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A jolt hits my heart as I feel the word come out of my mouth. “Okay,” I whisper.

His eyes widen, almost surprised. He thought he’d have to grovel more.

“Okay?” he asks, confirming.

I bend my knees to get closer to his level, now kneeling with him. “You have to promise me that this will be forever.”

Sean’s eyes begin to tear up from happiness.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen him cry.

He grabs me around the waist, cutting off my circulation. I laugh loudly all the while losing my breath. He picks me up and spins me around, propelling me into deja-vu from years past.

My hair is a sprawled mess, getting into my eyes. I’m having a hard time telling happiness apart from dizziness.

“I always knew it would be you,” he says into my neck.

“That was really cheesy.” I laugh. “But that’s who you are.”

I grab his cheeks, smearing away a tear. His square jaw tenses visibly and a faint glint of humor floods his eyes.

He lifts me above him, scooping his arms under my thighs. “I love you, Bee,” he whistles softly.

I bury my face into his neck, breathing a kiss onto his skin. He sighs softly, pulling me closer to him.

“Let’s go to the cabin for the next couple of days.”

“Okay,” I reply, slipping down and planting my feet back onto the ground.

His eyes bore into me intensely. “You have to stop using that word. Just say yes,” he rumbles.

I smirk up at him. “Yes,” I say, his eyes twinkling at my response.

The warmth of his hands resting on my sides is intoxicating. How can I resist that face? The fact that I was questioning whether Sean and I should be together seems inconceivable now.

“It took you long enough to finally give in.” He chuckles.

The entire time I’ve known Sean, I’ve never given myself to him fully. It feels like the world has been lifted off my shoulders, and now it’s just us. Forever.

Epilogue

Present Day - Eighteen Months Later

A light gust of wind blows through the flowers in my hands: orange tulips with long stems, soft against my palms.

“Hey, Daddy,” I say with a smile, looking down at his grey cobble-tombstone.

Beloved father and friend, it reads.

This is the first time I’ve been here to visit him. It never felt right before, but it was time.

“We’re finally settled in the cabin. It just made sense to be starting our life there. It’s where everything really began again. Kathy was excited to be handing us the keys. I know I’ve already told you all of this, but now that I’m actually sitting here with you, I felt like a recap might be good.” I laugh at the silliness of it all.

“I opened my bookstore,” I whisper. “I think you’ll like the name—Wesley’s. I named it after you, Daddy. It felt right. It’s my small way of sharing your life with others because you can’t anymore.”

I lean down onto my knees in the grass. It’s been maintained nicely. It’s bright green, not a single patch of yellow. My dad would have appreciated that.

“It’s your birthday.” The tears begin to fill my eyes. “Although I’m sure you know that already. I don’t really understand how this all works.” I pause, waiting to feel something. A gust of wind or a tap on the shoulder to know he’s listening.