“Yeah, we’re back together. Gonna see how it goes. I found an engagement ring in Alec’s jacket from his hospital belongings.”

“Oh my God.”

“Yup.”

“Did you tell Sam about it?”

“No. It would’ve upset her too much. But I’ll tell her eventually. I had the diamond set in an infinity pendant for her, so she can always remember him.”

“That’s an amazingly thoughtful gift. She’s lucky to have you.”

“It’s me who’s lucky to have her.”

“I’m sure she’ll cherish it.”

“Thanks. I gotta go. She’s waking up, and I want to have coffee on before she gets out of the shower. I love you, Aunt Robin.”

“I love you, too, sweetie.”

When Sam woke up, we had breakfast. Even though she said she was ready to take our relationship to the next level, I was nervous about even bringing the subject of living together up. I decided to look through the apartment rentals on an Auburn apartment guide site just in case she said yes, and saved a few ads for us to call on and set appointments to look at. I felt it was finally time for us to move in together.

A week had gone by, and I picked up Sam’s pendant from the jeweler. I turned on the Keurig and started toasting a couple English muffins while she was in the shower. I could hardly wait for us to get through with breakfast so I could give it to her. She walked into the kitchen dressed in a pair of jeans and one of her baby doll shirts and was the prettiest girl I’d ever seen. She joined me at the breakfast bar and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tight. Our bodies melted together. I leaned down and kissed her. I couldn’t resist. With a passion that quickly heated, I picked her up, carried her back to her bedroom, and made love to her.

“Hmmm, that was the best breakfast detour I’ve ever had.” She giggled, batting my hand away from her thigh when I reached for her again.

I laughed. “I’m hungry,” I told her. “And now our English muffins are going to be cold.”

We got dressed . . . again . . . and walked back to the kitchen. She took the English muffins and sprinkled a little water on each one then popped them in the microwave for five seconds. They were just as if I’d taken them out of the toaster. After we finished eating, I decided I couldn’t wait any longer.

“Peach, I have something for you.”

She looked up at me from the table with a coy smile. “What is it?”

“Please, come here and sit with me on the couch, so I can show you.”

Once settled, I took her hand in mine, set the long velvet box in her palm, and let her open it.

“Emmett, this is breathtaking. I love it,” she replied.

“There’s an interesting story behind this gift.” I took a deep breath. “Six months after Alec died, I felt ready to go through his personal things from the hospital. I found a velvet jewelry box in his jacket pocket.”

She looked up at me, her beautiful brown eyes wide with shock.

“It was a diamond engagement ring.”

She gasped as she placed a hand over her mouth. I lightly rubbed my hand up and down her back while giving her a moment to process what I’d just said.

“I wanted to give it to you right away, but I knew you weren’t in a place to see it yet. So after we got back from our trip, and Marchello brought over Alec’s letters, I took it to a jeweler. I just picked it up yesterday.”

Her breath hitched as she held the velvet box in her hand and stared at the pendant inside.

“I had Alec’s diamond set inside this infinity pendant so you could always keep his token of love close to your heart. I thought you would like a memento to represent the importance of him in your life.”

She looked up at me and smiled one of the sweetest smiles I’d ever seen. The way it met her eyes, and the slight quiver to her upturned lips, showed me just how happy she was.

“That’s amazing, Emmett. It’s absolutely beautiful, and I love what it means, and that you thought of this. It makes me feel so special, like I have a piece of his heart with me. Thank you, I love you so much, Emmett.”

“I love you too, Peach.”

It was exactly what I had hoped for and more. She would now have this with her to remember him, and hopefully look toward a happy life in the future. She could feel good about those memories, and not sad for all the misunderstandings.

After breakfast, Emmett sat on the counter, flipping through the newspaper and drinking his coffee. I was sitting on the couch reading when a paper airplane flew over and landed in my lap. I jumped then laughed and looked up at his adorable smirk.

“Unfold it, Peach.”

I did as he asked and saw his message inside, four little words . . .

I smiled up at him and nodded. It was such a sweet gesture, and I couldn’t help but appreciate his creativity. The last time he asked me to move in with him, resulted in the loneliest two weeks of my life.

We drove back to Auburn and spent the day going from apartment to apartment until we found the right one. It was a large, ground level unit near a dog park where we could walk Gage. It was also much closer to campus than Riley and Quinn’s. Thankfully, I’d signed a month-to-month lease on my condo in Atlanta, so we could move into our new apartment soon.

There wasn’t a lot to pack since my condo came fully furnished, and Emmett had all of his stuff ready to go from his Aunt’s house. We planned to pack up his room at the frat house, as well as see the girls, Riley, and Quinn. We would also have to shop for more furniture. The first purchase would be a bed and some bar stools. Everything else we could take a little longer to decide on.

I occasionally found myself touching Emmett’s infinity pendant with Alec’s diamond. It made me smile and feel whole. I couldn’t think of what I had done to deserve Emmett in my life, but I thanked God for him every day. He always knew exactly what I needed.

As we pulled up to Riley and Quinn’s house, the street was vacant of cars. Emmett parked his Camaro in the driveway, and we went inside. They were already up and sitting in their gaming chairs, playing some combat game on the big screen TV. They waved us inside with quick hellos.

Emmett and I each grabbed a cup of coffee in the kitchen before heading upstairs to his old bedroom. When we walked in, I flashbacked to my first time there, and I giggled as I sat on the end of his bed. He walked over and stood between my legs, running his hands through my hair.

“Penny for your thoughts, Peach.”

“I was just remembering the first time I followed you in here,” I replied, looking up at him.

“Really?” he smirked. “Well, maybe we should do a replay,” he replied then pushed me back onto his bed.

“Yes, we should,” I said, pulling his head down for a kiss.

He lay down beside me and gathered my body into his. Reaching down, he twined his fingers with mine and lifted my arm up above our heads.

“I love you, Peach,” he said, kissing me lightly on the inside of my elbow.

I giggled at the soft touch. “I love you, too.”

He trailed kisses from my neck to my cheek before capturing my mouth with his and slowly entangling his tongue with mine. I let out a whimper as he lifted himself up and sat back on his knees, looking down at me with a glint in his eyes.