Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Explain

Elizabeth spent an hour sobbing into James. An hour where she refused to move. And James held her through all of it, allowing her tears to soak through her shirt.

“I missed you so much,” Elizabeth whispered to him eventually, after soaking his shoulder, her emotions overwhelming her.

“I missed you,” Elizabeth murmured, and then a terrible realization dawned on her. “I’m so sorry,” she pushed herself off his chest, speaking quickly. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t wait, I. I didn’t know it was you, and I kissed you, and I did so many things . . .”

James quieted her with a slight kiss on her lips. “Shhh,” he told her. “You fell in love with me twice over, I never felt hurt by it. I was always so happy when you kissed me. It made me so much more sure in our bond the first time, that you could fall in love with me again. I knew that you loved me, beyond anything else.”

Elizabeth pressed her lips against his again, softly, and then she pulled back.