CHAPTER 43
Lila - One year later
“T his is where we found her,” Melody says.
“No way! She was down there?”
All three teenagers glance between Ginny—sniffing around the park—and the bush.
Cameron sounds proud as he says, “Yep. Lila got her out.”
Julian, one of the new kids at the youth center, gapes at me. “Is that why she only has three legs?”
“We were told she was born like that,” I tell him. “But she doesn’t have any complaints.”
Sure enough, Ginny wags her tail as she starts toward the kids in her little wheelchair. Last year, her vet advised us to get her a doggy wheelchair for her walks so she’d put less pressure on her other legs. And Ginny, being the sweet baby she is, got used to it instantly.
“Ginny is the best.” Melody crouches to pet her behind her ears. “She’s our mascot now.”
I chuckle, knowing how true that is. Ever since Reed adopted her, she’s been at the youth center every week, and the kids love her. So much so that whenever she stays at dog daycare instead, there’s a collective breakdown.
As Melody keeps telling Julian about Ginny’s adventures at the youth center, soon joined by other kids, I search the park for Reed.
His imposing height makes him impossible to miss. Surrounded by the little ones, each begging for his undivided attention, he’s patient as he helps them on the slide one by one. Ike, however, is just happy to stand to the side and chat his ear off.
I smile.
“I’m going to find Reed,” I tell the teens around me. “Be good, okay? No leaving the park.”
“Can Ginny stay?” Cameron asks, his voice hopeful.
He’s changed so much in the past two years—from a sad, angry kid who didn’t understand his feelings to a more compassionate, disciplined young man. Reed says he still has a long way to go, but boxing has been a godsend, and we couldn’t be prouder of him.
“Sure, she can. If she wants to,” I tell him.
“You stay with us, Ginny-girl,” Melody says.
I wave at Haniyah, who is standing a few feet away with other volunteers, as I make my way to my boyfriend.
Boyfriend . That word isn’t strong enough. Not when he’s so much more than that.
When our eyes collide, he winks at me, making my heart flip.
“Hi, Lili,” Ike greets me first. “Look.”
He opens his mouth to show me one of his missing front teeth. “Oh, wow. Did the Tooth Fairy come to your house?”
“Sure did,” he says proudly. “She gave me a real coin and a chocolate coin.”
“You’re a lucky boy, Ikey.”
Reed’s hand travels to the small of my back. “Hey.”
“Hi, handsome,” I whisper, watching in delight how his cheeks turn the lightest shade of pink.
He squeezes my waist before going back to helping the kids on the slide.
When I came back to the youth center last year, we agreed to keep it professional around everyone else despite our relationship not being a secret. Haniyah almost teared up when we broke the news, saying she’d seen it coming from a mile away and couldn’t think of a better partner for Reed. She’s been even more welcoming to me ever since, inviting me along for dinner parties at her house. Haniyah and her husband have a very active life in their community, and since they treat Reed like a son, they were quick to start treating me like a daughter.
Still, to avoid getting teased by the kids—not that they don’t tease us to their hearts’ content anyway—we decided to keep PDA to a minimum. At times like this, though, when he’s being so patient with the kids while looking like that , all I want is to climb him like a tree.
And it’s like his instinct tells him when I’m in the mood, because his faint touches become more frequent and his eyes on me burn hotter throughout the day.
Luckily for me, the bus arrives to take the kids back to the youth center an hour later, putting an end to our field trip and a much-needed start to me throwing myself at the love of my life.
“What’s gotten into you?” Reed chuckles as I pepper his neck, his cheeks, and his lips with kisses once we’re alone in the parking lot.
“I missed kissing you.”
“I missed kissing you, too, angel.” He pulls me closer and pecks my lips. “Come on. Let’s go home. You promised to help me with the book, remember?”
“Way to kill the mood,” I say, pulling away, but I’m smiling.
Reed has been working on a new book for the past couple of months. He refuses to tell me what it’s about, though, arguing that he wants my honest opinion once it’s ready. He’s working on this one by himself, not with my mom, which makes me even more curious.
My parents’ relationship with Reed has gone back to normal over the past year, although it was a slow process at first. He and my mom still collaborate sometimes, and he and my dad are pretty much inseparable. Every time my dad calls to say he’s renovating something in the house, Reed immediately offers his help.
He also met Maddie and James not long ago, along with my cousins. They all instantly liked him, although James did threaten him “just for good measure.” Maddie rolled her eyes at me while it happened, while my dad gave James a proud smile. They’re both clowns, but I love them too much to care.
