He ended up in a boarding house on the outskirts of town. I felt no triumph when I heard. I simply felt… finished.
Mark and I bought a house in the spring. An old, solid mansion with a garden that had been neglected for too long. We spent the weekends fixing the fences and planting lilacs. I went back to school, greeted by a roar of joy from Ben, Paige, and Dany that nearly knocked me off my feet.
The real shift, however, came in April.
I stood in the bathroom, holding a plastic stick with two pink lines. My heart was a frantic, winged thing in my chest. Herrera had said it was possible, but I hadn’t dared to hope.
I walked into the living room where Mark was reading. I didn’t say anything. I just handed him the stick.
He sat down on the sofa, his legs giving way. He stared at the lines for a long, silent minute. Then, he pulled me into a hug so fierce I could feel the thrum of his heart against mine.
