You and Everything After

“And then the day after that, she showed up on her way to school, and she put a box on my lap while I was getting ready for my morning rehab. It was this old beat-up cardboard box that looked like it had been through a fire, but somehow the sides still remained intact and the lid still fit snuggly on top. I opened it and found this watch inside,” he says, handing it back to me to take. I’ve seen it, memorized it in the twenty-four hours that I’ve had it in my possession, but out of respect, I take it from him anyway, turning the inscription over to say it aloud.

“Always,” my voice is hoarse and beaten down.

“Kelly’s mom bought this watch for Kel’s dad after he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Her dad was a blue-collar man who worked hard, with his hands, his entire life. But the cancer left him weak, unable to breathe without a tank at his side and unable to provide for his family the only way he knew how. Kel’s mom gave him this to remind him of the things that matter—to remind him that he doesn’t have to carry everything on his own, and to remind him that he’s loved—always. And that’s why she gave it to me.”

“You still love her. Why aren’t you with her?” I ask, not in a jealous way, but in an earnest one. I am jealous, deeply so—full of envy for all of the things Kelly has from Ty that I don’t. But his words have also opened my eyes to how deep his relationship is with this woman, this woman who I don’t even know, who I envy, but cannot possibly hate because of what he’s told me.

He laughs softly, a faint smile painted on his face as he pulls the watch over his hand and clasps it firmly to his wrist.

“Always,” he says, looking at it. “Yes, Cass, I will love Kelly…always. But this,” he turns his arm in front of me, flashing the silver band of the watch. “This was all so long ago. And my love for Kelly, it’s different now. It’s part of my past, and I honor it and am thankful for it. And for the last six years, I’ve had her friendship, and this watch. And I draw strength from that.”

My head is down when he sits up fully. Soon, his hand is on my chin, tilting my face so I can look at him, into his eyes.

“It’s just a watch. I know that now. I knew that then. And I’m sorry that I…I don’t know what to call it, went apeshit? I’m sorry I went apeshit on you over a watch. And I’m sorry I was a grumpy asshole. And I’m sorry that you had to run into some girl from my past like that—and that I didn’t go after you. I’m sorry I called you a tart for being a good lover—because damn, Cass, you are an amazingly passionate woman, and I am a spoiled man for having had the honor to have been with you in such an intimate way.”

I blush from his attention, and as much as I’m still stuck on the watch and Kelly and everything it means to him, his words melt right through me, and I believe them as he says them. I lean into his hand, and I love the way he holds the weight of my worries.

“I had a great love, and then I had a great tragedy,” he says. “That love, it put me right again, sent me on my way to where I am now. To you. And as far as I’m concerned, from now on, there is just you…and everything after.”

There’s nothing to say to this. His face, the way he’s looking at me, his eyes moving back and forth between each of mine, his hands cradling my face, not letting go until he knows I am okay—it’s not what I was expecting today. But it’s what I wanted. What I needed.

“I’m really glad I waited for you to sober up,” I smile. Ty shakes his head, laughing as he looks down, and then he brings my lips to his, kissing me softly and gently before pulling me to his chest to hold me close.

I touch the watch on his wrist, and he pulls it off and hands it to me to look at more closely. “Do you still talk to Kelly?” I ask.

“I do,” he says, stopping short. I know there’s more, and I wait, hoping he wants to share it. “I have a lot lately…and not because of anything with you. Kelly’s having some trouble, it’s been on my mind.”

“You should help her,” I say, handing the watch back.

“I will,” he says, and again I fill the little sting of jealousy for how quickly he reacts for her. It’s not a wanted emotion, but it’s there nonetheless. I can’t pretend it isn’t.

“She’d like you,” he says, and I don’t know how I feel about that either, but I smile up at him, and wish for everything after.

Chapter 20

Ty

“Dude. How much did you drop on this tux?” My brother is taking his girlfriend to prom. Well, not really prom, but a fake prom date that he has all planned out—he got a limo and everything. Rowe was homeschooled, because she wasn’t really keen on going back to her school after the shooting. Not sure I would be able to go back either.