Nova giggles against my kiss and pushes lightly as my shoulders.
I break away and stare down at her, her hair spread out over the grass.
“I take it you like that, huh?”
“More than you know,” I breathe.
“We’re going to be okay, aren’t we?” she asks with a slight smile.
I grin back at her. “We’re going to be better than okay.”
Nova
We fall easily back into our lives. Getting back to the normalcy feels good. I still have my moments, and Jace does too, but for the most part, we feel like us again.
I drop onto the couch beside him and lean my head on his shoulder, reading the words he scribbles across the page of his notebook.
“It’s beautiful,” I whisper. The words speaking to a part of my soul. I know the song is about us, but it’s bigger than that. It’s for anyone who’s ever faced heartbreak of the worst kind and come out stronger because of it.
“Thanks.” He doesn’t look at me, just keeps scribbling and erasing.
“You really should think about selling your songs. They’re amazing.”
He closes his notebook and clears his throat. “About that …” he pauses, searching for words. “I think I’m ready to pursue getting some of my music sold.”
My face lights up. “Jace!” I cry in excitement. “That’s amazing.” I wrap my arms around him and hug him. He hugs me back, burying his face in the crook of my neck.
“It feels right, to do this now,” he says, letting go. “I …” He looks away, his jaw tight. “I want to make Beckett proud. I want to be more than a bartender. I want to be someone my kids can be proud of.”
I swallow thickly. Tears pooling in my eyes. “It’s funny you should say that.”
He stares at me with an odd look, waiting for me to continue.
“My period’s late, and I counted up the days … It works out perfectly for the day in New York.”
He stares at me and then his mouth drops open. “Are you serious?”
I nod, and begin to cry. “I’m scared,” I admit. “Terrified, actually, of everything that can go wrong, but … I’m so, so, so happy too. It’s not for certain yet, I need to take a test.”
He jumps up. “I’ll go get one.”
I laugh. “Right now?”
“Fuck yes, right now.” He scurries around, looking for his wallet. He locates it and sticks it in his back pocket.
“You.” He points at me. “Sit right there. Don’t go anywhere, I mean it.”
“Jace—”
“I’ll be right back,” he promises.
He dashes out the door and is gone in the blink of an eye.
I stand, because no way am I listening and sitting on the couch the whole time he’s gone.
Instead, I head to the spare bedroom he turned into my space—my den, as I call it.
I’m working on a painting for us. It’s simple, but I think that’s why I love it so much. It’s our hands clasped together, on top of the bed sheets, with just the barest hints of our bodies showing so you know we’re curled into one another.