After a few minutes, Chase rolled onto her back next to Lily and reached for her hand. “I don’t know what to say now. You’re here, and I’m not sure what’s next.”

“Say what you need to say,” Lily whispered, lacing her fingers through Chase’s. Whatever it was, whatever Chase needed, whatever troubled her, they’d find a way.

“I’m crazy in love with you, Lily,” Chase said quietly. “And it will make me crazy if you leave again, so I’m scared, right down to my boots.”

“Well, that part’s easy.” Lily leaned over and kissed her. “I’m not leaving again.”

Chase’s brows furrowed and worry swam in her eyes. “But, Lily, I can’t ask—”

“You never asked. And I know you never would.” Lily held Chase’s gaze, making sure Chase could see the truth in hers. “I’m here because this is where I want to be. I told you I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life, and this is where we belong.”

Chase took a long breath. What she needed to say was the hardest thing she’d ever said. “This is where I belong, Lily. But you—”

“No,” Lily said, pressing her finger briefly to Chase’s lips. “This is where you belong, and this is where I want to be. Because of you, yes, but for me too. Can you listen? Can you hear me?”

Chase trusted her, believed in her. And knew that Lily would always speak her truth. “I’m listening, baby.”

“On the drive back to New York, I realized something.” Lily laughed a little unsteadily and shook her head. “God, it took me a long time. I told you about my parents, right, about meeting in a war zone?”

Chase nodded.

“At the time,” Lily said, “they were both doing what they’d always known they would do. And then, after they’d met and fallen in love, they wanted something else. They came back here, and they made a different life.”

“I’m with you.”

Lily settled her cheek against Chase’s shoulder and wrapped an arm around her waist. Chase rested her chin against the top of Lily’s head. She’d never been so content, so thoroughly happy in her life, just lying with Lily in her arms.

“I’m my parents’ daughter. I wanted to be an ER doc, and I am. I wanted to work in the most challenging, demanding, wildly unpredictable place I possibly could, like they had done—short of going to war—and I did that. Then I went to war, and now my war is over.”

“Lily,” Chase whispered. “You’d be giving up everything you’ve worked for.”