As he drives us home, Ginny looking out of the window in the back seat, I make a mental list of all the things I need to get done on Monday. I started working at a local school a few months ago, counseling middle schoolers, and it’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of and more.
Turns out that, far from the rumors about Reed and me affecting my career, it’s never been better.
One of the attendees of the Youth Counseling Expo recognized my name among the applicants for a position at her school, and she quickly hired me after my interview. She never mentioned Reed once and kept telling me how much of a lasting impression I’d left on her after my presentation.
Now I get to wake up every day next to the man I love, in a house we’ve made our home, with our sweet three-legged baby, and go to work at my dream job I feel worthy of doing.
I couldn’t be prouder of myself and how far I’ve come in the past three years, and I’m equally as proud of the man behind the wheel. Just like me, he gets to wake up every day and make the world a better place. Destiny brought him back to the foster agency that handled his case, and he’s now doing the same for other children.
And thanks to Reed’s research, Warlington Youth Center—as well as many others—finally got more funding to hire mental health professionals and plan more activities.
If I’m an angel, he’s a god.
When we get home, Ginny wastes no time darting for her food bowl.
“I’ll go grab the manuscript,” Reed tells me, pressing a kiss to my temple before disappearing upstairs to his office.
I hang my coat and wait for him on the couch, a smile drawing over my face every time I look at the pictures of us and our loved ones peppering the bookshelves. Reed asked me to move in with him shortly after we got together, and I was only too eager to accept.
My heart feels warm and calm, just thinking how this is our home now.
When he reappears in the living room, stack of papers in hand, I pick up on his nervousness at once.
I arch a playful eyebrow. “I’ve read your writing before.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know.”
When he doesn’t add anything else, I grab the papers from his grip and sit back on the couch.
“Can you read it out loud?” he asks, his voice not sounding completely normal. He doesn’t sit down, either, which only adds to the weirdness. “Just so I know it sounds good.”
Still not sure what’s wrong with him, I clear my throat and start reading.
“ There was once a boy who was born in the shadows ,” I read . “He didn’t know what happiness was, what love felt like, or what freedom tasted like. In many ways, he was a prisoner. ”
I look at him again, but his eyes are on the ground, so I keep reading.
“ His life was a nightmare he couldn’t wake up from. Until, one day, a golden light appeared in his bedroom, making all the shadows disappear. Only it wasn’t a light—it was a girl who told him she was going to be his best friend. The girl took the boy’s hand and walked him outside, where he saw daylight for the first time. She taught him to play her favorite games, to smile and laugh. Before he knew it, the nightmare had turned into his greatest dream. That’s when the boy realized the girl was much more than his friend—she was his angel. ”
My heart stops at that word.
I look at him once more, but he keeps avoiding my gaze.
“ As time went by, the boy and the girl fell in love. They grew together and tried to keep the shadows away. When the darkness crept in unannounced, they held each other’s hand and found the light again. They made a home, full of happiness and love and freedom and all the wonderful things the boy had never felt before meeting her.
“ And one day, when their love got brighter than the whole universe, the boy decided he wanted to be his angel’s keeper forever. So, he asked her one question. ”
My gaze is blurry as I look at Reed kneeling before me, a small box between his hands.
“Lila,” he starts, his voice so raw with emotion that it makes me breathless. “I think I knew the moment I met you that we had something special. My future had always been dark to me, unclear—I never saw happiness in it. But then you showed me love, real love, and everything started taking shape. I imagined things I never allowed myself to, like having kids and growing old with someone. You are my life, my angel, and I want to spend the rest of my days with you.
“I love you, Lila. More than I’ve ever loved anything and anyone in this world. Will you marry me?”
More love than I ever thought myself capable of experiencing fills my heart. Words aren’t easy right now, so my answer is to throw myself at him, hugging him close until I can barely breathe. He wraps one arm around me, his other hand tangling in my hair.
“Is that a yes?” he asks, visibly less tense than just a moment ago. “Or is this a breakup hug?”
I laugh, the tears running freely down my cheeks. “Of course I will marry you, Reed. I love you so much. So, so much.”
“I love you too, angel.” He takes my hand in his and gently slides the most breathtaking diamond ring I’ve ever seen onto my finger.
“Your love has always been worth every bit of pain,” he whispers, pressing his lips to my ring. Sealing our promise of forever.
My eyes find his, and I realize how true that is.
Because Reed is my life, and I am his, and nothing will ever be strong enough to keep us apart again.