“But something changed after that night,” Gio suggested.
“I’d gotten lucky twice. Uncle Micah saved me the first time, and Rush was there the second time. I had to stop believing in fairy tales because there wasn’t always going to be a hero waiting on the other side of the door to save me.”
Gio shook his head. “It was my fault, Christopher. I know you want to try and take some of the blame off me, but the only reason you needed rescuing that night is because I fucked up.”
“Don’t you see though, Gio, it would have happened no matter what. If anything, I was lucky because there was someone on the other side of that door. I got the wake-up call I needed, but I escaped the worst of the consequences. So if you need to take all the blame for that night, then do it, but my actions and behavior afterwards were all my own. Shutting you out, shutting our family out, that’s on me and me alone.”
“Christopher…” Gio whispered.
I knew he wanted to say more, to keep apologizing somehow, so I set Thumper on the bed and then scooted forward enough so I could wrap my arms around Gio. “I forgive you, Gio. Please, please forgive yourself. I want my Gio back.”
Gio cried softly in my arms for a couple of minutes. When we broke apart, we were each dashing at our own eyes and each other’s.
“My Christopher,” Gio said with a smile.
The acknowledgement that I was back, the real me, was as overwhelming as it was a relief.
Gio wrapped his hands around mine. He looked down at Pip, who’d drifted off to sleep. “It’s bad, isn’t it?” he whispered.
I knew what he was talking about, of course, but I didn’t know how to answer him. I squeezed his fingers as I considered my words. “I stopped living my life long before I got sick,” I said. “Then I met this amazing, kind, strong, sweet, gorgeous, sometimes awkward but always honest man who wants to live his life with me. Not tomorrow, not in five years, not if one thing or another happens. Today. He wants to live his life with me today. He loves me today, now. So no, I don’t see anything as bad. If I get to live my life with him for an hour or a day or a year or fifty, nothing is going to stop me from loving every second of it. Nothing.”
Gio smiled and squeezed my hands hard. “So you’re getting your happily ever after after all,” he observed.
I laughed because it was true. Rush had said every love story was different. Different but no less magical.
“He was right,” I found myself saying aloud.
“Who? Right about what?”
I shook my head. “Rush and his take on love stories. He was right.”
Gio shook my hands enough to pull me from my reverie. “Listen to me,” he said sharply, though his eyes were bright with amusement. “No matter how many amazing orgasms that man gives you or how many perfect, sweet, amazing things he says or does, never, ever say those three little words to him. Ever! You will regret it, trust me.”
“I can’t not tell him I love him, Gio.”
“What? No, tell him that all you like. Just don’t tell him he’s right.”
I laughed.
“Oh man, you’re going to tell him, aren’t you? Okay, you’ll need a backup plan. Give me your phone.”
I handed my phone over without question. I peeked over the top of the phone to see what Gio was looking up and gasped when I saw a very familiar item.
A pair of hot pink underwear.
The same kind I’d told Gio to buy early on in his back-and-forth relationship with King.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said.
Gio shook his head. “When he starts reminding you he was right about one thing so he must be right about everything, just give him a little peek of these. Buy one in every color—it’s more convenient that way.” Gio’s fingers clicked like wildfire over the keyboard, and before I knew it, the shopping cart was full.
“Um, Gio, hang on a second,” I said as I saw his finger hover over the instant-buy option. But my words came too late. It was over and done with before I could stop him.
I dropped my head against the phone that was still in his hands.
“What?” Gio said. “I’m pretty sure I got the right size—”
“It’s not that,” I cut in as I ran my fingers through my hair.
“Then what? What’s wrong?”
“That was Rush’s account. You just ordered him a dozen neon-colored man panties,” I said with a groan.
“Oh crap,” Gio whispered.
Before I could say anything else, a voice yelled out from the bottom of the stairs.
“Sweet pea?” Rush called.
“Um, yes… Bunny?” I responded after my eyes fell on Thumper. Gio began laughing and had to slap a hand over his mouth.