Page 79 of A Vine Mess
“Will you tell me about her one day?”
God, I hadn’t thought about Mellie indays, nor had I paused for a second to remind myself I had my brother’s wedding and my entire family to contend with at the end of this trip.
Ella had shared so much with me, had trusted me with so much, and I knew I owed her that in return. But not right now.
“Soon,” I promised. “I just don’t want to ruin this moment.”
Ella nodded in understanding, urging me to continue.
I tapped the back of my left hand. “This one is for my late grandmother. Her name was Rose, and she was one of my absolute favorite people.”
It had been several years and her loss still stung, still had the ability to punch me in the gut and knock the wind out of me. I breathed deeply, trying to quell the stinging behind my eyes.
“You miss her.”
“Very much,” I managed to choke out.
Ella didn’t offer me any condolences or platitudes. She merely crawled onto my lap and held me tightly while I collected myself.
“What’s the last one?” she whispered.
I swallowed hard, the momentary wave of grief quickly replaced by that of nervousness.
I stretched my right arm out in front of us, showing off the small blue butterfly inked on the inside of my wrist.
“This one…is for you.”
“Me?” she gasped, then twisted enough to extend her same arm, displaying the similar creature tattooed in the same spot. “I always thought it looked a lot like mine.”
“It was silly, getting it when I couldn’t guarantee we’d end up here. But…that first time I saw you was the first time I felt like a small piece of the old me—the man I’d been before everything had gone to shit—had returned to me at last.”
“How did I not know?” she whispered, gaze still fixed on our arms, though they had that glazed quality that told me she was somewhere far away. “How the hell could I have missed it?”
“Hey, no,” I said, grasping her chin and turning her head until those green eyes met mine, clearing as they did. “You didn’t know because I was too afraid to make a move. That’s not your fault, Wildflower. And it doesn’t matter. What’s important is that we’re here together now. That we’re finally getting our chance.”
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “We could’ve had so much longer.”
I gathered her closer and moved to recline against the headboard, pressing a kiss to her temple.
“It’s okay, baby. We’ve got forever to make up for it.”
“I’m sad to leavethis place,” I told Liam as I stood on the front lawn, staring up at the cabin while he loaded our things into the van.
Gravel crunched beneath his boots as he approached me, and a moment later, he slid an arm around my waist and tugged me into his side.
“Me too,” he said. “But the good news is we get to take our memories with us, and we get to keep making new ones.”
I looked up at him, returning his wide grin. “I like the way you think, Wills.”
He ducked his head to press a kiss to my nose. “Ready to hit the road?”
“Let’s take a picture first!” I blurted, desperate to remain in this place, in this bubble, for a little while longer.
Though he grumbled, I knew he’d indulge me, and a second later, we had turned our backs to the building. Liam’s long arm stretched in front of us, angling the phone to capture our smilingfaces and the breathtaking landscape behind us. He snapped a few pictures in quick succession, then handed the phone to me for my approval.
My heart grew almost painfully in my chest as I studied them, as I took in how fuckinghappywe were, and how good we looked together.
We’d only been here for three days, but it felt like so much longer. I felt like a totally different woman now than the one who had first walked inside the gorgeous cabin before us. And I supposed, in a lot of ways, I was. Thanks to the man beside me, who I inexplicably got to callminenow, I felt…lighter. And genuinely content with myself and my life for the first time in years.
