Aaron rubs my back and plays with my hair as I hold on to his shirt for dear life. It smells like his detergent mixed with something that is so him. This scent alone could make me feel less lonely.

With a hiccup, I whisper, “You deserve more than the future I can offer you.” The simplest sentence that explains everything. He should run as fast as he can. It’s his last chance.

He hugs me harder, leaning his bearded cheek on top of my head. “I don’t care that you don’t love yourself enough to believe I’d be lucky to be with you.” A kiss is pressed to the crown of my hair. “We’ll work on that, and in the meantime, I’ll love you enough for the both of us.”

A whole new set of tears stream down my cheeks. He’s strong. He’s so strong. Fighting for me, for us, when all I’ve done is run.

My gaze drifts to my left, where Woody is watching us intently. His soft ears are perked up, tail wagging. Aaron was right, once again. The time I would—or will—get with this dog could never affect my love for him, and the fact that he might not have long would never make me walk away. Same goes for Maybelle. I picked her up despite her old age. It never once occurred to me to protect myself from the pain of losing her sooner rather than later. I made the conscious decision to love her because she was worth it.

Maybe not all love stories need to last a lifetime. Maybe the most beautiful ones are the ones that develop despite the fact that they won’t.

And maybe that’s exactly what Aaron realized too.

I think I was wrong before, when I said Aaron doesn’t know what he’d be getting himself into. By bringing me here today, he showed me he understands perfectly, yet he’s still here.

I don’t know what I did to merit this kind of love, but somehow, it happened. And while he’s done so much for me, all I’ve done is push him away. If I’m to accept his love, things need to change. I need to give him more.

So, ignoring the pounding in my chest and the tightening in my lungs, I pull away to look at him when I say, “I do love you, Aaron. More than I could ever love anyone. You’re everything.” Everything I know. Everything I want. Everything I need.

Enough with fighting it. I’m not strong enough to continue.