"You okay?" I asked.
"Yeah, I just, I don't know how I feel. I understand how much you both felt and went through, but I feel guilty." Ah, there was the guilt I had seen painted on his face moments before.
"Guilty?"
"I felt a little jealous, seeing you with him. And even worse, I almost felt glad that he, well, you know, because otherwise I wouldn't have ever gotten to meet you. It just made it more real that I'm sharing my life with you, someone who has already shared their life with someone else."
"Whoa, let's back up from the crazy-speak here. You don't have to feel guilty. Adam's death happened. There are no what-ifs anymore. It happened, and it happened for many reasons, and while I'll always remember him, I know that he would want me to be happy, and to be with you. He would love us together. Adam was perfect for me at that point in my life, before everything happened. You, you're perfect for me now, because all of that did happen.
"I love you, Luke. Just because I had Adam before doesn't mean you're sharing me with him. You get all of me. I've had years to put myself together, and along the lines of what I said before, Adam wouldn't want me to stay in the past and never share myself again. But you, you are the only one I want to share myself with until I kick the bucket."
I saw the tears in his eyes threatening to spill over, but they didn't. He merely enfolded me in his arms.
"Thank you."
"Thank you, Luke. I tried to run away, but you were the one who saw the senselessness." I stepped back and looked into his eyes. "See? You're perfect for me."
"You two get lost?" Ana shouted from the family room.
"No, we're just discussing punishments for your smart mouth," I shot back quickly. Luke grinned, and we went back to the family room hand-in-hand.
<><>
My parents made a relatively quick recovery. Before I knew it, I was back home, Luke was back to work, and Ana was in school. Last year, Luke put his house up for sale and moved in with Ana and me. It sold within the first couple of months. My parents adored him, and our friends were ecstatic about our 'marriage'. Ana and Luke have become incredibly close, and just the other day started referring to him as "Dad".
It hasn't always been easy. Having a new member in a household is always an adjustment, but made easier by the fact that Luke was almost a permanent fixture before he moved in. It helps to know, too, that even when things get a bit hairy, Luke is always there for me, and I'm always there for him.
And now, I walk down my hallway at two in the morning, unable to sleep. I check in on my beautiful fifteen-year-old daughter, sleeping peacefully, and then glance down and across the hallway to where my gorgeous man sleeps in our bed. I realize how blessed I am, and that somehow, things have worked out to the way they are supposed to be.
And I can't wait to see what the future holds for us.
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