“Where does this one go?” Stephanie carries a box inside the cabin.

I peek inside. “Kitchen.”

I grab another box from the truck, only to have it slide out of my hands.

“Need help?” Doug asks, going for the box I’m struggling with.

“Please. It’s too heavy.”

He picks it up. “What the heck is in it?”

“Books.”

“That explains it. Living room?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Going for something a little less heavy this time, I bring in a bag full of clothes. I check on Binx on the way. We set him up in the downstairs bathroom, and Charlie has been outside the door, sniffing at him since we got here.

“Binxy boy,” I call, sneaking in and shutting the door behind me. Binx slinks out from behind the toilet to rub on me. “How are you doing? I know you’ve moved a lot, but I promise you this is the last time.”

I open a can of cat food, spooning it into his bowl. Patting him once more, I go back out and take my clothes upstairs. The floor creaks behind me and I turn to see Jack, carrying a white wooden nightstand like it weighs nothing at all. He sets it down and rushes to me, picking me up by the waist and spinning me around.

We kiss and fall back on the bed. I hook my leg over Jack, cupping his face with my hand.

“I fucking love you, Nora Renee Fisher.”

“And I love you, Jack William Harrington.”

He kisses me again, sliding his hands down my waist and under the hem of my dress. The floor creaks and Jack snaps up.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Veronica says, exasperated. “Why is it always me who walks in on you two?”

I laugh and sit up, smoothing out my dress. “Sorry.”

“I’m not sorry,” Jack quips, wiggling his eyebrows, making me laugh even more.

“And why am I unpacking shit downstairs when you two are up here making out?” She rolls her eyes. “Mom just got here with pizza.”

“We’ll be right down,” Jack says and turns back to me. The stairs creak under Veronica’s feet and he stands, pulling me to him once more. “Do you feel like you’re home?”

“I do.”

“Me too.”

I tip my head. “This has been your home.”

“I know. I can’t really explain it, but it feels even more like home now that you’re in it.”

We go down, eat pizza, and spend another few hours bringing stuff in and trying to organize. After everyone leaves, Jack, Charlie, and I take a break on the balcony upstairs. I rest my head on his shoulder, soaking up the last of the fading light from the setting sun.

Jack gets a text and frowns when he reads it.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“Greg, from the PTSD group asked if I can lead the next meeting. He’s seeing if different members can take turns until we find a replacement for Wyatt.”

I know how hard it is for Jack, how this brings up the memories and emotions he’s trying to forget. “What are you gonna do?” I ask gently.

He considered for a moment, then turns his face to mine. “I’m going to do it. It’s a hard road to walk, but like you said, I need to keep going. I want to find the light at the end of that tunnel too.”

I wrap my arm around his. “You will.”

* * *

“You know what just occurred to me?” I ask Jack. We’re walking up the sidewalk to Stephanie and Doug’s house.

“What?”

“Whenever we go see one of our parents, the other is going to know.”

“Shit, you’re right. And then they’ll wonder why we didn’t come see them when we saw the other.”

“We’re doomed.” I laugh. The smell of chicken enchiladas hits me as soon as I open the door, reminding me how hungry I am. Stephanie’s sitting on the couch and gets up to hug us both as soon as we walk into the living room.

“You’ve been back for weeks and I still miss you,” she tells me. “And you too, Jack.”

Doug hugs me next and shakes Jack’s hand.

“I know,” I say. “Once things settle down I’ll see you more.”

“I always hated moving.” Stephanie motions to the house. “When we moved here I swore it would be the last time.”

“We’re far from done,” Jack says. “It’ll be a while before we’re settled completely, but we’re getting there.”

We stashed all the extra furniture upstairs in the unused bedrooms, only to take it out. It’s currently cluttering the living room and Jack is in the process of tearing down the walls in the two small bedrooms.

It didn’t take us long to realize that we both want children in the near future. And before they come, we need to get some of the major renovations done on the house. To save money, we’re doing much if it ourselves. We got started right away, chipping away little by little every day at the very long to-do list.

“Dinner’s almost ready,” Doug says. “I’m going to grab a beer. Do you want one?”

“Sure,” Jack says, surprising me a bit since he drinks as seldom as I do. He goes with Doug into the kitchen. I sit on the couch with Stephanie.

“How was work?” she asks.

