Chapter 9 - The Miracle of Willow CreekâEthan...?â Maya whispered, her voice breaking into a breathless, tearful sob.
Ethan didn't speak. He walked across the greenhouse floor, closing the eight-year distance between them in three long strides.
He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out the medical stethoscope Dr. Julian had handed him at the door, and placed the silver diaphragm gently against Mayaâs chest beneath her burgundy scarf.
He put the earpieces into his ears.
THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP.
A strong, steady, healthy rhythm echoed clearly through his earsâthe sound of a heart beating with life, warmth, and unshakeable love.
Ethan dropped the stethoscope, pulled Maya into his arms, and buried his face in her neck, weeping tears of pure, overwhelming, unfiltered joy.
âYou foolish, brave girl...â Ethan sobbed, holding her so tightly she could feel every beat of his own heart. âHow could you think I wanted a future without you...? How could you think money meant anything without you...?â
Maya wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close, her own tears soaking his dark wool coat.
âIâm sorry, Ethan...â Maya wept softly against his ear. âIâm so sorry... I just wanted you to have your dream...â
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âYou are my dream, Maya,â Ethan whispered, lifting his face to look into her brown eyes. âYou were always my dream.â
He pulled her into a deep, passionate, tender kiss that dissolved eight years of grief, lies, and loneliness in a single, magnificent second under the warm glass roof.
