“Well, I need a sweater,” Fallon said as she pulled a cardigan off the hanger.“Right?I mean, you have boots on.”
Avi looked down at his boots.“What does me having boots on have to do with you needing a sweater?”
“If we were staying in the house for our date, you would have regular shoes on, like those dark blue skateboard shoes you love.Boots means we’re walking outside and now that the sun has set, it’s chilly.”
“Good point,” he said.“Yes, we’re going out to the barn.I did turn on a space heater, though, so it’s warm in there.”
He also had another plan that would involve walking, but he’d tell her about that later.
She slipped her arms into the cardigan and beamed at him.“I’m so excited for our date.”
“Me too.”
They left the farmhouse and walked to the barn where the apartment was.He’d set up the main area of the barn with a table and chairs and turned on the string lights that were hanging all around.
At one of the seats was a small box tied with a ribbon.
They took their seats and Fallon said, “You got me a gift?”
“Yes.Just a little something I saw that made me think of you.”
She opened the box and pulled out two stretchy beaded bracelets.One had pink and white beads with three letter beads spelling MTB, and the other had blue and white beads with letter beads that spelled BOTW.
“I love them!I’ve seen these on social media, they’re so cute!But what do the letters mean?”
“Mom-to-be and baby on the way.”
“Oh,” she said.“This is so sweet.”She slipped them on and then got up, coming around the small table to kiss and hug him.“You’re the sweetest soulmate a girl could ask for.”
“When we know whether we’re having a boy or a girl, I can order more bracelets for you.”
“I’d love that.”
He loved making her smile.It was one of his favorite things.
He got up and pulled a rolling tray table over with several covered dishes.“I asked your mom before we left the park what your favorite meal was when you were growing up.”
She hummed in surprise.“You did?”
“Yeah.So what is it?I’m curious if I got it right.”
“Honey ham and mac and cheese.”
He lifted the lids, revealing two plates with thick slices of honey ham and big scoops of four-cheese mac and cheese.
“Oh!”Her eyes lit up.“No way!”
He reached under the main tray and pulled out a small cast-iron skillet and set it in the center of the table.
“Cornbread?Okay, now this is hands down my favorite meal on the planet.With my favorite guy.Thank you so much for this, I feel…so very loved.”
“You are, sweetheart.From the depths of my heart.”
* * *
After they’d eaten their fill of sweet ham, cheesy pasta, and thick cornbread, they went for a walk, hand in hand.
“It’s not too chilly for you?”he asked.
