Mia and I stayed up all night talking. Not about anything in particular either, just talking about everything and anything. By the time the sun broke the horizon, washing everything in a gorgeous sunrise, I knew I wanted my future to include Mia.

She’s so amazing. Truly, in every way possible, she is perfect. It’s all too much to fight any longer. I never thought I’d have the chance to sleep with her again, or that if I did, I’d be ready. But last night with Mia gave me hope. She made me see that maybe I can move on, in my own way and on my own time. There isn’t a single doubt that I’m ready to take that step forward with Mia by my side, helping me every step of the way. She won’t pressure or push me. We will learn to be whatever it is that we are meant to be.

“What about Chandler and the girls,” she asks, her eyes shining in the morning light.

“I don’t know what we should do.”

“I feel the same way.”

“Let’s wait to tell the girls. They love you and Chandler so the transition could be rough on them. But we should tell Chandler now,” I tell her, not wanting to lie to my best friend. I cup her beautiful face, and she rests her head against my chest. I hold on to her the same way I have all night long—reverently.

“When you say now, do you mean like this weekend?”

“Or when we’re home, so the girls aren’t around in case he flips out.”

“I don’t think he’ll understand either way.”

“He will, trust me.”

“I do, but I know my brother better than anyone.” Her brother’s ears must’ve been burning because as soon as the words leave her mouth, he starts calling our names. “Really? He’s up this early?”

I shrug. I have no idea how early he normally gets up. “Just trust me. He’ll be okay.” She nods, but the fear of confessing to Chandler that something is going on between us is apparent.

“God, I’m gonna miss those lips all day.” She giggles and stands just as Chandler rounds the bend, and we both laugh at his pathetic appearance. Camping does not suit him at all.

“Oh my God, are you okay?” Mia asks him. He is hunched over, and his face is pinched in pain.

“What the fuck does it look like?” he yells and shakes his head, barely able to stand all the way up.

“What happened?” I ask him.

“Sleeping on the ground fucked my back up.” He glares at me as if it’s my fault the ground is hard. I chuckle at him. “What?” he yells at me, clearly wanting to take his frustrations out on someone.

“Nothing.”

“What the fuck is up with the smirk then?” He finally straightens and stretches his arms, trying to relieve that pain in his back.

“Just woke up happy, that’s all.”

He rolls his eyes at me and then turns to Mia. “What about you? I didn’t even hear you come to bed.”

“I was in late and out early. The ground does suck.” She’s all innocent excuses, and I force myself not to pull her into my arms again.

“Fuck, I don’t think I can do it again.”

“I have an air mattress in the car, we’ll blow up for tonight.” The look on his face when she tells him that is priceless. I’m sure she’d planned to sleep on it last night, but seeing as we got carried away and never slept, that didn’t happen.

“Fuck, why you holding out on me?” he gripes, and she cracks up again.

“I didn’t mean to.”

“Whatever, what are you fuckers doing up this early anyway?” The pain in his back must be working itself out because his snark is back in full swing.

Mia and I glance at each other. She waits for me to say anything, and right as I consider telling him, the girls round the bend, so I wait.

“We watched the sunrise together.”

“Wow, how fucking lame is that?”

Mia slaps his shoulder, and he flinches as I stifle a yawn. The exhaustion of staying up all night is beginning to creep up on me. I can feel it in my body as we walk back to camp.

“Morning,” I tell Rianna and Maisy once we are close enough to camp.

“Hey,” they call out, and I stack a few logs on the fire in preparation for cooking breakfast and making coffee, but before I can proceed, Rianna asks me, “Can I help?” And I swear to God I heard her wrong. The kid is still barely talking to me, much less offering to help me with anything.

“Sure. Grab the matches and lighter fluid from that table.” I point across camp, and she heads off to collect them.

After the wood is stacked, Rianna drenches the fire, and I walk her through each step to make sure she understands how to stay safe when lighting a fire with lighter fluid. Times like this really make me miss the days when she would allow me to teach her.

Maisy watches as Rianna strikes the match and tosses it on the wood. A huge ball of flames billows into the air above the stack of wood. I glance at Rianna, who has a satisfied smirk on her face. Even though I’m through the roof about Mia, this is why I came camping, after all, to be with my girls. I can’t forget what’s most important.

The flames are warm, and I wrap an arm around each of them. Maisy sniffles and I glance down at her, worried. She’s holding the picture of Georgia.

“She’s not ever coming back, is she?” I know she misses her mother terribly, but I can’t lie to her.

“No, baby, she’s not.”

Maisy tosses the picture into the flames. The orange embers quickly melt away the image, and together, the three of us stand in silence, watching the last of the picture turn to ash.