“Good. I’m starting to feel like I fit in more now. And everyone is really nice.”

She pats my hand. “I’ll never get tired of telling you how proud I am.”

“I couldn’t have gotten here without you and Doug.”

Her arm goes around me in another hug. “Oh! There’s a new Amazon box. Bigger than the last.”

“We definitely need to investigate.”

“I’m bringing the camera,” she laughs, and we rattle off crazy theories. The timer goes off on the oven, and both Stephanie and I go into the kitchen to check on the food. Jack and Doug are standing on the back porch talking. I watch them, then look at Stephanie.

“Male bonding time?” she suggests.

“I guess.” Both are at ease, and whatever they’re talking about made Jack smile. I set the table and go to the back door, calling the guys in for dinner. We’re eating in the formal dining room again, and it takes Stephanie and Doug a few minutes to join us. And when they do, Stephanie’s all smiles, hardly able to look me in the eye.

Doug says grace, and we start eating. Halfway through dinner, Stephanie is back to normal but keeps giving Doug looks. Maybe I don’t want to know.

Jack stays at the house when Stephanie and I go for a walk around the block after dinner, saying he’s going to stop in next door and say hi to his mom.

“Should I alert the authorities?” Doug teases us when we get back.

“There are two boxes now.” Stephanie pulls up photos on her phone to show him. “Something weird is going on.”

“There is. Very weird. You had Nora pose for a fake photo so you could take a picture of the house.”

“It’s not fake,” I counter. “I’m in it. Kind of.”

“You need a hobby,” Doug tells her.

She smiles. “I might have one soon,” she says quietly to him. I don’t think I was supposed to hear.

“Ready to head out?” Jack asks me, interlocking his fingers with mine. “I’m tired.”

“Me too.”

We say bye to Stephanie and Doug, and go home. I’m slightly nervous every time I walk through the door. Binx and Charlie did not like each other one bit at first. Charlie had never seen a cat up close before and chased my poor Binxy boy around the house. They tolerate each other now, and Charlie only chases him if Binx gets too close to his food. I’d been locking Binx up in the bathroom when we weren’t home, just to be safe, and only recently started leaving him free.

Charlie comes running, tail wagging rapidly. He’s not covered in blood, which is a good sign. I take off my shoes, delving deeper into the house. Binx is in his new favorite spot in the loft, front paws hanging over the edge of the balcony.

“The kids are getting along,” I say to Jack and he laughs.

“Want to go for a walk?” he asks me.

“I thought you were tired?”

“I was, and but now I’m not. It’s really clear tonight. We could look for shooting stars.”

I can’t say no to that. I run upstairs to pee and grab a jacket, meeting Jack by the back door. He lets Charlie out and takes my hand. We’ve tried to make this a nightly routine while the weather’s nice. The walks aren’t long, and usually we stay on the property. It’s a nice way to end the day.

Tonight, we go a bit farther to a large rock jutting out of the ground. It’s smooth on top and makes a good place to sit and watch the sky. We sit together, not talking and hardly moving until I see a streak of golf flash across the sky.

“Make a wish,” I say.

“I think my wish is about to come true.” Jack hops off the rock and holds out his hand. I take it, letting him pull me to my feet. He kisses me, then envelopes me in his arms. “I need to ask you something I should have a long time ago.”

“Sure. What is it?”

His hand goes to mine again, tugging me forward. We trek up a hill, stopping at the top. The sky is alive above us, and the peaceful hush of the forest is the only thing I can hear.

“Nora.” Jack stops and turns to face me. “You are my light and my love, and there is no one in the world I’d rather free fall with for the rest of my life.”

He steps back, pulling a box from his pocket. My hand flies to my mouth, and my heart speeds up. Jack opens the black box and gets down on one knee.

“Will you marry me?”

I look into his eyes, unable to form a sentence. Tears blur my vision, and I feel like I’ve lived my whole life waiting for this moment. My eyes go to the sparkling diamond ring. It’s Mimi’s. There’s only one way he could have gotten it, and now I know why he was talking to Doug. He asked for his blessing to propose to me tonight.

“Yes.” The tears fall free. “Yes, Jack, yes.”

He slides the ring on my finger and gets up, cradling me to his chest.

“You are sure you want to do that, right?”

I laugh and lean back just enough to look him in the eyes. “Positive. This is how it’s supposed to be. Just me and you.”