He gives a dramatic eye-roll, but I can see he’s smiling.
Michael pads up the hallway with a chuckle, and Henry steps closer to me. “It’s nice to have you here again, Alex. Dad hasn’t smiled like that for weeks.” He reaches out and pulls me into a hug, squeezing me tight. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Henry,” I say, fighting against another round of tears. Happy tears. Really happy tears.
I sit on the sofa trying to process everything that has happened over the past hour and a half. I told Michael I love him, and he told me he loves me back. I ate dinner with him and Henry, and it was wonderful. And as Michael finally emerges from the hall and his eyes land on me and smolder, I’m pretty sure I know what’s coming next.
He reaches for my hand, pulling me up off the sofa. “Henry’s so happy you’re back. He might have missed you more than me, actually.”
I laugh, feeling joy rush my bloodstream. I know that things with Michael can only work if Henry is on board, so having him want me here is everything. But it’s not just that. I’ve missed Henry too. I’ve missed them both.
I run my eyes over Michael, taking a second to just look at him. His dark hair is messy and unstyled, his face is tired, but there’s a light in his eyes, in the way that he’s looking at me—just like that time at the ice-rink. I take a mental picture of him standing there in his long-sleeved tee, faded jeans, bare feet. This man—fuck. He’s everything I could ever want. I’ll never love another man as much as I love him. Never.
He swallows visibly, pulling me close to him. “Bedroom?”
I nod and turn down the hallway without hesitating. He enters the room behind me and closes the door, then turns to me, peeling my layers off, until I’m naked. His eyes roam over my bare skin while I stand there, but I don’t feel the need to hide. Because I know he’s seen all of it—all of me—and he loves me anyway. He always has.
We make love slowly, passionately, as if we’re doing it for the first time all over again. And while he kisses me, holding me close and giving me every piece of him, I wonder how on earth I ever managed to convince myself that believing in love was crazy.
After, he kisses me with those feather-soft kisses that make my toes curl, make me giddy.
“Alex…” He sets his head down on the pillow and gazes at me. His eyes have those deep crinkles in the corners, his mouth is set in a permanent smile. “I can’t believe you’re here. I thought I’d lost you. I’m never letting you go now. You know that, right?”
“I know. And I’m more than okay with that.”
He leans forward to kiss me again. “I love you,” he murmurs against my lips.
“I love you too. More than anything.” I think of the last time I was here, and regret tugs at me. “I’m so sorry about our fight. I promised not to hurt you and I did.”
“Hey, it’s okay. I don’t expect you to be perfect.”
“And I don’t expect you to be, either,” I say quickly, remembering what he’d said last time.
His eyes soften. “I know. I was just scared that I couldn’t be what you need me to be. But I know you don’t need me to be perfect, and you can’t be either. I don’t expect us to always see eye to eye. Sometimes we’ll fight, and that’s fine.” He takes my hand and laces his fingers through mine. “What matters is that we keep going. It’s not a one-time thing, falling in love. We have to keep choosing each other, over and over again.”
“I can do that,” I say, knowing it’s the truth. And just like that, I understand. Happily ever after is not some fairy-tale ending. It’s not a hand-in-hand stroll into the sunset as the credits roll. It’s a work in progress, a choice you have to keep making. And that’s how I know I’m getting my happy ending—because I’ll never choose anyone else again.
Michael runs his thumb across my palm. “When I woke up beside you at the cabin every morning… that was the happiest I’ve felt in forever. I want to wake up beside you every day. But…” He lets his breath out in a long stream. “I guess when I said my life is complicated, I meant that I come as a package deal. I know you love me, but it’s not just me. It will never be just me. You understand that, right?”
I lift his hand to my mouth and kiss the back of it. “Yes. Of course.”
“Because going forward, I need to know you’re okay with that. Is that something you want?”
I pause, thinking, and decide to tell him the truth. “Honestly? I never imagined that when I fell in love, it would be with someone who has a kid. Or a terrifying ex-wife. But then, I could never have imagined you, or how I feel for you. So, you and your package—”
Michael raises his eyebrows and I giggle.
“What I mean is… I know you come as a package deal, and I’m okay with that. More than okay. Henry is such a sweet kid. I love him too,” I say, understanding for the first time that I do. “Because he’s yours. Because he matters to you. And that means he matters to me, too.”
The creases around Michael’s eyes deepen. “Good. Because… look, I can’t do anything without talking to Henry first. This is his home too, and I need to make sure he’s happy with everything. I’m quite certain he will be, but I need to do everything with him in mind. Does that make sense?”
I nod, smiling. I think I know where he’s going with this, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself.
“Okay. Because
