I don’t know how long she was standing there, but I looked up and saw Mom in the doorway, watching us. Her face was blank, and I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. I almost pulled my hand away from Lane’s, but then decided against it. There was nothing wrong with what I was doing.
Turned out that it didn’t matter. Mom told me after Lane had left that she was happy for us. She could tell that there was something between us from the start. I confided in her all that had happened, from discovering Lane in my dreams to us talking about what we wanted with each other now. I explained that this was why he wasn’t my doctor anymore, since it wouldn’t be right, ethically.
This couldn’t have gone better for me. I was recovering, my parents were okay with me being with Lane, and just the fact that there was a Lane for me to be with was what kept my spirits up.
The only black spot in me waking up was that there was no Whitney. I had a long talk with my parents about her, but they didn’t know any of my friends by that name, nor anyone from my part-time job that I had held. It was devastating to know that she was gone forever, and I cried for days after being told the news. She had been the best friend that I had ever had, and even though she had only existed in my dream world, I still loved her and cherished the memory of her that I kept with me.
I was finally released to go home, with the promise of continuing to go in and keep up with my physical therapy. I could do most things, but I knew I still had a long road to go before I was back to my original self.
The day I came home, I didn’t expect much. I was looking forward to a home cooked meal instead of hospital food. We got to the house and my jaw dropped. There were a ton of people inside waiting for me. People who were friends of my parents and people who I had known once upon a time and needed help to remember their names.
I went in and sat down on the couch, feeling a little overwhelmed. I wasn’t sure whose idea this was, but I was feeling a little upset that I couldn’t just sit down to a meal and then go to bed. I leaned my head back, ready to get this day over with already. I had been so excited and now I was too annoyed to enjoy myself.
I felt the couch dip down as someone sat beside me. Normally, I would have looked to see who it was, but I wasn’t feeling too courteous at the moment.
“Are you okay?” I heard.
I jerked my head to the side and saw Lane sitting there. I gave him a small smile. He was just what I needed right now. “No, I’m kind of over this. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here when we got home. But the whole town is here, it looks like.”
Lane smiled and grabbed my hand, pulling me in close to him. I tucked myself in, enjoying the sensation again.
He leaned in close, his breath stirring my hair. “Do you want to get out of here?”
I drew back, looking up at him and smiled. “You have no idea.”
He stood up, drawing me up with him. He held my hand as we walked through the crowd to the back door. Opening it, he led me outside. The backyard was empty, everyone deciding to stay inside for the party.
I felt a weight lift off my shoulders that I hadn’t even known was there. This was what I needed. Peace and quiet. I sighed, laying my head down on Lane’s shoulder, relishing in the strength that he gave me. That he still gave me after all this time. We had become so close since I had woken up, it still surprised me sometimes. It was beyond what I had known of him in my dream world, but I loved it. I loved him.
Lane brought his arm around me and hugged me in closer. Breathing in his scent calmed me down and I rested against him, content.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Sort of. I’m overwhelmed by this homecoming. I didn’t really want it, but I know that my parents are over the moon right now. So I can’t really be mad about it. But I just want to go lie down and relax right now.”
Lane kissed the top of my head and steered me to the porch swing that my Dad had installed while I was in high school. He sat me down and asked if I wanted a drink.
After he left, I laid my head back and closed my eyes. What a turn my life had taken. I wasn’t sure where to go from here. Did I go back to college or stay home and get a job? What did I want to do with my life? I sighed and rubbed my eyes.
When I opened them, Lane was in front of me, kneeling so we were eye to eye. I smiled and leaned forward, giving him a kiss. I felt him kiss me back, making me fall under his spell even more.
When he broke the kiss, I groaned at the loss of contact. “No, I wasn’t ready to be done,” I pouted.
Lane grinned at me. “I’m not ready to be done either, Abigail. I love you so much. You have been through so much and I want to be there for you for everything. You are such a strong woman and you amaze me every day. You are my other half, my soulmate. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
He brought out a small, velvety black box and opened it, showing a white gold ring with a solitaire square cut diamond and smaller square cut diamonds surrounding it on the band. It was absolutely breathtaking.
I gasped, tears filling my eyes. I brought my hand to my mouth, trying to contain my breathing. “Oh my gosh, Lane, really? Of course, I’ll marry you!”
Lane grinned, the tension leaving his shoulders. He brought my hand to his and slid the ring on and then kissed it after it was in place. I leaned forward, grabbing him close in a hug, holding him tightly to me.
Clapping erupted around us, and I looked up to notice that everyone had gravitated outside to watch Lane’s proposal. Blood rushed to my face and I ducked my head down to hide it in Lane’s shoulders, before starting to cry.
Lane rubbed my back to comfort me, but in the end, everyone was asked to leave the party so I could lie down and rest without feeling pressured to talk to all of our visitors.
Lane came up to my room with me and we laid down together, my head on his chest and his arm around my back. It was this position that I had found comforted me in my dream world and it brought me the same comfort now. It was made better by the knowledge that this wouldn’t end.
This was real.
This was my life.
I couldn’t wait to start it.
Acknowledgements
I would like to first off thank my husband, Gary, for being so patient with me while I wrote this book. I couldn’t have done it without you!
To my parents, thank you for your support and encouragement as I wrote this.
To all my beta readers and Breanna, I couldn’t have done this without your help. You guys helped me write a better book.
To all my readers. Thank you for taking this journey with me. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
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