Her gaze locks on mine, and I see the same emotions in her blue irises that have been whirling in my chest.
How close we came to dying.
Intense relief.
Our love.
That we get to make more memories.
She closes the distance between us and presses a tender kiss to my mouth.
When she pulls back an inch, I whisper, “I’m sorry I left you alone.”
Aria shakes her head, her fingers brushing over my jaw while her eyes caress mine. “We made it. Just like you said, we would.”
“Yeah, we did.”
We stare for a moment longer, and then Aria’s eyes fill with tears. “I thought I was going to lose you. It was…” She shakes her head.
When a tear sneaks over her cheek, I bring my right hand to her face and wipe the wetness away. “You will never lose me.”
I slip my hand behind her neck and pull her to me so I can press a kiss to her lips.
Aria pulls back, and her gaze darts over my left arm and chest. “How do you feel?”
“I’m fine. A nurse gave me something for the pain.”
“Good.”
She takes hold of my right hand and holds it in both of hers, and when our eyes lock again, a relieved smile forms around her lips.
“At least something good came from this hell,” Uncle Mason suddenly says, and it makes me remember we’re not alone.
My gaze darts to our parents and I notice the shocked expressions on everyone’s faces, but Uncle Mason’s.
“What are you talking about?” Aunt Kingsley asks her husband.
“The kids,” Uncle Mason gestures to Aria and me. “They worked through their shit.”
“What shit?” Dad asks. His gaze darts to us.
Uncle Mason’s eyes widen, and he asks me, “Fuck, was I the only one who knew?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
Instantly a broad smile stretches over his face. “Well, will you look at that? I haven’t lost my touch.”
“What the hell are you rambling on about?” Aunt Kingsley snaps at him.
Uncle Mason gestures to us, then smugly says, “The kids are dating.”
There’s a chorus of ‘whats’ then Mom’s gaze snaps to me. “Are you and Aria dating?”
“Yeah,” I grin at her.
A smile explodes over her face, and then Aunt Kingsley goes to high-five mom, saying, “Freaking finally.”
“What do you mean finally?” Aria asks.
“They’ve wanted the two of you to get married since the pregnancy tests came back positive,” Dad mutters, a worried look on his face.
“But?” I ask him, praying he’s not against our relationship.
“Are you both sure about this, though? If you break up a couple of weeks or months down the line…”
“Hush, Falcon,” Mom silences him. “You know Forest won’t start something he can’t finish.”
Dad’s eyes lock with mine and wanting to assure him, I say, “I love Aria.”
Dad’s gaze moves to Aria, and she instantly begins to ramble, “I love him more than life itself, and having almost lost mine… and Forest…” Her chin begins to tremble, but she takes a deep breath and murmurs, “I love him so much.”
Dad and Uncle Mason look at each other, and similar sentimental smiles tug at their lips. Then Uncle Mason says, “Looks like we’re finally going to be family.”
“Feels like it took forever,” Dad mutters.
Before we were born, Uncle Mason’s sister was going to marry Uncle Julian, Dad’s older brother. But she died in the car accident that scarred Uncle Mason’s left arm.
The memory makes me say, “I’ll probably have a scar on my left arm like Uncle Mace.”
Uncle Mason grins at me. “Badass scar twinsies.” He goes to throw his arm around Dad’s shoulders, and they both just stare at us.
“What?” I ask, growing a little worried.
Uncle Mason shakes his head. “Nothing. I’m just thinking about how lucky I am to get my godson for a son-in-law, and I don’t have to put some idiot in the ICU for daring to date my baby girl.”
“Oh my gosh, I’m going to cry,” Aunt Kingsley complains, which has Mom wrapping her up in a hug.
“Daddy,” Aria says to get his attention, “you’re getting the best son-in-law. Forest got hurt because he kept me safe when the elevator fell.”
Emotion washes over Uncle Mason’s face, and his eyes lock on mine. I watch him struggle to regain control, then he murmurs, “Thank you for keeping my heart safe, my boy.”
Aria goes to give her father a hug as Aunt Kingsley comes to take hold of my hand. She presses a kiss to my cheek, then whispers, “You can start calling me mom. I don’t think I can wait until the two of you get married one day.”
Knowing my aunt well, I grin at her. “Please tell me you have candy in that bag of yours.”
She smiles at me and begins to dig in her bag. “I have Twizzlers somewhere in here.” She pulls a half-eaten pack out and takes a piece out for me.