“What are we doing?” I whisper to her.
“Watching the sunset,” she whispers back.
“Really?” I say through a gasp.
“Yes. Daddy said you’d like it,” she replies softly.
I nod in understanding, and watch as Wesley climbs in with us, moving to Delilah’s other side. When he’s settled on the pillows with us, she grabs his hand and intertwines their fingers. I’m staring down at their joined hands, lost in thought about how much I care for them, when I feel a tiny hand slide into mine, mirroring her and her dad.
I snap my head up and look at the sweetest little girl I’ve ever known, then to her dad, who’s gazing down at all of our hands.
Delilah breaks the silence. “You guys, it’s starting,” she whisper shouts like we're at the movies.
We sit and watch for the next several minutes as the sun sets behind the mountain. Hues of pink, purple, and orange illuminate the sky, and with the giant pines surrounding us, it’s by far the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen.
We stay quiet until the sun completely disappears. We watch as the sky turns dark and starry, and the crickets and frogs make themselves known. Soon after, Wesley pulls out a lantern from one of the coolers, and flicks it on, bathing us in a warm light. Him and Delilah seem to communicate without words, as she gets up on her knees and rummages through one of the coolers.
“Iby, close your eyes,” she throws over her shoulder.
“Yes ma’am,” I say, and squeeze my eyes shut.
I hear murmuring and packages opening, before I’m told to open my eyes. When I do, I see that Wesley has shut off the lantern, and now, the only light is coming from the single lit candle sticking out of a sprinkled cupcake that Delilah holds in both of her hands.
Wesley counts down from three, and then the quiet singing begins.
They both sing in unison the “Happy Birthday” song, and you’d think they practiced beforehand by how in sync they are. Wesley’s deep, velvety voice, mixed with Delilah’s high and sweet tone, completely overwhelms me, and my eyes begin to sting even though I’m smiling so hard my cheeks hurt.
Delilah sits in Wesley’s lap, so his head hovers above hers. The flickering candle light illuminates both of their faces in the dark, and I feel a huge wave of warmth wash over me.
This is where I belong. With them.
They sing the entire song, and when it ends, I blink rapidly to clear the moisture.
“Make a wish,” Delilah whispers.
I close my eyes and do as I’m told, wishing for this feeling to last forever. I blow out the candle and Wesleytakes the cupcake from her to remove the candle. Delilah claps so hard, I’m sure her hands sting from the force.
Wesley turns the lantern back on and we each eat our cupcakes. We all enjoy our treats while Delilah asks strange questions, while Wesley and I steal glances at each other the entire time.
When Delilah finishes her cupcake, she licks every single one of her fingers and then asks, without warning, “Are you boyfriend and girlfriend?”
I choke on my food, and Wesley scrubs a hand through his hair, then looks up at the sky, as if asking any higher being for strength. My choking has turned into nervous laughter, and I take a sip of my water, waiting for Wesley to take the lead on this one.
I expect him to immediately shut her down. But he stays silent for a beat, looking around, most likely thinking of the best way to deny it. He takes me by surprise when he looks directly at me, and I realize the expression on his face is a questioning one.
He raises his eyebrows slightly, and shrugs a shoulder while smirking at me. He continues staring at me, I’m assuming for permission to proceed, so I subtly nod, trying to ignore the volcano of butterflies that just erupted in my stomach at the fact he wants to tell Delilah about us.
“Yeah, bug. We are. Are you okay with that?” he asks, and I brace myself for her answer.
“Yes, that's what I wanted,” she says matter-of-factly like we should’ve known that, still focusing on removing every bit of icing from her fingers.
I snort, and she finally looks up at me. “I lub you, Iby.”
I suck in a breath, and my heart erupts. “I loveyou, Delilah,” I tell her truthfully.
When I look over her head to Wesley, he’s already staring at me, his eyes bouncing all over my face. I give him a small smile, but he doesn’t return it, he just stares. A couple of months ago, I’d probably think he was mad at me, but I know better now.
I reach over and give his hand a light squeeze. He returns it, squeezing hard, then brings my hand up to his lips and kisses my knuckles.
