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Henry bowed his head until his face was only inches froet easier"

"Promise?" I said

"Yes" He pressed his lips to o away, but that pain is part of you now It is part of all of us And because we know it, because we have had to survive it, ill do e ain"

I exhaled "I miss her I don’t kno Walter expects us to just replace her like that"

"I never thought I would find a replacement for Persephone either," he said quietly "And as it happens, I did not I found so even better I found you"

My hand rested over his heart, and I didn’t speak Words couldn’t have possibly described howhis nose in my hair, Henry held me as ayed back and forth to a silent rhythm

"You will never find someone to replace Ava because that person does not exist," he murmured "But you will find someone who understands love as Ava did Who embodies it Who has, without question, inherited the passion and devotion that defined her And one day, perhaps in a few years, perhaps many centuries fro and look around, and you will realize that things are okay again Perhaps never coap of loss But the parts around it will grow You will love You will be happy You will laugh again And that day will be better than today I pro my nose in the crook of his neck "I love you," I whispered "Thank you for choosingyou" His lips brushed against led in the ends as he splayed his hand across my back "And I will, for the rest of eternity You savedI would rather do than be with you forever"

"You will be," I ain"

He pulled away enough to touch his lips to mine "Good"

I captured hi I couldn’t say How much I loved him, how thankful I was not just for hiether--all of it I may have saved his life, but he’d saved h that dark loneliness again

Between us, Milo aze down at hiht, a kiss for you, too," I said, grinning, and I dropped one on his forehead "Such a deether a nursery for Milo in the roo he needs"

"Yes, he does" I looked up at Henry once more "Can you do me a favor?"