Page 40 of Forget Me Not

“Yeah. It’s time.”

I pulled the car into a space and parked. Danny was peering out the window, silently watching the trees flutter in the wind.

“Isn’t this weird?” he asked from the backseat, glancing down at his sister who was sound asleep.

“Kind of.” I smiled. “But I think we need to do it, in order to move forward with nothing weighing us down.”

“Okay.” He pushed open his door and got out.

I watched as he ran off ahead of us, kicking rocks in his path. “Maybe we should have left him with my parents. This may be too hard for him.”

“He’ll be fine. I think he’s more worried about you.”

I slipped out of the driver's seat and opened the back door. Alexis was sound asleep in her carrier, unaware of what was happening.

“Here, let me carry her.” Drake grabbed the handle and lifted her from the car.

I laced my fingers with his and led him down the path. My heart was beating harder with every step. This was the first time I had been back since Drake had come home.

“This is it,” I paused, watching his reaction.

Drake set Alexis’ carrier down and kneeled. He ran his fingers across the stone carving, his eyes closing as he traced each letter. “Danny Phillips.”

I pressed my palm to his shoulder, squeezing it as he leaned forward and rested his head on the marker that symbolized his death.

“I’m sorry I did this to you, Kenz. I didn’t know what it would cost everyone by doing it.”

“It’s done. You’re back and we’re a family. Maybe it was supposed to happen this way. Think of it as a rebirth. The old you is gone, but you’re here and you have me.”

Drake stood and pulled me into his arms. “You’ll never know how grateful I am that you gave me a second chance. I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve you. But I’ll die trying to.”

I kissed his lips, losing myself in his touch. “Excuse me.” Danny coughed. “Can you two make out at home?”

I broke the kiss and laughed. “Sorry, Bud.”

“Let’s go. I did what I needed to. It’s time to say goodbye to the past.”

“Dad?” Danny gripped his hand in his. “Can we change my last name to match yours?”

I hadn’t even thought about the fact that his last name was Drake’s former one. “Is that what’s been bothering you?”

“Yeah. I guess.” He ducked his head.

“Of course. You’re my son—we’ll do the paperwork tomorrow. It’s weird that I have to adopt you, when you’re mine. Just one more thing I fucked up.”

“Stop.” I jerked his hand, forcing him to stop walking. “It doesn’t matter how everyone else sees things. To us, this is real. We know the truth and the people close to us know. Everyone else is just static.”

“Your mom’s right.” Drake ruffled Danny’s hair. “I’m your dad. A name means nothing.”

My lips quirked as I watched Drake load Alexis into the car. We had named her after the friend he no longer saw. It was one more thing the agency had taken away from him. I swore to myself I would spend this lifetime making him feel important and loved.

Our love bloomed into something beautiful… a forget-me-not flower that symbolized our eternal life and love from now until death.

The End