---
"Tell me your truth one more time," she said, voice low. "Sometimes truth slips away if it is not spoken twice."
He stepped close until they shared breath. "I want you to live," he said. "I want you to grow strong again. I want you to come to my door by your own feet, not carried. I want you to stand there with a proud face and say that you came back to me on purpose. I will be there. I will open the door."
Tears rose in her eyes, not from sadness, but from relief. "I will come," she said. "I will stand. I will say those words. I will say, 'I love you.'"
She lifted her arms. He stepped into them. They hugged hard, bodies close, no space for doubt. He felt the curve of her back under his palms. She felt the wide line of his shoulders. The hug lasted long enough to set the shape of each other in memory.
