She was his everything.
He didn't know why, he didn't know how. The only thing he cared about was the feeling of her, held tightly against him, lips locked. She was like a spring sun, the first flower, the fresh earth after a rainfall. She was beautiful, pure, innocent. He didn't care about the adults who were going to find out soon. He didn't care about the siblings – hers and his – that were going to endlessly torment him about this.
He remembered their ups and downs, the clue hunt, almost killing each other many times. He remembered all the hate they had shared, their families contemptuous.
He remembered when she hadn't wanted him to die.
Through all of the suffering, all of the pain, something had come through, something had prevailed. Something had survived.
He would gladly admit to his sister, gladly admit to everyone, that he loved her.
He would admit that Dan loved Reagan Holt.