Page 51 of Pillowtalk

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“Wait,” Aaron said, covering Kennedy’s fingers as she went to pop the lid of the urn open. She lifted her gaze, blinking away at the sprinkles of rain that fell between them. Aaron tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her farther down the lake, to a spot right behind his house. A grin flickered in the corner of his mouth and he said, “Right here. This was where Jared…cheated death the first time.”

Kennedy pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to clarify that this was the spot where Aaron had saved Jared’s life. She liked his description just as much.

“I’m sorry it took me so long, baby,” she said, shivering against the wind that suddenly blew over her back. She pressed a long kiss to the smooth surface, letting it linger as the rain slowed around her. Her heart skipped as she waited for the hesitation, the sorrow that usually came every time she’d attempted this, but it was gone, replaced with something much more peaceful. She was finally giving Jared what he wanted, and a sense of calm fell over her as her fingers tucked under the crease of the lid. Aaron’s hands slid around her waist, his chest strong and sturdy against her back. The wind blew around them, jostling her on her feet, but Kennedy hadn’t felt more safe or sure than she did in the moment she put the urn up to her lips and whispered, “Goodbye, love.”

Then she turned it over and let the ashes swim with the wind, the rain, and the lake.

She leaned back into Aaron, his heart a comforting beat to her ears. His fingers ran up her arms as she capped the now empty urn.

“You’re all wet,” she said, her laugh silent, yet so real in that moment it took her a bit by surprise. Whenever she had pictured finally giving Jared his last wish, she had imagined herself broken and alone without him. Instead she felt the absolute opposite—content and loved.

Aaron’s grin pushed against her hair. “You, too.”

“Can I change in your bedroom?”

“Only if I can join you.”

She laughed, her body shaking against his. After one final glance at the lake, she whispered another goodbye to her first love, then spun in Aaron’s hold, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and nodded.

A wicked grin spread on his lips and her feet were lifted from the ground, her legs wrapping easily around his waist. He coaxed her lips down to his, then he kissed her and carried her inside, where she welcomed the start of a new love.

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