“Well, for being you. For being such a good friend. For putting up with me these past few months.”
She shrugged. “You put up with me year-round. So.”
I nodded. “So.”
“You sure you wanna go?”
I turned my head in her direction, shocked by the question.
“We’re already at the airport.”
“That isn’t what I asked you. I asked if you still wanted to go. That’s what I want to know.”
I felt her gaze on my face.
“Because I will turn this car around. We’ll head right back to Green Valley. I’ll take you to Nick myself, if that’s you want.”
The words sent a thrill of hope through me.
Back.
Back to Nick.
Yes, please.
No. Be a big girl. Stick to your guns.
But I’m so unhappy without him. I miss him so much.
“God, it’s like I can hear your internal debate over there, like you’re Sméagol and Gollum arguing over the Precious.”
She took the exit for the airport.
My palms sweated.
“No.” I sucked in a breath. “This is for the best. Just . . . just drop me off at Departures. I’ll get my life together while I’m in London. I’ll come back refreshed and confident and sure.”
And miserable.
“You think London is going to do all that for you?”
“I thought you hated Nick.”
“I did. I hated what he did to you. And then I met him. Really met him, talked to him. And I saw the two of you together. I understand a little better, I think, how close your bond is and why it hurt so much to be away. Plus, I called The Redhead.”
I grinned. “Of course you did.”
“You knew I would. Turns out she’s not really a redhead, she’s a gorgeous brunette like yours truly. And she’s a state senator in Michigan.”
“Really?”
“Yes! She said she totally initiated it, and that she’d been laying down hints he’d been ignoring for over a year. Said she wanted to cheer him up because he was always so sad about the girlfriend he’d left.”
My chest burned. “Damn.”
“Plus, what he did? It really was a selfless act. He did it so you could win this thing. It’s not like he wants to live in Green Valley full-time. He wanted you to have what you deserved. Even if it costs him. Although . . . I do get that he lied. You should be pissed about that.”
She drove past the exit for my airline.
“No, wait. You wanna go that way.” I gestured to the lane we were rapidly passing.
She kept driving, talking, as if she hadn’t heard me.
“I saw how much he cared about you. You can’t fake that, the love he has for you. What he did with the school? I agree, it was overstepping. And he needs to make that right. But it sounds like you want him to make it right.”
“Where are you going?”
“I decided to talk to him. I figured, what could it hurt?”
“Wait, you what?” I glanced between her and the unfamiliar path we drove along. “Where are we going? You talked to him?”
“And I decided you needed to have at least one more conversation with him.”
The car slowed and rounded a bend.
Ahead of us sat the hangars for private flights.
We pulled up to a fence and checkpoint. Leigh showed the uniformed guard a folded slip of paper from her jacket and he waved us forward.
“Leigh. What have you done?”
“You’re my best friend and I love you. Just trust me. Please.”
She pulled to a stop.
“Get out. I can’t go any farther.”
I looked around. Small, private planes crouched in the distance. The dark, open mouth of a huge hangar loomed ahead.
My heart beat a wild, unsteady rhythm. “What’s going on?”
She leaned over. “Give me a hug.”
I stared at her. “Who are you?”
“I’m your friend. And I want you to go hear him out. Please. Be brave.”
I opened the door. Nausea sloshed through my stomach. I looked back at her.
“How will I get home?”
“I don’t know. I did my part. Now get out of my car. I don’t want to be late for my spin class.”
I glared at her as I collected my purse and got out of the car.
She hit the gas as soon as I closed the door, executed a smooth three-point turn, and returned to the exit.
With my luggage in the back of the car.
I was stranded.
Just as I worked up the courage to walk ahead, I heard a familiar sound.
Barking.
Sir Duke.
He streaked out of the hangar, tongue lolling, legs a blur as he raced to me. I was relieved when he finally stopped in front of me. I petted him, cooed to him, as he did a joyous reunion dance.
“I missed you, boy.”
“And I missed you.”
Startled, I looked up. Nick stood less than five feet away.
He wore a dark suit, the crisp white shirt open at the throat.
I couldn’t breathe.
“Nick.”
“Zora.” He smiled, but something in his eyes . . .
I went to him.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Zora
In all the world, there existed no better place than the circle of Nick’s arms.
I went to him, easily, naturally, without thinking.
Just as I’d always done.
He caught me up in his arms before I’d reached him, boosted my sweatpants-clad legs around him.
“I’m sorry.” He breathed, his breath tickling the shell of my ear. “For everything. Can we talk?”
My breath stuttered. “Yeah.”
He carried me to the hangar, Sir Duke trailing along.
Once on my feet, I turned in a circle. And gasped.
The massive space was filled with huge, life-size photos. Of me, of him, of us together.
He took my hand in his. “A few days ago, I had the opportunity to visit my old house.”
I held onto his arm. “Did you? Are you okay?”
