She smiled and rested her head against my shoulder.
Then she said something I’ll never forget.
“When I knocked on your door that night, I thought I was asking for a place to sleep.”
She lifted her head and looked at me.
“I had no idea I was about to meet the person who would help me begin again.”
I kissed her forehead.
“And I had no idea that opening my door would change my life.”
Outside, rain began tapping softly against the windows.
For a moment, we both listened.
Then Sarah smiled mischievously.
“Do you think we should keep the spare room available?”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Why?”
“In case somebody else knocks at eleven at night with nowhere to go.”
I pretended to think about it.
“Absolutely. But next time, I’m checking whether they can cook.”
She laughed and threw a cushion at me.
And as I caught it, I realized something I wished I’d understood years earlier.
