Rae nodded her understanding. Admittedly, that was part of the reason that she wasn't really telling people how tired she actually was. They'd make her sleep, and while normally she'd be okay with some sleep, right now, she couldn't. She had to take care of everyone. “It's okay,” she chuckled a little. “As long as you don't do anything to strain your shoulder, anyway. If you do, we're going to have to have a serious talk.” Her words held absolutely no bite right now. Mostly because she was anticipating what the moment coming up would hold.
Say it. Of everything he said, admittedly, those two words stood out most. “It wouldn't have mattered to me either way,” she explained. It didn't matter how he said it. As long as it was him saying it, she couldn't have really cared less how it went down. “But I can understand not wanting to be laid up when it got said. I can also appreciate you not waiting until you were up on your feet again,” she added with a light laugh.
His hand on her cheek made her smile softly, and she stepped forward. She was careful to leave room for EJ to comfortably wiggle between them; the shoulder carrier was convenient most times, but right now, Rae wished she'd had a stroller or something instead. Her hand found his side, and she rested it there calmly, as she looked up at them. It must have been an interesting sight. Rae, with her son strapped to her front, craning her neck to get a look at Topher's eyes. “Should've brought my stroller today.” Even if it was kind of sweet.
When he apologized, Rae tilted her head to the side in confusion. “Why are you sorry?” she asked. Though she probably knew the answer. She shook her head when he elaborated and brought the hand that rested on his side, up to touch his hand where it rested on her cheek. She was about to tell him that there was no reason to be sorry, when he spoke the words instead.
Three simple words. But really, they weren't simple at all. They held so much meaning, so much feeling... so much everything, and in that moment, Rae's emotion overwhelmed her and she found herself on the verge of shedding a couple of happy tears. She blinked them back and smiled at him, a smile which grew ever so slightly when he repeated himself. She couldn't help it. With a steady blink, she felt a tear leaking out of the corner of her eye, but the smile on her face told him that there was absolutely no sadness behind it.
“You're everything to me... to us, too,” she said, her eyes dropping for a second to look at her son, who was staring at them with wide, curious eyes. “You're... you're something I never thought I'd have again.” She hadn't quite reciprocated the three words yet, no, but she wanted to get everything else out in the open first. “You saved me. My sanity. My happiness. You saved me,” she repeated, “and showed me that my life wasn't over yet. You made me feel things...” she placed a hand on his chest and gave him a tiny smile. “Things that I wanted to lock away. You didn't let me become someone else when I was grieving.”
When he kissed her, it was... it was something. No, it wasn't their most powerful kiss, but boy, she felt it from her head to the tips of her toes. She reciprocated, with just as much feeling, just as much emotion, going into the contact as he'd shown, and met his eyes when it broke. “I love you, too,” she told him sincerely, finally returning the phrase his way, with genuine happiness flooding her face.
“Don't apologize,” she shook her head no. “There's nothing to forgive, love,” she told him honestly. “If you saying that brought this about? I'm happy for it.”