by Holly Hart
Max shrugs, a tiny gesture, like even that exhausts him. “Who’d believe him, after all those lies?” He sighs. “Besides, they don’t think he will. And if he does....”
“Yeah.” It’d be a miracle if he opened his eyes at all, much less anything else.
“Maybe he got what he wanted, all along.”
I cock my head, perplexed. “How do you figure?”
“Think about it: round-the-clock care, the rest of his life—doesn’t that sound like his ultimate fantasy?”
I snort. Shouldn’t be laughing at that; none of this is funny. But it’s true, in a way. Wes did want that, or something like it. I flick Max on the forehead, anyway. “Don’t you feel... Part of me feels—I feel awful. And relieved. And awful for feeling relieved.”
Max yawns again, blinking owlishly. “Not sure I, uh.... Think it’s still catching up to me.” He rubs his eyes. “When he went over, the guilt was—I hate that it was me. Even if there wasn’t a choice. And I thought I might scream when I heard he lived, that he might—might be able to feel pain. And now....”
“And now?”
“I’m tired.” He spits a strand of my hair out of his mouth. “Relieved, though, yeah. Sounds rotten, I know, but I’m too beat to give a fuck.”
We’re going to regret this tomorrow, when we have tile marks on our asses and stiff necks from spooning in the shower. I shove at his chest, going nowhere. “We should get up. Wash up. Get some sleep.”
“Sleep....”
“Yeah. Sleep.” I pinch his ear, without force. “We’ve got a wedding to plan, remember?”
“Our wedding....” A goofy grin spreads across his face. I curl into his arms: we don’t have all the time in the world, but we do have time for this—a sweet and sleepy moment, full of hope and comfort.
Chapter 56
Max
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We made it. Really made it. And it’s nothing like the first time: new venue, new flowers, new friends. Even Kate’s a new woman, regal in white, and confident—no veil this time. I can see her lovely face, all smiles as she walks down the aisle. I can’t help but smile back. Nothing could mar this perfect morning.
The sun kisses her face as she steps up across from me. I can’t hold back, wouldn’t want to: I take her hands as the priest begins the ceremony. She’s radiant, dark eyes luminous as they meet mine. I can see my future in her: love, companionship, a house filled with laughter. Children’s running footsteps. Summers on the lake. Everything we’d dreamed of, and more.
It hits me, as she squeezes my hands, the biggest change from last time: I’m not nervous now. Excited, jubilant, triumphant—we won, goddammit—but not a trace of trepidation. No nightmares haunting the edges of my vision; no guilt, no doubt, no shame. This is how it’s supposed to be.
Kate raises her eyebrows. The priest’s giving me a quizzical look. “Huh?”
A ripple of laughter passes over the congregation. Kate winks at me. “Your vows, doofus.”
More laughter—but it’s the friendly kind. The kind where I’m in on the joke. I nod sheepishly and recite after the priest: to have and to hold; in sickness and in health. Till death do us part. Maybe I wasn’t listening, just then, but every word I’m saying—I mean it with all my heart. Can’t picture the day I wouldn’t.
I lift Kate’s hand. It’s steady, not a hint of a tremor. The ring glides onto her finger without a hitch. It looks right—like it belongs there, gleaming mellowly in the slanting light. Kate holds up her hand to admire it, beaming at me through her fingers.
My eyes actually sting when her gaze meets mine and doesn’t waver as she promises me a lifetime of love and fidelity. Every day, with her; I can hardly believe it. She threads my ring onto my finger, and it’s done. We’re married. And—
“You may now kiss the bride.”
Kissing her hardly seems enough. I lift her in my arms and spin her around, skirts billowing behind her. Her delighted laugh gets us a cheer. When I finally set her on her feet, dipping her back to kiss her like it’s our first time, the whole room erupts in applause. The organ strikes up, and I take her by the hand. This time, we’ll flee together, in a flurry of rice and confetti.
I look back only once, as we step out into the sun. Carson’s grinning, giving us the thumbs-up. Dad, too—and Kate’s parents, her grandmother. Sonia; my assistant; everyone from work, all of them waving, whooping, celebrating our day. My heart aches for the missing faces: Dev, my original best man. Kyle and Rachel, who should be living their own dream—even Wes, who went so wrong.
But it’s a beautiful, sunny day, and we have the rest of our lives to look forward to. I sweep Kate off her feet and carry her to the limo. She’s never looked so beautiful, hair wild and dusted with confetti, a high flush on her cheeks. Her eyes sparkle with joy, and that smile—I could lose myself in it.
We fall into the back seat, all in a tangle, her legs thrown over mine.
“If we were in a horror movie, this would be the part where you realize I’ve been the villain, all along.”
I snicker. “That’d be a terrible movie.”
“Wouldn’t it, though?” She shifts around till she’s snuggled against me. “Good thing I hate horror movies. Let’s go to—where are we headed?”
“That’s a surprise.” I lean in and kiss her: I happen to know it’s one she’s going to like. She’s been run off her feet since the showdown on the roof, what with doctor’s visits, wedding preparations, the police sniffing around—it’s been a lot. I’m taking her somewhere fun. Somewhere I promised her all those years ago—and I know she’s never been. Coney Island.
Kate closes her eyes. I drape my arm around her, enjoying the quiet, myself. “If we were in a romantic movie,” I tell her, “this would be the part where we live happily ever after.”
“Then let’s.” She gives me a sleepy smile. “I’ve got my handsome prince. Only, instead of the credits scrolling by, we get a lifetime. All of it. Everything we wanted.”
Our future.
That’s what it’s all been about.
The End
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