Another sometimes moment.

She smiled at the thought. She would rather sometimes than never. Because Callum’s holding her under the purple and red sky was beautiful. The end was hours away, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t let herself care or she’d taint the rest of the time they had together.

She glanced up to see the frown on his face. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Callum sighed. “Tomorrow,” he stated.

Peyton took a deep breath and nodded. “Still hours away,” she pointed out.

“It’s still happening, Peyton.”

“I know. Let’s enjoy our last night together.” She smiled, hoping to assure him.

His forehead touched hers as they swayed. “A night full of sometimes moments?”

“A night full of them,” she confirmed and then kissed his chin.

They stopped moving as they took in this moment. If life had been fair, four and a half years would have never come between them.

Peyton closed her eyes and let her ear rest on his chest. His heartbeat was one of her favourite sounds, so she listened to each thump it made as his chest rise and fall with each breath he took.

“I have something for you,” Callum said.

She lifted her head and stood straight, staring at the frown on his face. It wasn’t the look she wanted to see on their last night together. But she took a small step from him and gave him the room he needed anyway.

“Okay,” she said as nervous trembles made their way through her body.

Callum reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope. When she looked, she saw her name written on it and her heart dipped. Goodbye was coming earlier than she had anticipated. Then a sob formed and lodged in her throat, making breathing and speaking impossible. Her heart decided it would be the perfect time to slow down and throb painfully.

When he handed her the envelope, Peyton blinked at it.

“What is it?” she finally asked. She didn’t look up at him. Instead, she followed each letter of her name.

“Our epilogue,” he said.

What little air that was in her lungs was drawn out by those two words. Her hands shook as her eyes blurred. They were now meeting their end. She had their epilogue in her hands, and her heart smashed into a thousand pieces.

Ours.

She gazed up to see the pain in his eyes before she said, “Read it to me.”

Callum shook his head vigorously. “I can’t do that.”

The agony in his voice had her shaking her head at him. “Then I don’t want it,” she said softly and held it out to him.

I don’t want our conclusion. I don’t want us to end.

Callum wrapped his arms around her and sobbed. “God, all I want is more time with you.”

Her hands were squashed between their bodies as her head rested on his chest. “Then stay,” she said. It was the first time she had asked him to. It wasn’t a thought. It was a vocal plea.

His arms tightened around her once more and his chin rest on the top of her head. “I can’t. I want to more than anything, but I can’t.”

As they stood still for longer than they should have, she memorised the feel of him breathing, the feel of his body on hers, and the way she fit in his arms. Peyton knew she’d memorise them in her room for the last time tonight, but right now, she memorised them in their spot. The one spot in the whole world that held their love, the one spot where life made sense to them both, and the one spot where she felt whole and true. The one place in the whole world full of their sometimes moments.

“Promise me something,” she said and looked up at his jaw.

Callum took a sharp breath before his eyes focused on her and said, “For you, Peyton, anything.”

“It’s two promises.”

He nodded. “Okay. What’s the first one?”

It was her turn to inhale deeply. These promises had constantly lingered her thoughts over for the last few days. It was a thought she had known that she’d have to voice.

“Promise me you’ll find someone to love you more than I could. You know how much I love you, and if someone can love you more than I do…then keep her. Have forever moments with her. Promise me that,” she begged.

“I-I.” He sighed. “I promise to keep her forever. What’s your second promise?”

Peyton took a step away from him and looked at his note one last time before she met his cautious stare. “I will read this when you leave if you promise you’ll give me a goodbye.”

He tensed and his fists balled tight beside his body. He didn’t say anything as he looked at her. The agony that filled his eyes almost had her retracting her requests. She wanted his pain gone, but she had thought of her closure first. She needed closure in order to live a life without him.

“I promise,” he said before he hung his head.

Peyton inched forward, placed the letter in his pocket, then cupped his face. “I mean it, Callum. I don’t want to wake up and find that you left me at some point during the night. I deserve a goodbye. You and I both know that.”

He looked up at her and nodded. “I know you do, Peyton. You always deserved one. I was a coward last time. This time, I’ll do it right. I promise.”

She kissed him slowly enough to remind herself of the pain in her chest. If she let his mouth quicken or deepen their kiss, she’d never get back to the wedding and goodbye would be far more impossible.

Then she pulled back. “Thank you. We better get back or Jenny will kill me.”

She didn’t let him say anything as she took his hand and led him out of the forest.

Goodbye, Callum. Goodbye, forever, and goodbye, my heart.

“P ick a country,” Callum said.

Peyton gazed down at her lap to find him staring at her. Gently, her fingers continued to stroke his hair as she thought about her answer.

“Austria.”

“Why Austria?”

She picked off the cherry blossom that landed in his hair and said, “Because of Mozart, Belvedere Palace, Wiener schnitzels, and sachertorte.”

He chuckled. “Liar. I know the real reason why you want to go to Austria.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Oh yeah? What is the real reason why I want to go to Austria?”

Callum raised his eyebrow and confidently stated, “Inspector Rex.”

“Don’t you dare make fun of Komissar Rex!”

Callum sat up and placed both palms on her cheeks. “I will not make fun of your beloved detective dog.” His lips lightly touched hers before he said, “We need to go to Austria one day.”

She tilted her head at him. “We?”

Callum nodded once. “I need to try Wiener schnitzels.”

We’ll never make it to Austria together.

Peyton frowned at the thought and the memory. It would only be a dream. The idea of going to Austria without him left her empty inside. Those were their dreams, and she didn’t want to share them with anyone but him. But it was a broken dream they’d never live. Tonight would be their last.

“That’s him, isn’t it?” June asked next to her.

“That’s him,” Peyton agreed.

“So I should thank him for my album?”

Letting out a laugh, Peyton turned to face June. It was incredible that a famous, Billboard-charting artist consider her a friend. June was smart, talented, and absolutely stunning with her green eyes, black hair, and sun-kissed skin tone. June was flawless and every inch the celebrity. But Peyton saw the real June, the June who struggled with writer’s block and enjoyed sitting by the lake with her guitar.

“That album was all you, June.” Peyton smiled.

June rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t have been brave enough to show my producers without you. I was thinking about having a small release party here, promote the hotel’s rebuild.”