“Madeline.”
“You can rest easy now, child. Your heart is now your own.”
Relief flooded through her and she slumped back onto the pillows. It was truly over.
“What happens now?” Juni asked.
“You regain your strength, and continue on with your life,” Madeline said. “My job here is done. I will leave you with your young man.”
“Thank you Madeline,” she whispered. The woman bent down, squeezed her hand and stood.
“I’ll see you out,” Oliver said.
He rose from the bed, and Juni watched them leave. While she rejoiced in the fact that Hannah was no longer a concern, the hard work had just begun. Even now, being in Oliver’s bed made her nervous. She didn’t know where they stood, or how she felt. No, that wasn’t true. Juni knew how she felt. What she didn’t know was if they were truly her emotions or residue from the ghost whammy she’d been hit with. Juni swore under her breath. They may have gotten her off the same plane, but she still haunted them.
Oliver walked into the room with his hands shoved in his pockets.
“I know you’re probably exhausted, so I’ll let you rest. There’s a bottle of water on the nightstand beside you. I’ll be in the guest room. Just call if you need anything.”
“Okay.”
She watched him walk away and felt like she’d been kicked in the stomach. After everything they’d been through it felt like a polite exchange with a stranger. It was awkward, with neither of them quite sure what to say or how to act. She hated it. Then go to him. Juni ignored the voice, clicked off the light and lay down in the bed. She rolled to the right, tossed back over and finally settled for punching her pillows. Things were too unfinished for her to rest. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end. When you slay the dragon, you walk off into the sunset and have a happily ever after, damn it!
But what if this isn’t real? He chose you over the woman he loved enough to marry. It doesn’t get any realer than that. Sure a part of you might remember him on a subconscious level, so what? It was a simple greasing of the wheel that jumpstarted your relationship. The choice to remain with him was yours alone.
“I need sleep.” Juni rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling as the minutes ticked by.
“Shit!”
She peeled back the sheets and swung her legs around the side of the bed, careful to test her balance as she eased her feet onto the floor while she held onto the headboard of the bed. When she discovered she felt steady she walked to the door, headed for the guest room. The door was open and Oliver sat on top of the covers flipping through a photo album. Her heart sank into her shoes and she stepped back, ready to slink away before she was noticed. His head popped up and she swore mentally.
“Hey.” Lame! You couldn’t think of anything better to say?
“Juni, what are you doing up? You should’ve called to me. I would’ve come to you.”
“I couldn’t sleep, and really my body needed the movement.”
“At least come and sit down.”
“I can see you’re busy, so I’ll just head back to the other room.” She gestured to the space behind her when he shook his head and waved his hand.
“I’m not busy. Do you want to see what I’m looking at?” Oliver picked up the black photo album he’d tossed down and held it up towards her.
No. The last thing I want to do right now is take a trip down memory lane with you and your wife who almost killed me.
“Sure.”
Juni forced her limbs into motion and came to perch on the edge of the bed beside him.
“I was waiting for the right time to show you this.”
I bet you were.
“Right now feels appropriate.”
He set the album down between them, opened the cover and her eyes grew wide. Were those the tickets from their first date at the Aquarium?
“I’ve been keeping little keepsakes from each one of our trips. I thought it would be a nice way to remember accomplishing those last things on your list.”