His answers give me the reassurance I need. I smile up at him. “Okay.

I’m ready.”
He pulls me tight against him and I laugh. With everything that has
happened since the day he came into my life, I never expected this outcome.
I’ve hoped for it a lot, but until now I wasn’t sure if it would ever happen.
I close my eyes when I feel his lips meet the spot on my collarbone. He
presses a gentle kiss there and it feels just like the first time he kissed me
there all those years ago. He brings his mouth to my ear, and in a whisper,
he says, “You can stop swimming now, Lily. We finally reached the shore.”