Sky sat at the bench, watching the river sparkle under the midday sun.
She’d texted Mia the time and date, knowing the woman’s schedule better than her own at this point. Sky had been hoping for a response, but she couldn’t fault Mia for not giving one. She swung her feet back and forth, closing her eyes as the sunlight settled onto her skin, the heat permeating through.
With her eyes shut, she could hear the murmur of the river, the scuff of footsteps, and the gentle chatter threading through the air. After so long stuck inside, she treasured every moment she got out and around other people. Over time, the novelty would fade, but right now, she’d bask in every second.
Last night had been her first appointment with the therapist. No crazy breakdowns or sobbing fits, but the woman spent time trying to get her family history and gave her a packet of homework for the next session. Her calm tone had settled Sky, who had been ready to run screaming in the other direction, from the moment she stepped into the office.
Maybe she could eventually stop thinking of everything as life or death, black and white, past or future.
“What kind of friend invites someone out to take a nap?” Mia’s voice sounded in front of her.
Sky’s eyes shot open, hungry for a glimpse of the woman. Mia looked damn good, her freckles doubling from time spent in the sun and her gorgeous waves pulled into a low bun. She wore a flowing blue dress that unfurled around her like petals, even as the fabric highlighted her slender waist and devastating curves.
She hadn’t realized her heart leapt outside of her body until she saw this woman standing before her.
“Hey, I’m glad you came,” Sky murmured, patting the seat next to her. “I wasn’t sure if you would, and I couldn’t blame you. Not after what an asshole I was.”
Mia took a careful seat beside her, inches away. When their eyes met, the desire to close the distance flared there. Sky wanted to kiss her so badly, to ravage her here in the middle of the Riverwalk, damn the onlookers.
Sky chewed on her lip. Right. Showtime. Aubs sent her a reminder this morning, Rehoboth Pact in all caps in case she succumbed to the temptation to chicken out.
She’d been tempted.
“I’ve been in relationships since Jamie passed, but if I’m being honest, I always kept a part of myself tucked away. If they never knew me—all of me—it’d hurt less when they’d inevitably leave,” Sky started. She had to suck in a breath, but when Mia’s palm came to rest over hers—well, she’d never needed any more encouragement.
“And then you descended back into my life, the girl I could never have, the one I’d always longed for.” All those memories rushed through her, that yearning she’d felt for so many years that the ache had just become a part of her. “At first, it felt too good to be true, and that scared me. But the reason I pulled away, the reason the words always stuck to my tongue was because you understood me, every last thing about me. If we entered into a relationship, well, that would be it for me.” Sky’s hand in Mia’s trembled. “And if you left? I’d lose even more of myself, and after Jamie, a large chunk will always be missing.”
Mia squeezed her palm but remained quiet, letting her continue.
Sky looked up to meet the woman’s soft blue eyes, as mesmerizing as the river before them. “Mia, I’ve loved you from the day we became friends in high school, and as I’ve gotten to know you, I’ve only loved you more. Some of the happiest memories of my life were the times we spent in my apartment, and Aubs gave me the verbal smackdown I needed. I’d be an idiot to let that go. I’m sorry I didn’t speak up when you were leaving.”
“You needed time,” Mia murmured, her eyes glossing and her voice coming out thick.
“I needed a kick to the ass and therapy—which I’ve started,” she admitted. “But I’m ready to respond now. I want nothing more than to spend forever with you, Mia Brownstone. You’ve been it for me, from high school on. I’ve never met a woman more caring, who’s willing to bust down my walls when she needs to or speak from her heart even when everyone else is too afraid. You inspire me, every damn day.”
“I love you,” Mia murmured, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. “I’ve always loved you, Sky. I just didn’t know if you’d ever be ready to take the leap. I know you miss her.”
Sky’s eyes heated. The reason why Mia never pushed her hard throughout this was because she’d always understood. Sky had locked herself into limbo the moment Jamie died, afraid that if she embraced true joy, true happiness without her sister, that somehow she’d be betraying her memory.
But she’d begun to learn—moving forward didn’t mean forgetting the past.
Sky leaned in, wrapping her hands around Mia’s cheeks as she pressed a kiss to her lips. The woman was all dark coffee and sweetness, the scent of peaches making her chest ache. She sank into the kiss like the first notes to a favorite melody. In this moment, nothing existed but the gentle thrum of the river, the balmy spring breezes threading around them, and the woman she loved. A pristine, exquisite joy flooded through her.
“You’re mine, babe,” Sky murmured against Mia’s mouth.
“Let’s be honest, I always was,” Mia responded with a watery grin. “Why meet at the Riverwalk?”
Sky lifted a brow. “Like I wouldn’t know your favorite place? You’re not as mysterious as you think you are.”
Mia ran a thumb along her cheek, a wide grin causing her features to brighten. Like this, she was blindingly gorgeous, so much so that Sky couldn’t look at the brilliance for long. “To everyone but you, beautiful.”
“I hope you didn’t have plans for the rest of the day,” Sky murmured. “I have the rare Saturday off and wanted to spend every second with you.”
Mia leaned in against her, and Sky wrapped her arm around the woman’s shoulders on instinct. Everything about this was as natural as the Delaware River winding through the city before them.
“I missed you,” Mia said, her voice steadying. “Every second since I left.”
“The apartment hasn’t felt the same without you in it,” Sky responded. “Though I suppose the living-situation talk can come at a different time.”
Mia let out a watery laugh. “We’re in no rush. We’ve got forever, right?” She winked.
Sky’s grin widened. “Yeah, forever.”
Weeks ago, that would’ve scared her witless, but as she stared out over the river, glittering under the sunlight, the gentle sway of the water undulating, the truth settled over her.
Sky had been thinking in these finite, big terms that terrified her, when all she’d needed was to take the first step forward.
One day at a time.