Cold Air Hellos and Goodbyes – Chapter Eight – Final Chapter
NOTES: Well, okay, I had planned to never finish this story, but once I found out that people actually cared, I decided it couldn't hurt to spend a half hour or so punching out a short last chapter. So yes, this is very short, but at least now it's finished properly. Yes, the sap and the cheese are running high, my friends, but how else could you end a love story? Anyways, I hope you all enjoy it, and thank you so much for being such dedicated readers. Oh, and you might want to read the last chapter just to refresh your memory since this picks up pretty much right after it.
He arrived home in record time. He dropped his bag on the floor in the hallway and raced into the kitchen, practically out of breath from excitement and need and love and all kinds of other emotions he'd felt before but never like this. She was standing in the middle of the room staring at him.
"I thought I heard the door. What are you doing home so early?" She was holding a wash cloth in one hand and a half-eaten apple in the other, and she was watching him very closely.
"I just..." The words caught in his throat and he stopped, still holding his car keys, and leaned against the table. "I love you."
She smiled, softly, and he could tell that she was happy he'd said it. "I love you, too, Harry. What's gotten into you?"
He went forward, then, and grabbed her by the waist. Kissing her, he pushed her gently against the wall behind them and he could feel her murmuring against his mouth. "My gosh, you have no idea how long I've waited for this," she said loudly, running her fingers through his hair.
"You've waited?" he asked, kissing her neck. "I've been in excruciating pain for three months now."
She laughed, pulling off his shirt, and kissing him again. "It has been way too damn long," she said, and they started for the bedroom.
A few hours later, lying side by side in their bed, Harry stroked her hair away from her face and kissed her forehead. "Nothing that happens in this life, nothing, can ever take away what we have right now, and what we just made," he said to her, resting his head on her chest.
She smiled. "You said the exact same thing on our honeymoon," she said, and they both laughed. "To be honest, I don't think I've ever been so happy."
He grinned, taking her hand and kissing it. "And it's only mid-afternoon! How long til' the kids get home from the party?"
"Two more hours," she said, glancing at the clock.
"Plenty of time," he told her, and leaned in to kiss her again.