He nodded. “It was a good thing. I’m glad I did. I had some realizations. Important ones, I think. Sometimes it helps to remember the past when you want to find your way forward.”
He gave a subtle nod.
Music from an unseen speaker filled the air. The opening strains of Coldplay’s “Yellow” filled the air.
The smile he gave me was so slow, so tender, I thought I might die from it.
“May I take you on a tour of our past?”
I nodded.
He led me by the hand to the first photo. It was of the two of us. God, we were tiny. We both stood grinning at the camera, dressed in stained smocks with paintbrushes in hand. My two front teeth were missing. He was missing three on the bottom.
“That’s third grade. Mrs. Beyer’s class. Remember?”
I nodded.
“I went home and told my mother you were the most beautiful girl in the class and I was going to marry you.”
I sniffled. “What did she say?”
“She said I wasn’t allowed to get married until I learned how to do all my chores.”
I cracked up. That sounded just like his mom.
We walked a few feet farther until we met the next picture. It featured middle-school aged versions of us. We sat at the kitchen table in Nick’s house with a pizza and Monopoly board in front of us.
“You know what happened right after this picture?”
“No.”
“You went to the teacher and the counselor and tattled on me.”
I stared at him, taken aback.
“What?”
He smiled, his gaze soft. “You told them how bored I was in classes. That the work was too easy for me.”
I laughed. “I did do that. I remember now.”
“Yeah, and then I started taking community college classes. Because
of you.”
“I’d do it again.”
“I know you would.”
He pulled me along to the next picture. It wasn’t a picture, really. It was a photograph of a piece of paper. I squinted to make out the distorted lettering.
“It says ‘Notice of Suspension.’”
“You got this from my mother. She took it out of the frame.”
“I sure did. I’ll never forget it. You kicked that girl’s ass, right in the middle of social studies. Your first and last fight.”
My blood heated at the memory. “She had no business talking about your mother like that, saying those things in front of the entire class. I gave her a warning, and she started it.” The same anger I’d always felt about that event filled me and my free hand tightened into a fist. “She started it, but I sure finished it. She never said a word about you, your mother, or me again.”
His hand tightened on mine.
“Over here.”
We walked over to a picture of a young me.
God, I’d never appreciated myself when I was young. I remembered just turning eighteen and hating my imperfections so much.
And loving how Nick coaxed me into feeling comfortable in my skin.
I laid on a carpet of autumn leaves, my hair lost among the red, copper, and burnt orange leaves.
But there was no mistaking my grin. I held a chain up to the camera.
My ring dangled from the end.
“Remember that moment?” His voice sounded from behind me.
“You’d just proposed. And we decided I’d wear the ring around my neck so our parents wouldn’t figure it out and freak.”
“And then you sent the ring back to me years later,” he said, his lips flattening to a grim line.
“Yeah. I did.”
He tugged me in a different direction. His footsteps echoed in the cavernous space. We toured all the in-between moments of our adolescence and teenage years until we reached the end of the timeline.
When we’d separated.
“After that, everything happened. We didn’t have any more moments together. Not for a long while. Not until I got up the courage to come back. And all I could hope was that you’d give me the chance I’d been so desperate for during all those years.”
“What if I’d gotten married? Had kids? How could you be so sure I’d still be here waiting for you?”
I’d wondered that more than once.
We stopped in front of a new picture Eddie had taken a month ago with his phone, at Knoxville Ax. Nick sat, one large arm extended along the booth. My head was on his shoulder, my hand on his chest. As if I wanted to absorb all his heat, all his energy. His free hand rested on top of my head, tangled in my curls.
God. Look at us.
I glanced up at Nick. He stared at the picture, chest lifting with an inhalation.
“Zora, that’s us. It always has been. No matter what space, problems, or people were between us. We belong together. Fate wouldn’t have it any other way.”
He turned to face me, captured my other hand.
“You wanted to know if it was a game, a ploy, me coming back. Never. I came back because I couldn’t breathe without you anymore, and I was tired of trying. I understand now, why you were so angry about what I did. You’re right. It was deceitful, manipulative, and controlling. That wasn’t my intention, I just wanted to protect you, to take care of you. But you don’t need my help. If I’ve learned anything in these last few weeks, it’s that you’re capable of reaching any goal you set your mind to.”
“That’s right,” I managed, and he gave me a wistful smile.
“I was wrong to interfere; I know that now. Listen, there will never be a day where I won’t want to give you the world or correct whatever injustice you’re experiencing if it’s within my power. But I’ll always respect your choices, and I’ll never step on your independence or manipulate your path through life. Not ever again.
