“Yeah, Uncle Beau,” he says, so I turn to go and get his bed ready. Another thing that I did was make a room for him at my house. For the times that I would watch him while Savannah was at work or Jacob was working overnight and Cristine, Jacob’s mom, couldn’t watch him. I grab a pair of pjs that he left here the last time and walk back to the shower. “Buddy, I put your pjs here for you.” I lay them on the counter. “Remember to brush your teeth.”

“Okay, Uncle Beau,” he says and opens the door. “Do you have any of your body wash?” he asks, and I look at him. “This is bubble gum, and I’m a growing boy.” I roll my lips and nod at him.

“I’ll get you some,” I say, shaking my head and walking to my bathroom to get him mine. I don’t see her standing there when I walk out of my bedroom. “Are you okay?”

“What are you doing?” she asks, pointing at the soap in my hand.

“Well, Ethan is a growing boy,” I say. “And he doesn’t want bubble gum soap anymore.”

“So he asked you for yours?” She smiles, and I see tears in her eyes. “He really loves you.”

“Well, I love him just as much,” I say.

“If things turn bad between us.” She wipes a tear away, and I walk to her. “He …”

“He will never lose me,” I say. “Never. Neither of you will ever lose me.”

“Okay,” she whispers, and my heart speeds up faster and faster.

I look at her. “Okay?” My voice almost cracks.

She looks down at the floor, and I can tell that she’s nervous because she is wringing her hands, and her voice comes out almost in a whisper. “I’ll marry you.”

Chapter Eighteen

Savannah

I don’t even know I’m saying the words even though they are coming out of my mouth. Marry him. “I’ll marry you,” I repeat it again so I can hear it again. His eyes open wide as if he’s in shock that I would agree to marry him. When he doesn’t say anything, my heart starts to speed up and my legs start to shake. Maybe he changed his mind. “I mean, if the offer is still on the table,” I say nervously while I wring my hands in front of me.

“Yeah.” He looks down, and when he looks up, a smile covers his face. “The offer is still on the table.”

My whole body finally releases the tension that it was holding. I’m about to say something else when he steps into me, closer than he was before. So close our chests almost touch. “We’re getting married,” I say, trying to break the tension that has somehow built between us. My chest rises and falls when he steps in just a touch more.