Hope's heart pounded with an unexplained uneasiness as she pulled into the Madden estate driveway as the sun was starting to set. Lucas's voice was calm when he called earlier, but it was weighted with something final.
She discovered him caring for the orchids she had once admired in the greenhouse behind the main house on their second date. He must have heard her because he spoke softly, even though he didn't look up when she walked in.
"It's finished," he declared, cutting off a dead bloom. "The divorce paperwork was submitted and finalized.
Hope let out a breath. A quiet, slow breath. It was important, not because she was relieved. Because she was aware of how much this cost him.
She approached and knelt next to him, brushing against the rim of a ceramic pot. "How are you feeling?"
At last, he looked at her. "Unusual. In a surprising way, lighter. Not because it was meaningless, but rather because it was time to let go."
Her voice was hardly audible above a whisper as she nodded slowly. "Are you prepared for a change?"
Reaching for her hand, Lucas gently lifted her to his feet. "I believe I've been prepared for a while with you. All I had to do was do it correctly".
They were standing in the greenhouse, the glass panes streaked with gold as the light faded. The silence became tender between them.
Hope ran her fingers over his chest, pausing at the spot where his heart beat steadily and slowly.
"Lucas, I don't want to be a rebound."
"You're not," he asserted. "You're the break I didn't realize I needed." The day I gave up chasing ghosts.
She looked into his eyes. "And what about the future?"
He pressed his forehead against hers as he leaned down. "With you, the future seems possible."
Her breath caught. Desperate for honesty rather than love, she had waited for words like that. for being there. And when it finally arrived, it settled like sunlight warming skin after a long winter rather than roaring or hurrying.
He gave her a slow, deliberate kiss that tasted of second chances and silent dedication.
They were silent for a while after they parted ways. They just stood in the soft, earthy air and among the orchids in bloom.
It was just the start.
It's the kind based on healing, not the kind that comes with fireworks and big announcements. on the truth. on a readiness to make an effort.
Together.