“I can be controlling. I realize that now. And I promise I’ll work on it. One of the ways I want to do that is by being honest about the things that make me afraid, that bring out the controlling part of me that needs to mask that fear. I’ve thought long and hard about how to show you how committed I am to keeping things even between us. I know trust can only be earned through time and demonstrated behavior. But as a first step, I want you to know that I’ve given up my stake in Rocket. Since Eddie won’t take it, I’d like to give it to you. You can do whatever you’d like with the money, work the issues and causes that are important to you. I just want to be wherever you are, whether here in Green Valley or Timbuktu. I’m terrified of the idea of going through this world without my best friend. It scares me, you having this much power over me. But I’m helpless without you.”
I shook my head. “I don’t want your money.”
His breath hitched then, his expression becoming so uncertain my heart skipped a beat. “Well, that’s fine then,” he said. “But . . . can you please take me?”
God. My heart was going to explode.
“All I want is you. I want to live with you, laugh with you, make love with you. Have kids with your hair and heart. And then make up with you over all the stupid things I’m sure I’ll do.”
He took a breath.
Then lowered to one knee.
“So, I’m asking you to take me on. Full-time. I want to belong to you forever. No take-backs. Just you and me. And forever.”
My vision blurred. I blinked away tears, regaining vision just in time to see him holding an open box out to me.
It couldn’t be.
I reached in, pulled the ring out.
It was my ring. The one I’d returned to him all those years ago.
“Why do you still have this?” I wailed, and he smiled.
“Because I knew it was just a matter of time. Because forever does last always. It does when it’s us.”
I ugly cried, swiping at my falling tears with both hands.
Nick bit his lip, still on one knee. “So? Is it a yes?”
“Yes.” I gasped, and behind us a door banged open and a crowd of people spilled around us, laughing, yelling, congratulating us.
I didn’t even hear them. I only had eyes for Nick.
He surged to his feet, slid the ring on my hand. I kissed him with all I had, sliding my hand into his hair and holding him to me.
I never wanted to let go.
“Thank God,” a familiar voice next to me said.
Leigh. She’d circled back.
“Welcome to the family, Nick. This is great news. Maybe we can sit down and talk soon? Here, I’m just going to slide my business card in your pocket. Zora knows how to get ahold of me too.”
Ugh, Tavia.
“This is wonderful, baby girl.” My mother. “But save something for the wedding night, will y’all?”
I pulled away, reluctantly, already hungry for the next time we could be alone.
A short woman with a gray pageboy and snazzy red glasses claimed my arms. “Zora! I’m your new aunt Nan! I can’t wait to get to know you better.”
Nick met my eyes over her head. Forever, he mouthed.
And my heart was glad.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Zora
One Month Later
The community center was transformed again.
But not for focus groups.
For our wedding reception.
Nick had flown in an ultra-expensive, ultra-pretentious wedding planner who ultimately drove us both crazy. But now, on this very special day, as I looked around the auditorium, I had to admit she was worth every penny and aggravation.
The auditorium was transformed into an enchanted, eternally fall forest. I grinned at the faux trees and their gorgeous, underlit fall foliage. Millions of twinkly fairy lights lent the darkened room an airy, ethereal feel. A rotation of Coldplay and Motown hits blasted from the hidden speakers.
I grinned at Nick. Less than an hour ago, I’d walked down an autumn leaves-li
ned aisle to meet him at the altar. I’d been bursting, full of so much love, certainty, and anticipation I’d forced myself to maintain the dignified, measured pace on my father’s arm.
“Forever,” Nick had whispered in my ear as he took my arm, and I sealed that promise with my own vows.
I felt complete. I couldn’t wait for our new life to start.
We sat at the couples’ table at the foot of the room and watched the interesting side effects of our families, coworkers, and friends socializing.
It was comical.
Walker stalked bridesmaids. Tavia worked our reception like a networking event, and Audre made it clear we’d interrupted her life at UCLA by getting married mid-semester. My bridesman, Jackson, sniffed at the heels of one of Nick’s employee as they shuffled along to the electric slide. Aunt Nan and my mother loudly discussed baby paraphernalia at the nearby table and negotiated visitation for grandchildren who did not yet exist.
We’d gotten married a month to the day after Nick proposed.
We just didn’t want to wait any longer than we had to. We’d been separated long enough.
Finalizing the Nick and Zora Rossi Foundation would take slightly longer, but it would all be worth it. Nick had convinced me to partner with him to implement my ideas in Green Valley and far beyond. Thought leaders, policy makers, and clinicians had already pledged their services. We’d outlined our initiatives with great excitement, thrilled we would address barriers to care at personal, structural, cultural, and organizational levels. He was excited to learn more about lobbying and advocacy for our important causes at a national level.
Maybe he’d be the politician he’d always wanted to be after all.
I was excited for what the future offered, what Nick and I could offer the world.
Nick loved to tease that I was excited to give away his money. He was only half right. I was excited to live out my life with my best friend. And if his money helped lots of people, well, we were both more than okay with that.
Right now, though, I was counting down the minutes until I could be alone with Nick.
I rested a hand on his leg, let the edge of my nails tease the inside of his thigh.
He caught my hand, brought it to his mouth and kissed it.
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