I don’t know how long I’d been sitting in the winter sun beside a large Prairfire crabapple tree. I don’t know how I knew exactly what species of tree it was either. I can’t recall ever encountering this variety before. But as I sat on the ground and fiddled with a couple of fallen fruits, the name popped into my head with absolute certainty.
Glancing up at the sound of rustling footsteps, I saw Kilani.
My heart broke for her. “I’m so sorry. I don’t want you to give up your mate for me. I feel awful for all those things I said. I never should…”
Before I could finish my sentence, she’d thrown her arms around me. Together, kneeling on the ground, clutching each other, we simultaneously sobbed and apologized to each other.
“But it was true, right?” She asked when we pulled out of our
