“We had a talk today. You want to get married. She wants to be married. Honestly, you two are a hop, skip, and a jump away from a marriage of convenience. If that’s what y’all want, cool. More power to you. But I don’t think it is?”

“It’s not,” he confirms with a half-smile. “I want the real thing.”

Joy loves Malcolm. She’s in love with Malcolm.

And she’s beginning to understand that her life has revolved around him for too long, because all their bubble is doing now is damaging both of them.

Joy waits for the pain to come. She waits for the longing and reluctance that will taint her every word; for the hurt to coax her into being selfish; for any opening to insert herself so he remembers that if all else fails, she’ll still be there. But this time, they’re not there.

All she feels is hope.

She hopes that this, what she has to say, is enough to help him, really help him. She hopes that he’s making the right choice for himself. And she hopes that Summer is everything he hopes she is.

The overpowering feeling of her hope fills up every inch of her, taking over everything. It makes her want to smile and cry at the same time, but she knows if she does both it’ll only worry him.

So she smiles, and she says, “I don’t know, I’m just guessing here, but I think Summer’s willing to do the work. The least you could do is meet her halfway.”

“That’s not the least.”

“You know what I mean.”

When Joy heads back outside, Fox hasn’t moved, but he’s alone this time. She briefly wonders about where Summer has gone as she walks down the small sloping hill.

“Did you miss me?” Joy jokes.

“Do you like hugs?”

Surprised, she stares at him, but as usual his face reveals almost nothing. “Depends. Are you offering?”

“If I am, would you say yes?”

“If I say yes, will it be any good?”

This stumps him for a second, but his grumpy frown doesn’t last, giving way to a knowing smile. It’s a good one. “Shit. You are fantastically annoying, you know that?”

Joy laughs. It feels like some of the residual weight on her chest from talking to Malcolm disappears, bubbling away. Being with Fox makes her feel better. It always makes her feel better, she realizes. Since she met him, every time she’s feeling down, there he is distracting her somehow. “I’d like that hug now, please.”

As expected, he’s warm and smells good. He holds her firmly, arms at her waist, and she rests her head on his shoulder.

“It’s okay to be sad.” His whispered words brush across her temples.

“I’m not sad.”