“I promise I’ll be back, Noah. And you know how you can believe me?” “How?” he asks, with his eyes still closed. I take this moment to study him. To memorize every centimeter of his face. Every wrinkle, eyelash, and curve of his mouth. “Because I found a home and a family with this town and I love them.” I drag in a breath and cup his jaw, angling his face up toward me. “And I love you.” He opens his eyes, and his hands remain fixed on the backs of my legs. His face is tender astonishment, because we haven’t exchanged those words yet. But I can’t hold them in any longer. And then Noah smiles.
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