Epilogue
TYLER
I hummed Mariah’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” as I moved around the Christmas tree, taking it down one piece at a time.
It was only the twenty-eighth, but Mom had drilled into my head that it was bad luck to leave the tree up past the end of December, and while I was sure it wasn’t true, I didn’t want to test the theory.
I grew up with her superstitious beliefs, and even though some of them really didn’t make sense, I wasn’t courageous enough to break any of the rules.
I’d been through enough. I didn’t need any more bad luck, thank you very much.
The sound of the door opening made me smile. Eddie’s echoing footsteps reached my ears, and I turned to see him with his hands full of paper grocery bags. He smiled, and my heart fluttered, a feeling I was growing accustomed to when it came to him.
I’d been working hard at the café today. Learning the ropes was both rewarding and interesting. But I’d missed Eddie.
“Hey, baby,” he greeted.
I waved at him. “Hey, sweetheart. How was the grocery store?”
“Busy.” He pouted. “It was a madhouse.” He shook his head and lifted the paper bags higher in his arms. “I bought some eggs and bread. Other stuff we needed, too. You know how people are when it snows and—” He stepped forward.
I didn’t have time to warn him to be careful before he tripped over his feet. He went flying, crashing onto the floor with the groceries scattered in front of him.
The crunch of breaking eggs made me wince, and I shot toward Eddie, Christmas tree forgotten. Eddie groaned, sizing up the mess. Blood coated his chin and his gaze turned sad as he poked at the groceries.
“Sweetheart, are you hurt?” I helped him sit on his ass and pressed my fingers over his face, checking his injuries. He had a cut on his chin, probably from a broken jar of jam.
Eddie’s shoulders slumped. “I’m useless.”
“Shh. Stay here.” I rushed toward the bathroom, grabbing our first aid kit, then ran back to him. I fell to my knees and opened the kit, dragging out alcohol wipes and ripping open a packet.
Eddie stared at the disaster in front of him, his good mood dissipating until he was a sorrowful mess. The sight of him this way shattered my heart. “Fuck. Why do I keep doing this?”
“Because you’re Eddie and you have a lot on your mind.” I swiped his chin gently with the wipe, cleaning up the blood that stained his skin. The sight made my stomach clench.
“I’m a goddamned klutz is what I am.” He sighed. “I broke the eggs.”
I grasped his chin between my fingers and turned his head.
I smiled and laid a soft kiss on his lips.
He melted against me, some of the sadness lifting from him.
“They’re eggs. We can replace eggs, but I can’t replace you.
” I brushed my knuckle over his cheek. “I love you, and I want you to be safe. If you fall, I’ll help you back on your feet and clean you up every time.
It’s me and you now, Eddie. If I’m not allowed to think horribly about myself, you’re not, either. ”
His mouth curled up into a half smile.
“Don’t make me get out the mirror,” I teased.
He laughed and shook his head. “We wouldn’t want that.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Or would we?”
He stared at me for a long moment before we began to laugh. I kissed his jaw and finished cleaning him up. When I was satisfied, I grabbed a Band-Aid and placed it over the cut in his chin before giving it a get-well kiss.
“There. Nurse Tyler has done it again. Maybe I should study nursing in school.”
Eddie dragged me onto his lap, and I chuckled. “Nope, you’re my nurse. I want to keep you to myself.”
“Fine with me. You’ll be a full-time job anyway.” I tapped him on the nose when he snickered. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He sighed and pressed his face into my chest. “So much. I don’t know how I lived without you.”
“Good thing you never have to find out again.” I snaked my arms around his shoulders and laid my cheek on his head.
His touch warmed me. This was home. It wasn’t a house or food or belongings.
It was Eddie. “And no matter how many times either of us fall down, the other will be there to pick us back up again, won’t we? It’s me and you, sweetheart.”
“Always. Thank you.” The way he looked at me with those sincere blue eyes made my heart melty and warm. How could one person love me so much?
“What if I wanted to tell you about Mike and Aaron and Warren. Would that still be true?” I murmured.
He kissed my cheek and didn’t move away. “Nothing could stop me from loving you. Do you want to do that?”
“Not right now, but maybe someday. When I’m ready.”
“Me and you against the world, baby,” he whispered. “Always and forever.”