“Thank you for coming, Nick.”
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”
She scooted closer and stretched her arm farther across his chest. “I miss this more than anything. Your arms around me, making everything better. How do you do that? How do you make everything better just by holding me?”
“Maybe because I love you.” With his hand in her hair, he tugged her head back and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Go to sleep.”
She did, and when she woke a few hours later, he was still there. She stretched beside him and sat up, looking sleepy, but her face had more color.
“Are you hungry? There’s a great restaurant.” She’d eaten a little today—a bite of a hamburger, a couple of fries.
“Not really, but I’m sure you are.”
He smiled. “I could eat.”
She nodded and headed for the bathroom.
“You know what I’d really like to do?” he asked.
She stopped, looked back. “What?”
“Go to a movie.” He saw the surprise in her eyes. “Come on. Let’s go to a movie. You can have popcorn and candy for dinner.”
Knowing exactly what he was doing and why, she mustered a wobbly smile, but she only addressed the food part. “You’re going to eat popcorn for dinner?”
“Sure. And nachos. And a pretzel. Maybe a hotdog.”
She shook her head, but he got his first real smile—and maybe something else he was afraid to hope for. She took his face in her hands and kissed him lightly on the lips. “Thank you.”
They made it a double feature, and true to his word, he ate one of almost everything they had, including half of Mia’s popcorn. The first movie was an action sequel to something they’d both seen a few years ago. Oddly, both of them had seen it alone. The second was about the plight of a family stuck in a foreign country.
She was right, there wasn’t a lot of talking required at a movie with someone, but it held a certain intimacy. Sitting in the dark beside someone you knew, someone you loved. He held her hand more during the second film, as there was less eating going on. At one point, she rested her head against his bicep, absently tracing his forearm with her fingers.
He wanted it to be like this for the rest of his life. Touching her, sitting beside her, loving her.
They were quiet as they left the theater and drove back to the hotel. His own thoughts swirled and circled. He’d give a lot to know what she was thinking. When he came out of the bathroom, she was standing on the balcony in the thick hotel robe, her hair blowing loosely around her shoulders. It was longer now than the first time he’d seen her months ago.
He stepped out, closing the door behind him to keep out the cold mountain air. She looked so small and alone out there, just her and the vast black sky behind her. He caught her from behind, loving the sensation when her hands slid over his arms wrapped across her body. He’d waited long enough. They’d lost enough time. The time for thinking and hoping was over.
He turned her in his arms. “Mia.” He traced a finger over her brow, brushed her hair back on one side. He’d waited twelve years to do this, and it was harder than he thought. Not the asking but facing her answer.
“What is it?” Mia touched his cheek, comforting, as she always did.
Feeling undeserving, he pulled her hand away and held it tightly in his own. “I would have come with you. You didn’t have to do this by yourself.”
“I know.” She looked down then back up. Her eyes were clearer, her expression lighter. “I thought it was my pain alone to let go.”
“I love you. That makes your pain my pain.”
“I know that, too. I see it now. I understood you were hurting before. I understand better now why you couldn’t let me in. I’m sorry I put restrictions on you. I didn’t say it, but I thought it. I thought, ‘What if he feels guilty again? What if all the blame and anger come back?’ But that’s not fair. Two steps forward, one step back. Good days and bad days. I can’t promise I’ll never be sad about Savannah again. I can’t ask any more from you.”
He stared into the eyes of the woman he loved, took one deep breath. Everything he ever wanted was right here in his arms, and the only other thing he wanted was a promise that she would always be there.
He let out the breath he was holding and looked deep into her eyes. “I need you to be mine again, Mia, and even more, I need to be yours.” With his eyes still locked with hers, he pulled the ring from his pocket. “I’ve had it for twelve years. Don’t you think it’s time you wore it?”
She shook her head, her eyes wide as he slid the ring onto her finger. “You kept it? I didn’t think…”