37. Dex
W hen I pull into my parents’ driveway and see Sunny sitting on the porch swing, I’m convinced I’m hallucinating.
Because it’s not the same Sunny I saw with Jeremy in Manhattan—straight-haired and whisper-thin.
This Sunny is radiant. Healthy, and glowing. Her long hair cascades past her shoulders in perfect ringlets. And she isn’t wearing couture, either. She’s in a simple yellow sundress that accentuates her curves.
Jesus.
I’ve never seen a more beautiful woman in my entire life.
But she can’t be real, right? Bright, beautiful Sunny in her yellow dress—just like the day I met her?
This must be a dream.
I step out of the car and she stands, her eyes wet with tears. She lifts her hand to her perfect pink lips, like she can’t believe she’s seeing me either.
I walk slowly up the steps, half-expecting her to disappear when I get closer, like a mirage.
But I’m standing in front of her, and she’s still here.
“Hi,” she says softly as a smile forms through her tears.
I sweep her cheek with my thumb.
She’s real.
“What happened?” I ask her. “Are you okay?”
She laughs, then cries.
I take her hand and we sit on the porch swing—just like we used to do when we were kids.
“I broke up with Jeremy,” she says, looking into my eyes.
I don’t hide my relief. I let out a breath it feels like I’ve been holding for the last three-and-a-half years—since Paris.
My reaction makes her cheeks flush pink as she smiles at me. She’s so goddamn gorgeous, it’s all I can do not to take her in my arms and kiss her.
But I don’t want to be presumptuous. She looks like she has more to say.
“I also quit my job. Quit my career , actually. I got into Northwestern’s MFA program. I’ll be starting in September.”
My eyes go wide. “Sunny, that’s incredible. I’m really proud of you.” I pause for several seconds, taking her in. “So…you’re happy? I mean, I did find you crying here…”
She giggles, then takes a deep breath. “It’s been a rough few years. I was miserable being a lawyer. I was miserable with Jeremy. I was so stressed, I could barely eat.”
My brow furrows. Now I understand.
“I also found out what a jerk my biological father was.” She sighs. “I’ll tell you the whole story later, but…on the bright side, I know more about who I am now. I’m a quarter Lebanese an d a quarter French. It explains a lot.”
I grin. “That’s why you always wanted to study in Paris.”
She nods. “And why Sam and I gravitated toward each other. She’s half Lebanese.
She said she suspected all along, because I love Middle Eastern food so much.
I actually bought a Lebanese cookbook recently.
” She bites her lip. “I decided I can’t let my feelings about the man who fathered me keep me from learning about my culture. ”
I take her hand in mine. “I’m really happy for you, Sunny. You’re such an amazing woman. You always have been. But…I think you finally know it now.”
Her eyes well with tears again. “You’re right, I do. And I have you to thank for that, Dex. Your Oscar speech gave me the courage to let go of everything that wasn’t working in my life. You made me want to be my best self.” She chuckles. “You also helped me get into grad school.”
I tilt my head. “Oh yeah? How did I do that?”
“You were the inspiration for my writing sample.” She looks down at her lap, and when she takes her gaze to mine, her cheeks flush again. “I wrote about us. I wrote… our story .”
My heart’s racing, but not because I’m anxious. It’s because I’m about to get an answer I’ve been waiting an entire lifetime for. “How does it end, Sunny?”
She takes her hand away from mine and unzips her purse.
Then she pulls out a folded-up piece of notebook paper and gives it to me. “It ends like this,” she says.