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My friend

My confidant

My escape

I knew Jace would want ood, and I wouldn’t have expected anything different But saying I’d give up the one thing that had keptit, were two very different things Even now, the eood, but the doubt and fear were there too

What if Jace hadn’t meant what he’d said? What if he decided I wasn’t worth the effort when he realized I couldn’t just fix ot tired of being with so enough to coo of the past?

Would I survive losing Jace?

I hadn’t even noticed that the boat had come to a stop until Jace’s arms wrapped around me from behind He kissed my neck “Don’t overthink this,” he murmured

“How can I not?” I asked “I have so much more to lose now than I ever did”

“You’re not going to lose me”

“You can really do it, Jace?” I asked

“Do what?”

“Love me even if I never find some of the pieces?”

He hugged hter “I love you in this moment as much as I will ten years from noenty, thirty, a hundred… doesn’t matter No matter how many times you fall and shatter into a million pieces, I’ll spend every day of the rest of our lives helping you find any pieces that res I love about you can’t ever truly be lost, Caleb”

I didn’t knohat to say to that, so I didn’t say anything Any words I ht have spoken would have seemed inadequate to describe what he’d just done for iven s

“Let’s go to bed,” Jace urged

I held his words close to my heart as I turned to face him and said, “Jace, I’ve loved e’ve done so far, but I don’t think I’ more I know you said I could, um, take you, but I don’t think I’, it’s already too much and I don’t kno to deal with it…”

As badly as I wanted to look at hireat

But of course, Jace wasn’t satisfied, and he tipped my chin up “We can do asas you want, Caleb But I really need to hold you tonight Five days without you in my arms has been pure hell”

I smiled and nodded, then accepted his kiss