Page 81 of Passing Notes

Her answering smile broke through the emotion of the moment like the sun shining through the clouds after a storm. “Of course I forgive you. I get it now. And I love you too.” She leaned in and offered me a sweet, gentle kiss.

“We really fucked up, didn’t we?”

“We were kids struggling to get through the worst time in our lives. We were both in so much pain.”

“For years, I believed my kids were the only good thing I’ve ever done in my life. That being their dad was the only thing I managed to do right.”

Clara leaned into me, nestling herself against my body. “You know what? We have nothing to forgive each other for. Let’s forgive ourselves instead, and just be together. And if we were really honest with ourselves right now, we would realize that we would have never made it back then. How could we have?”

“You’re probably right about that. We would have collapsed under the pressure. We’re older and I’d like to think a little bit wiser. Let’s use this as a new beginning.”

“You’re right. We’re grown. And we’re free.” She laughed. “And I’m exhausted. Let’s go to your place and crawl into bed.”

CHAPTER 25

CLARA

I love you. I can’t wait to be with you forever. - HB

This would be the first Christmas in my entire life that I’d wake up and be part of a “normal” family morning. Sadie and the boys had moved in with Barrett before we could have one at my place together and suffice it to say, my childhood Christmas mornings were better left forgotten, even the ones my father had been a part of.

It was Nick’s year to have Christmas with the kids and I’d been beyond honored and only mildly freaked out when they’d asked me to stay the night and spend all day with them.

Sasha and Ethan told me their dad had traditions: stuff like homemade cinnamon rolls and eggnog with whipped cream for breakfast, then opening presents one by one while A Christmas Story played in the background. Those were some of the things he’d done growing up, and he’d kept that alive for his own kids.

Like me, Nick had four bedrooms. I had crashed on the pull-out bed in his family den which doubled as the guest room. The kids knew we were together. They even knew we had dated in high school, but we chose not to tell them all the fraught details. As far as they were concerned, we liked each other a long time ago and now we did again. We agreed that we wouldn’t share a room until we’d been together for a few more months.

I opened my eyes as a sliver of light from the hallway crossed over me. “Hello,” I whispered.

“Baby, wake up.” It was Nick. “I have something to give you before the kids get out of bed.”

I sat up, patting the mattress next to me while I wiggled my eyebrows. “Get in here.”

“It’s not that, though I like the way you think,” he joked as he crossed the room. He didn’t join me in the bed. Instead, he knelt at the edge and placed a small velvet box next to my knee.

The breath left my body along with his name in a slow whoosh. “Nick...”

“I love you.” I opened my mouth to speak but he quieted me with a kiss to my lips. “I have to tell you how much before you say yes.”

“Okay, tell me,” I whispered. Goosebumps rose over my skin.

“It’s timeless, endless, boundless... Some people find their way into your heart and never leave. You’ve never left mine.” His hand slid over his heart to rest there. “You’ve been right here since I met you.”

Happy, overjoyed tears filled my eyes, threatening to spill. “I love you so much, Nick.”

“You were my first love, my only love. Every memory we’ve ever made together is part of me. I never, ever forgot you and now that I have you again, I’ll never let you go. Clara Jean Hill, will you marry me?”

I beamed at him. “Yes. I will marry you, Nicholas Andrew Easton. Just try to get rid of me.”

“Never. Now that you’re mine, we’re doing all the classics—every normal, cheeseball thing I can think of. We’re starting traditions together, Clara.”

He opened the box, and I gasped.

“This was my grandmother’s ring.”

I held out my hand. “It’s beautiful.” And it was. Round, brilliant, about three carats on a platinum band. It fit me perfectly as he slid it on.

“This makes it official. You’re mine forever.”