. Even when you think you're hiding."

The door creaked slightly, and Chloe’s voice floated in from outside. "Gabe! Race you to the mailbox!"

Their smiles widened.

"They’re good together," Claire murmured.

"Just like us," Jack said.

She turned to him, her heart full. "We’re really doing this, aren’t we?"

"We are."

Before they embraced, Claire glanced toward the door and asked softly, "Do you think we should tell the kids anything yet?"

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