Page 116 of Love Wells Kept

“I might not remember every version of us…but I know this one. The one where you stayed, even though I wouldn’t have blamed you for leaving. You stayed when I didn’t know your name…didn’t know my own kids.” I pause, pangs of old guilt pressing sharp behind my ribs. “I love you, Kit. I promise I’m not going anywhere. Not now, not ever. I want to stay happily married to you forever.”

Her eyes fill with tears, and she clutches the front of my shirt, so clearly searching for words. And Kate pulls me in for a kiss unlike any that have come before or will come after. That’s all the promise I need.

When she pulls back, she’s flushed and teary and radiant. I don’t need memories to know or love this woman. My heart was always going to remember her.

“I stayed—and I’ll always stay—because it’s always been you. You’re my person.”

The gentle rocking of our bodies dancing on the grass, the air filled with campfire smoke and laughter, is interrupted by Rhett crashing into my legs. My knees nearly buckle.

“What on Earth?” I grab him by the shoulders to stop him from toppling over backward.

“Dessie’s being mean,” he immediately tattles. “She’s not letting me play with her.”

Looking toward the tree line, I see Odessa storming toward us. She has that no-nonsense look Kate gets when she’s focused on something.

“I’m building a fort with Jonas, and Rhett keeps wrecking it.”

I look down at the preschooler, who beams back at me. “I’m playing Spider-Man.”

“He’s trying to climb the walls, and they keep falling over,” Odessa protests.

“Okay, okay, okay.” I scratch my head, trying to make sense of all of this. “Um…can we hug it out?”

Odessa’s face twists with utter disgust. “No.”

Damn, you’d think I’d suggested we make s’mores with cow patties instead of chocolate.

One hand still on Rhett’s shoulder, I snare Odessa’s wrist with the other and keep her from running away. In one fell swoop, I crouch down and yank both of them into my chest, shifting my weight on my heels so we don’t all fall over.

They smell like dirt and, for some unknown reason, a bit like wet dog. Odessa has leaves in her wild hair, and Rhett has a smear of something red—hopefully not blood—across his forehead. And none of that stops me from planting kisses on their heads.

“I can’t breathe,” Rhett wheezes, very clearly still able to breathe, given how hard he’s laughing.

“You’re squishing me,” Odessa whines.

“I’m squishing your attitude,” I reply.

Somewhere behind us, Kate laughs, honey-sweet. I hold my kids tight, until the wiggling struggle to escape stops and their groans turn to giggles. The tension between them is broken then.

When I let them go, it’s reluctantly.

“Rhett, let’s keep the Spider-Man game off Odessa’s walls, okay? Go climb a fence or tree or somethin’ instead.”

He turns and eyes up a particularly good climbing tree. “Okay, Daddy.”

As they take off toward the trees again, Kate slides back into my arms like she never left, her head pressing against my chest. The pure joy in her eyes is unmistakable. “You’re a pretty great daddy, you know?”

“You think?”

“The best.” She balls my shirt up in her fist and cranes her neck to kiss me softly, pumping sunshine into my veins. “I think we’ll keep you.”

“I’m the luckiest man alive for that.”

I look down at her, then out at my kids. My family. This ranch. And even without memory of the way things used to be, it feels like my life is exactly as it should be. There are no rough edges between then and now. Old and new are smudged by the soft brush of my wife’s fingers on my torso, and I kiss her coconut-scented hair, because she deserves to be kissed as many times as I can fit into a day.

Somewhere in the distance, Beryl yells something to the group about dinner being ready. My stomach growls in response.

“Let’s go eat. You must be starving after working so hard all day.” She tugs me toward the fire.