"Had a good teacher." His arms wrapped around me, solid and safe. "A woman who taught me that loving someone means carrying their pain too. Sharing the weight."

We stood like that for a long moment, wrapped in each other, the garden quiet around us.

Finally, I pulled back, wiping at my eyes. "I want to show her to you someday. Not in a sad way but in a real way. Tell you stories. Show you pictures. Let you meet her, even if it's just through memories."

"I'd like that. Whenever you're ready." Malcolm pressed a kiss to my hair.

I nodded, a small smile finding its way through the...