Page 128 of Midnight Between Us
Keir says nothing, but I can feel the way his hand keeps moving against my skin, as if he’s reassuring himself that I’m still here, too.Then finally says, “I’ll take it.”
We fall quiet again.I rest my cheek against his chest and listen to the beat of him.He strokes my back with lazy fingers, drawing nothing in particular but making me feel like I belong to something.
This doesn’t fix everything.We’re still figuring out where we land in a world that once made it impossible for us to stay.But I don’t feel like I’m waiting for it all to disappear, waiting for this to be a dream ending in a nightmare where my heart is broken and midnights are a thing of the past.
Keir presses a kiss on my forehead.“I love you.”
“I love you too,” I whisper.“Even when I didn’t want to.”
We lie there for a while, limbs tangled, our breathing synced.
The sun climbs a little higher.Outside, the world keeps spinning.
But in here, we’re perfect.
We are us, and hopefully this time is forever.
Epilogue
Keir
The air iscool and still, the kind of crisp that kisses your lungs clean.Water laps gently at the edges of the lake, carrying the reflection of lights strung across the wooden railing like something pulled out of a dream.Everything glows—the lanterns, the stars above, the woman standing just a few feet away with her hands in the pockets of her coat, pretending she doesn’t know what’s about to happen.
She knows.
Simone always knows.
I built this place—tucked just beyond the tree line, a hidden gem only I knew how to shape.The bridge is lined in warm lights and battery candles, soft enough not to blind, but just bright enough to make the world feel wrapped in something rare.Like an enchanting forest that only exists because I wanted it to.
Sims turns, and I nearly forget how to breathe.
She’s in a black dress that falls just above her knees, long sleeves hugging her arms, her hair twisted up with strands falling around her face like she didn’t try too hard.Which is exactly what makes her dangerous.She’s always been the most devastating when she’s not trying.
She raises an eyebrow.“So ...what is this meteor shower at midnight that we have to see?”
I swallow around the knot in my throat.“It’s coming.”
She looks around.“But do we need these many lights for that?”
I walk toward her slowly, the ring box burning a hole in my pocket.The wooden platform creaks gently beneath my steps.“Honestly, I wanted you to see what it’s like when I think about forever during midnight.”
She looks around—the lights, the candles, the reflections shimmering on the water—and something softens in her expression.Her mouth twitches like she’s trying not to smile.
“Somehow, I feel like we’re being a little dramatic today, Timberbridge.”
I stop in front of her.Close enough to feel the warmth coming off her skin.“Only for you.”
She doesn’t say anything.Her fingers twitch slightly at her sides, like they’re debating reaching for me.
I drop to one knee.
Her breath catches.
“I used to think I wasn’t the kind of man who got to have this.Who deserved a future that didn’t come with strings and landmines and a thousand ways to lose the things he loved most.”
She blinks.Her hand covers her mouth.The candles flicker around her like they know they’re standing in the presence of something holy.
“I was wrong.”
