Page 75 of The Hang Up
“Wait, did you say youmadeit?”
He nodded.“That’s what I’m telling you. I learned to eat and cook nice food. I learned to pronounce and appreciate the wine that goes with it. I learned to let go of some of my overprotective bullshit and trust that my family’s going to be okay without me supervising their every breath. And I learned to beat corporate executives at their own damn game. But you want to know the most important thing I learned?”
“What?” Miriam breathed, almost afraid to ask. Almost certain her heart was going to burst right out of her chest.
“None of that would have been possible without you.”
“Me?”
He nodded. “I love you, Miriam. And I’m a better man when I’m with you. Give me a chance to prove it.”
“You already have.” She took a step closer, closing the gap between them. She reached for his hand and smiled up into those blue, blue eyes. “I love you, too.”
“Awesome.” He grinned, squeezing her hand so hard the mud squished between her fingers. “Now about that shower…”
“Come on,” she said. “Let’s go get dirty.”
EPILOGUE
Jason spotted the finish line up ahead, but instead of speeding up, he slowed his pace just a little. He wasn’t waiting for Miriam. Hell, she was trucking along beside him like she had energy left to burn, which she probably did. The woman was a powerhouse, not just in the boardroom and bedroom, but also in competitive sports.
“There he is!” Miriam grinned and pointed to the edge of the racecourse, barely seeming to notice they were running through ankle-deep mud.
Jason felt himself grinning, too, at the sight of Henry scrambling out onto the course. The boy wore red track shorts and a superman cape, and his little prescription goggles shielded his eyes from flying mud.
Miriam beamed at Henry as he scurried over, and Jason felt his heart surge the way it always did when he watched her interact with his family.
“Hey, buddy!” She high-fived Henry, spattering mud and making him giggle like a maniac. “You ready to do this?”
“Uh-huh.” The kid fell into step beside them, stomping extra hard in a puddle as he ran. “Mommy says I’m gonna get mud everywhere. In my ears and in my nose. Probably even on my wiener.”
“Probably so,” Jason acknowledged as he ruffled his nephew’s hair. “That’s half the fun of a Tough Mudder.”
“Getting dirty has its advantages,” Miriam agreed, and Jason had to fight the urge to send her a knowing look.
Henry stomped in another puddle, whooping with joy as he ran. Miriam followed suit, laughing as the mud sloshed up her spectacular calves. Then she jumped with expert precision through a field of mud-covered tires.
Jason’s heart felt ready to burst, and it had nothing to do with the fact that they’d just run ten miles through a mud-slick obstacle course. It had everything to do with the woman running beside him, the one brushing a glob of mud off her face as she grabbed hold of his hand, then Henry’s.
“Let’s go, boys! Almost there!”
With hands linked, the three of them ducked under one of the last obstacles in the course. Jason’s lungs worked overtime as he maneuvered through the slippery terrain, laughing as Henry stopped to roll around in an extra-deep puddle.
The little boy was quick to break free on the other side, and he let go of their hands to scurry ahead toward the finish line, where Ellie stood with her arms outstretched and a big grin on her face.
Miriam squeezed Jason’s hand. “I still can’t believe you got the officials to agree to let him run the last quarter-mile with us.”
“As soon as I told them it was his one wish to celebrate being cancer-free, they were all over it.” Jason watched with pride as Henry crossed the finish line with his mud-covered legs pumping as fast as they could go.
“Wooohooo!” Ellie shouted as she clicked off a photo on her phone, then dropped to her knees in the mud to wrap her son in a sloppy, wet hug. “I’m so proud of you, baby!”
“I’m not a baby. I’m a Tough Mudder.” But the little boy seemed to relish his mother’s embrace anyway, and Jason clutched Miriam’s hand tighter as the two of them rushed across the finish line together.
They stood panting for a moment while other competitors moved past them, but they were off to the side now, out of the way of traffic. Ellie and Henry stood hugging in the mud while Henry chattered excitedly about the race. Jason took a slug of water from the bottle he’d stashed in Ellie’s day pack, watching as Miriam did likewise. They were sweaty and filthy and breathing hard, and Jason couldn’t imagine a moment more perfect for what he had planned.
He set down his water bottle, then reached out and tousled his sister’s hair before rumpling Henry’s. “Good job, champ!”
The little boy squealed as Jason lifted him up and gave his nephew a fierce hug. He shifted him to one arm and reached down to help his sister to her feet. “You have to get up now.”
