His words knocked the wind out of her, and she stumbled back, hand on her chest. The room careened, making her sway. She stared at a speck on the floor, trying to ground herself, but her head was spinning, and her heart felt like it was shredding. They were shooting at Quincy.

“You lost everything because of me, baby,” he said regretfully. “There is no apology big enough to make up for that.”

The bullet was meant for you. She could barely hear past the blood rushing through her ears. “But you’d be dead,” she said more to herself than to him. She lifted her eyes to his, the world coming back into focus. “That bullet was meant for you. If you hadn’t run, you’d be dead.”

“And you’d have the life you always wanted.”

There were no tears stinging her eyes, only vehemence burning her chest, emboldening her. “The life I wanted then, not the life I want now. Not after meeting you.”

“Baby, I saw the pictures of the hell you went through because of me. How can you even look at me without hating me?”

“I love you too much to ever hate you.” She stepped between his legs and picked up his arms, moving them roughly around her. “You didn’t pull that trigger, and you weren’t driving that car. We are meant to be together, Quincy Gritt, and if you don’t want that because you don’t love me, then tell me right now, to my face. Don’t hide behind all the stuff that was thrown into our paths and redirected us, because those paths brought us together, and they cannot be changed. We can’t look back. We can only look forward. I never would have known that I wanted two babies and a dog and a recovering addict with a heart so goddamn big, he’s willing to throw the woman he loves away in order to save her from hurting any more. Well, I have news for you, Mr. Heart of Gold. You have brought me more happiness and given me more love in the last seven months than I could have ever hoped for, and I am prepared to not only stand by your side but to walk through fire with you today, next week, and years from now. So do you love me enough to work through whatever guilt you feel together, or do you need me to walk aw—”

Her words were lost to the urgent press of his lips and the tight squeeze of his arms. “I love you,” he said between desperate kisses and salty tears. “I want you, baby.”

She pushed her hands into his hair, kissing him harder, and then she tore her mouth away and said, “If you ever ask me to walk away again, I swear I’ll knock your teeth out.”

He laughed, which made her laugh, and their mouths came together in a softer, more loving kiss, their salty tears slipping between their lips in a kiss full of apologies for the past, gratitude and hope for the future, and love so big and real, nothing could ever come between them.