Let Me Do This Properly

Fiona sobbed in Caleb’s arms, squeezing her arms around him to confirm he was real. He chuckled and held her tight.

“I promise,” he whispered, “I’m real.”

She squeezed her eyes tight and patted his back weakly. Relief, sorrow, and joy all overlapped in her heart and mind.

It was him. It was really him.

“Shh,” Caleb whispered soothingly as he gently stroked her hair. “It’s all right. I’m not going anywhere.”

Fiona nodded and tried to reign in her emotions, calm her tears, and take a deep breath. It took several minutes, but finally, she could place her hands on Caleb’s arms and gently pull away to look up at him.

“You look exactly the same,” she whispered, reaching her hand up and touching his cheek. “As though hardly a day had passed since we said goodbye.”

Caleb smiled and leaned into her hand.

“I know,” he whispered. “I’m sorry you had to go through all this. If I could have come back sooner… I swear, I would have.”