Nodding, Jude responded, “We are married.”

Isla turned to Taylor and said, “Really?” She was wise enough to stop before saying anything more, but her furrowing brow and mouth hanging open was enough.

Rufus glared at her. “What? You disappointed there, Princess? Guess you’re stuck with me,” he spat in annoyance.

Isla huffed. “You’re an asshole, Rufus.” She walked to the door, but stopped to say one last thing. “Judith, you should really think about someone other than yourself and come home. Their worry has turned to anger and your mom’s been crying the whole time.” She pushed past Taylor and left, leaving Rufus there to help himself.

Jude and Taylor turned to him. The arrogant rich boy stood in contrast to the one who waltzed in unannounced five minutes ago. Even with napkins to his nose, Jude found it hard to feel sorry for him. After her experiences with him, that punch was probably a long time coming.

“You know what?” he asked. “I don’t give a shit about your life anymore. Just go ahead and die already.” Taylor stepped to the side and watched as he walked out, slamming the door closed behind him. Jude took the liberty of locking it.

The laughter they shared moments earlier had evaporated and uncertainty filled their love nest.

Walking around the bar, Jude took Hazel’s hurt hand and gently pressed the large Ziploc bag of ice to his swelling and slightly shaking knuckles. He flinched, trying to pull away from her, but she held strong and asked, “Can we finally talk about your Parkinson’s?”

“YOU KNOW?” TAYLOR asked, standing in front of her, his heart shivering as she held his body still.

“I know.”

“For how long?”

“I found out the day before we got married.”

The subject seemed to hit every one of his nerve endings, making him feel vulnerable to the exposure. He pulled his hand away from her and the ice. He’d risk the swelling. “You married me knowing I would die?”

“We’ll all die one day,” she replied so matter-of-factly.

“I’ll die in years, Jude. Decades aren’t guaranteed.”

She moved closer, not liking his distance. “No one gets guarantees, my love. We just have to live the best life we can while we have a life to live.” Running her fingertips down his arm, she said, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Worry creased his forehead as he stared at her. “Because I thought you would leave me.”

She touched the skirt of her dress, attempting to flatten a major wrinkle, then took his hand again, placing the ice on it. “I stand before you full of flaws. I’m Jude. Remember? I’m in no position to judge you. I can only judge who the man is to me and that man is the one I will love until my dying day.” Her eyes, like her smile, were soft, filled with understanding. With the gentle way she touched his cheek, it felt like she was caressing the rough waters of his soul. “Why did you marry me if you thought you wouldn’t be around to spend our lives together?”

“I married you because whatever days I have on this earth, I want them spent on you.”

“Your life isn’t currency, Hazel. It’s worth more than any value you think you can place on it.”

“Life is all about bartering, trading, or spending,” he snapped. “That’s what I do every day. I wake up and figure out how I’m getting through that day. It always comes down to the negotiation.”

“Don’t bargain with your life.”

“I bargained for you. Don’t you see that?”

“I know you want to save me, but save me because you intend to be with me. Not because you need a lost cause to give your life meaning.”

“Oh Jude,” he said, leaning against the bar, frustration invading his happiness. “My life before you can be summed up in three steps: I got up. I went to work. I came home. Now my life is an incredible maze of unpredictability. We have these days where we do such mundane things, but I see them in a way I never did before and they’re not mundane. They’re amazing. That’s because of you.” He took her arm and pulled her close. “I can’t lose the only thing that gives my life meaning, so if I have to bargain with God every morning for an extra day, I will. If I have to trade my life for yours, I will. If I have to spend my days to have time with you, I will. I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t. You have me. I’m not going anywhere, even when it gets hard. You’ll have me. When I made that vow to you, it included in sickness and in health. I meant it. Then and now, always.” She hugged him and his arms came around her. “Please don’t hide it from me anymore. Teach me. Show me how I can help you.”

It was hard to talk to her when he was so used to hiding that part of his life from everyone. He never wanted to be seen as weak or garner sympathy because of the disease that existed inside him. He wanted people to only see his strength. But he realized Jude and he were a team now. Unlike anything he had felt before, her love was immeasurable, as was his for her. She never gave him stipulations or contracts, tried to make deals, or sell a charade of perfection. Jude was the opposite of Katherine in every way, and being with her was healing the damage of his past. He’d never known love without conditions before her. She was his Barrett and he was hers. And that was forever.

Despite the humiliation he felt from his weakness, he felt more when holding out his hand for her to see. No level of comfort she could give would take his shame away. But he showed her anyway. “It’s not shaking right now, but if you watch really closely, a tremor will shoot through one of my fingers.”

She took his hand between hers, warming it with her love, then brought it to her cheek and held it there. “So when this happens, does it hurt?”

“No.”

“That’s good.” Taking his hand, he brought it to her chest and put it over her thumping heart. The heartbeats were strong, stronger than any tremors he had experienced. “Do you need medication to help?”

“Only when it’s bad. It’s not been bad except when I was in the hospital. But yes, I’ll need daily medication and treatments as it progresses.” He kept his eyes on his splayed hand across her chest. “Jude?”

“Yes?”

“Do you think less of me now that you know?”

He loved that she didn’t hesitate to answer. “I think more of you now that I know.”

He moved his hand back to her cheek, cupping it this time. “Why?”

“Because,” she said, “you had all of this happening to you, but you were only ever concerned about what was happening to me. You’re brave. You know that?”

“I don’t feel it sometimes.”

After kissing the palm of his hand, she leaned into it. “It’s not just about the outside, but also the inside that makes us who we are. And to me, you’ll always be strong.”

“Please remember that when I’m weak.”

“I will be your strength when you are weak. Just as you have been for me.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Jude.” His hand dropped down.

Taylor started to turn away, but she stopped him. “Payback has nothing to do with it. It’s love. That’s what you do for the people you love.”

“You have been shown so little love in your life and yet, you give it selflessly to others. How did I get so lucky?”

Grinning, she said, “It’s not luck, my dear Hazel, but good fortune. I was always told that good fortune comes to those who wait. Well, I’ve been waiting for you my whole life and I’m going to appreciate every day we have together.”

How could he walk away after that? He couldn’t, so he leaned against her, her back to the bar and kissed her temple, then the other. “My medical file is on my laptop. When you’re ready, you can look through it. I won’t keep any more secrets from you. I promise.”

“I love you.” She rested her head against him and listened to his heart.