CHAPTER 38

KATE

I had felt his lips on mine. Even in my twilight state, even with all the painkillers coursing through my veins, I felt them. They were soft and gentle. They were caring and compassionate. It was a kiss from someone who truly cared for and wanted me. It was a kiss from someone who loved me.

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was the ceiling. What was odd though was that I recognized it. It brought back flashes of the last time I stared up at a similar ceiling, only that time, I had no idea what I was looking at. This time, however, I was only too aware of where I was. I was in the hospital.

The moment I realized this, that kiss came flooding back into my memory. I heard him call my name, and I looked to my right where, sure enough, Liam sat watching me. His smile was soft and as he looked at me, his eyes red from tears. It was as if he knew that I was about to wake up, like he knew that his kiss had the power to bring me back.

As sweet as it was to see him next to me, I had to mess with him. The opportunity was too good to pass up. But more than that, I wanted to see him smile and laugh again. I didn’t want to be causing him so much pain, just because I’d been driving like a maniac.

So I pretended I had amnesia again. And oh man, did he fall for it.

As soon as I told him I was just kidding with him, his jaw dropped open and he looked at me in shock for what felt like forever. Then, just like I’d hoped, he threw his head back and laughed. It was part humor and part relief, but it was a real laugh. The dark cloud hanging over him had vanished. Hearing that laugh made me feel better than all the morphine that must be running through my system.

"Sorry," I said sheepishly. “I couldn’t help myself.”

He gripped my hand in his and squeezed tightly. "Don’t be sorry," he said. “I’m just glad you’re okay, and that beautiful brain of yours is still intact.”

For a moment, the two of us just stared at one another. We didn’t talk. There was no real need. We just took the moment in, reveling in it for what it was. I had gone to him, and now he had come to me. It was beautiful in its simplicity, and any doubts that I may have had about him and his trustworthiness were vanquished. I couldn't think of anyone that I trusted more.

"So," he finally said after some time. "Remind me to never get in a car with you. Whether you're driving or not, I can't help but feel like you’ve got bad luck."

I laughed hard at that, even though it hurt to do so. Even though my sides ached and my lungs burned, I couldn't stop laughing. I couldn't stop. Really, it wasn't just the joke that I was laughing at. It was the happiness that I was feeling, pouring from me. I was so damn happy that I wanted to jump on the bed and dance. I wanted to throw myself at Liam and never let go. But I couldn't do any of that. Not yet. So instead I laughed.

"Okay, I guess I deserve that for pretending I had amnesia again," I finally said. "It's just lucky that where we're moving to has no cars. That should keep us safe.”

"We?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"You didn't think I was going to let you go on your own, did you?"

He squeezed my hand again. "From now on, I can't imagine doing anything without you. In fact, I don't think I would ever want to."

"I'm going to hold you to that," I said with a smirk.

"Deal," he said.

He leaned forward and kissed me. It wasn't a passionate, open-mouthed kiss, but a simple peck on the lips. And even though it was so simple, it spoke volumes about how he felt. I could tell in that kiss that he was truly sorry for how he had acted and for what had happened. And I could also tell that he was willing to make it up to me.

And I was willing to make it up to him too. We did, after all, have the rest of our lives to do it.

--

"It's so much easier to pack up the second time," Liana said as she taped up the last of my boxes. "Seriously, that took less than an hour."

"It would have taken even less time, too, if you hadn't cracked open that bottle of wine," I joked as I took a sip of my half full wine glass.

"Hey. I don't see you complaining. Plus, I felt like we’d earned it. It's been a long few days."

"Weeks," I reminded her. "It's been a long few weeks."

Although it had only been a few days since I had gotten out of the hospital, the weeks that I was referring to were the ones spent thinking about Liam while we were broken up, when we got back together, and when we broke up again. It truly was a saga in itself, and I was just glad that it was over.

"True that," Liana said, raising her glass in cheers. "I'm just glad that you are actually leaving. Finally. I was sad once, now I'm just relieved."

"Gee, thanks," I said with a chuckle.

The accident had happened a little over a week prior. After spending five days in the hospital, I was finally allowed to leave. And now, three days after that, I was getting ready to head to the airport and start my new life.

I didn't know what I was more excited about either, the fact that I was moving to a tropical paradise to live, or the fact that I was doing it with Liam. I hadn't seen the love of my life in nearly a week, and I was missing him terribly. He had to fly out only a few days after my accident and had been calling me every day since. But even that wasn't enough. I had to see him.

"I can't believe this is really happening, though," Liana said with a sigh as she plopped herself down on my floor. There was no furniture left in my apartment. Not to mention no power or hot water. I was leaving in less than an hour, and the place had to look as if it had never been lived in. "You're actually doing it. You're actually moving to another country."

"I know. It's going to be a little odd, I admit."

"Are you scared?" she asked.

"Not even a little bit," I said truthfully. "I have Liam. Why would I ever be scared?"

And that was the truth. If I was moving on my own, then maybe things would be different. But I wasn't. I had Liam by my side, and with him, I could do anything. We had fought, we had gotten back together, we had fought again, and gotten back together again. We had gone through more drama than most couples do in a lifetime. All we had left now was to live the rest of our lives in happiness.

After Liana and I had packed everything up, we waited for the pickup truck to come and collect my boxes. Once that was done, it was time for me to go. I hugged Liana with all my might, making her promise that she would come and visit me as soon as she was able. And then I left.

I got a taxi to the airport. The whole way there, I couldn't stop shaking. I was nervous, I was excited, I was everything. But most of all, I was just happy that I was on my way to see Liam. We were going to spend the rest of our lives together, and I couldn't wait to get started.