Unable to help herself, Annie was in tears before he was done. It was awkward because she was facing the wrong way to hug him or kiss him, so she had to make do with pulling his arms around her and hugging him while he hugged her.

"You're-" She couldn't say anything to that. The words just wouldn't come. Instead, she lay her head back, closed her eyes and thanked every deity she could think of that she'd gotten as lucky as she had. "I love you."