The next morning, Norma woke up early. Alex was still asleep so she went down to the water and put her feet in. The newly risen sun was warm on her, and it was comforting. Here, at least for a moment, she could forget the trouble and worry she left behind in White Pine Bay. A part of her felt guilty for relaxing, but a part of her knew it was much needed. As she straightened her arms and leaned back in the sand, she felt Alex's strong arms wrap around her. "I was worried about you," he said, settling beside her.
"Oh, I'm okay. I just woke up early and didn't wanna wake you."
"Are you sure you're okay? You had a lot dropped on you last night."
"As long as you're here, I will always survive."
"I'll make sure of it."
Norma smiled. "Always keeping me safe."
"When you're in pain, all I wanna do is hunt the person down who caused it and give them a strong talking to." he kissed her. "I only wanna bring you happiness, Norma."
"Oh, Alex, you do. Every single moment, even the painful parts, have brought us here. We've been through so much, but we've made it. That means so much. You support me no matter how painful it is. I have never had anyone love me the way you do, and I will never for one second take that for granted. I'm so lucky to have you."
Alex shook his head. "No, I'm the lucky one, When I met you, you were lost and in need, and I was just focused on my job at first. As time went on, I started to fall for you in this incredible way, and I knew you needed my help. All I wanted to do was protect you."
"And you did. You did a lot more than showed me unconditional love and trust. When Norman was young and he was afraid, he'd have me play the piano for him. Sam would hear it, and he'd bark at me to stop and usually slap me around a little. Norman would scream and try to pull him away," she stopped and sniffled. "You'd never put me through that. I know it because I trust you all the way."
"I will never take your trust lightly. I know it took a lot for you to give it to me."
"It did. I've been through some really hurtful things. In fact, I think it's time I tell you the truth about the night Sam died, for real this time. We had a fight, the usual thing."
"Usual thing?"
"Yeah, him screaming at me, me defending myself. Anyway, he grabbed me, and he was about to shove me up against a wall when Norman came in and hit him in the head, but he had this blank look. I knew he didn't know what he'd done because when he looks like that, he's blacked out. I checked for a pulse . He was dead. I tucked Norman into bed, then I dragged Sam downstairs and pulled the shelf down on him to make it look like an accident. Norman woke up and found him, and then we moved to White Pine Bay 6 months later. "
"Well, from now on, I'm gonna do my best to give you every happiness." He kissed her head.
"I like the sound of that."
A/N: Thanks everybody for leaving me reviews! Hey, if any of you have an idea you'd like to see me write into my story, let me know! Hope you're enjoying it so far!