Page 137 of Our Final Winter
That’s something we can all agree on.
We make the most of the rest of the evening and bask in the joy of being together, now knowing that it’s going to be the last time in a long, long while.
It hurts, but the memories we make are going to be little treasures I hold onto as tightly as I can.
That night, Karan and I take a stroll around our neighborhood after we park in our driveway before heading inside, neither of us ready to face the empty house yet.
Hand in hand, we head out to the Chambly canal, the stars a glittering blanket over our heads.
“I’m so proud of Océane,” I say as I look out to the dark horizon, watching the reflection of the moon ripple across the surface of the water. “She’s been dealt a shit hand, and look what she’s made of it.”
Karan wraps his arm around my waist. “She’s had the right people in her life to give her the support she needed.”
“Hmmm.” I lean against him and close my eyes, reveling in this simple gesture, this simple moment. “And I’m proud of you, too, you know that?”
“Why?”
“Today was hard. And you made it through.”
“It was hard for you, too.”
“We both know it isn’t the same.”
More than a decade ago, Karan’s anxiety over the boys’ future almost took everything from us. Today, he has overcome it with a resilience that I love him more deeply for.
“Maybe. But I’m proud of you, too.” He turns and bends towards me for a kiss.
“I love you,” he whispers to me.
“I love you, too,” I whisper back, meaning every word more than ever before.
This never gets old.
Never.
Twenty-five years together, and I haven’t stopped craving the feel of his lips against mine, the warmth of his body, losing myself in his arms.
This life hasn’t been perfect. But the best moments have deeply outshone the rest. And that’s all you can hope for, is it not?
The End
