Blind Date(80)

"I'm real proud of you, honey," he rasps into the silence.

I keep my cheek on his chest when I answer, "You are?"

"Yeah, I am. What you and Taylor are doing. It's incredible. It'll help so many people out there, who have nowhere else to turn."

"I hope so," I whisper.

"It will. You've taken the best of a bad situation, and turned it into something you can share with the world. Not many people can say they have that kind of determination or strength. You could have crumbled, but you came out stronger."

I squeeze his sides. "I couldn't have done any of it without you. You're the reason I fought when he had us, you're the reason I believed there was a chance I could escape. You kept me strong, even in my darkest moments, Ace. I don't know what I would have done without you."

He goes silent, and I know he's pondering my words.

"Even though," I continue. "There were times I wanted to fly-kick you in the face for being such a jerk. And honestly, those manners of yours  …  terrible. We're going to work on those. I'll be having a word with your mother about it when I meet her."

"What makes you think you get to meet her?" he teases, tugging my hair softly.

"Well, Ace, I'm going to have to meet her to explain why her son is in the hospital."

"In the hospital?"

"Yes, after I kick you in the face, because I can guarantee it'll take a few times to get you behaving like a well-mannered adult."


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"I'm not that bad," he grumbles.

"You scare people. Lena only bakes for you because she's probably scared of you. Give her a smile, maybe a wave." I pause. "Actually, just start with a small wave. If you're too nice to her, she'll think you're crazy and then she'll likely fall and break a hip."

His chest starts shaking. For a moment, I wonder what's happening. One big arm circles my waist, the other slings over my back, and he keeps shaking as he hangs onto me. What the?

I look up, and a huge smile breaks over my face when I see his. Two big dimples greet me, and with those perfect white teeth and eyes so light, they could ignite a whole room. Ace Henderson is laughing, and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life.

"I was right," I say to him, my own body starting to shake.

"About what?" he wheezes.

"Your smile, it did stop the world, for just a second."

A beautiful second.