She watches me, her eyes bursting with so much emotion. I stare back, not wanting to break the connection.
“Noah?”
I hum in response, still cuddling her hand. Her smile is slow but when it comes, it’s brighter than all the stars in the damn sky. Like a constellation, the sight of it takes my breath away.
“I love you.”
My heart thuds against my chest. I slide my palm downward so our fingers intertwine and I lean into her hand.
She finally said it.She loves me.
I carried no doubts but damn it feels good to hear it again.
“I love you too.”
My fingers dance from her cheek to the back of her neck as I reposition myself to sit beside her on the stretcher. My eyes dance around her face until she tilts her head, and her eyes start to linger on my lips.
With a grin, I lean in.
I nip the sides of her mouth first, teasing her until she cups the back of my head with her free hand pulling me closer to her. I give in, rewarding her––us, with a slow, languid kiss that quickly deepens, making us both groan in tandem until a throat clears from behind me and the doors to the ambulance cabin shuts.
She giggles, moving her hand that’s tangled in my hair to press against my chest. She taps me on the chest, breaking the kiss. She peers up at me, nuzzling her nose on mine.
“Can we go home now please?”
For the first time since I found that note in our kitchen almost two years ago, the weight pressing against my chest disappears as love, hope and an astounding amount of gratitude take its place.
“I can’t think of a single thing I want more.”
She kisses me softly, her lips pressing into a smile against mine.
“Thank you for catching me.”
I rest my forehead on hers.
“Until the ends of the earth Ria, I’ll always be there to catch you.”
Isigh in contentment. It's been a while since I fully felt at peace but here in Noah's arms, with Adrian safe and sound, back here in the house we built, I feel it. I'm happy.
Noah rests his chin on my shoulder, tucking my back closer to his chest as his hands fully wrap themselves around my waist.
"What are you thinking about?" His breath on my neck, as he places a soft kiss there, causes goosebumps to rise and my heart to flutter in response.
I turn my head to look at him, resting my forehead against his.
"That I'm finally where I want to be."
He rubs my nose with his and my eyes flutter close. His lips graze mine.
"Where's that?"
I turn in his arms, leaning far enough that my back is now resting against the balcony.
A playful smirk ghosts his lips as he lifts me to sit on the ledge. I rest a hand on top of his chest, feeling his heartbeat quicken against my palm.
My favorite sound in the entire world is his heartbeat.
It tells me he's alive. It tells me he's still mine.