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“You’re you” He shrugged

“What did you do when you left?”

“I went to the graveyard and talked it out with my mom It’s a habit I fell into after the fire She was always that listening ear who gave good advice Even before he started hitting the bottle hard, the old h as possible You didn’t come to him with complaints” He shuddered

“And it helped?”

“As fucked up as it ave me the closure I never had before There were so many unanswered questions I shoved theone completely I think this was the step needed to break the unhealthy bond that existed between us It’s time we move on in our own directions We’ll always be twins and have the club, but we don’t need to be in each other’s back pockets Did he bother you again today?”

“No, the rest of the day was a piece of cake”

“Good” He nodded his head, pleased that Pan recognized how serious he was about Sy their meal and his anxiety ramped up “I’ll clear away the plates” He stood, took the plates to the sink and took a deep breath He returned to her side and knelt beside her chair “Babe, you know you ht for ive you er and we both knoiftly things can change I don’t want to wait”

“Hayes,” she whispered

He pulled a black velvet box out of his vest and opened the case “Will you be my old lady and marry me?”

“Oh my God”

His heart pounded in his chest, slaainst his ribs Blood rushed in his ears Time slowed to a crawl He sed hard “Symone?”

“I never even thought this would be a reality for me”

“I told you, I want everything, babies, rings, you in ht Is that what you want?”

“Yes” She nodded her head and laughed Tears rolled down her face “It’s absolutely what I want”

“Then give me that hand, babe”