“I wasn’t sure you were the kind to celebrate Valentine’s Day,” she says.
“I haven’t been in the past.”
“But you want to this year…”
“You make me want to, yes, but I’d spend any day with you.”
Her lips lift slightly. I hate to look away but hurry to keep my eyes on the road.
Playfully, I ask, “And don’t you want to spend the day with me too?”
“Hmm. I guess you’re okay to hang with.”
“Okay to hang with.” I laugh. “Wow. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but I’ll take it.” I glance over and can tell she’s trying not to laugh.
When I smirk, she rolls her eyes.
I don’t give her the destination. Instead, I crank up the heat, put on a playlist I know she’ll like—half indie, half hits from the mid-2000s—and we drive. The road winds north, trees rising tall and dark against the sky. Her curiosity builds with every mile.
“Are we going to the Boundary Waters?” she gasps when we get closer.
I just smile. “Maybe.”
When I finally pull off onto a small overlook, the horizon opens up. The night sky spreads wide and infinite, stars scattered like someone tossed glitter across dark silk. And already, faint streaks of green shimmer at the edges, promising more to come.
Juju gasps again, staring out the window. “Camden.”
“Yeah,” I murmur, my throat tight.
I cut the engine, hop out, and open the back of the SUV. The seats are folded flat, layered with blankets and pillows. The basket sits at one end, and I line the thermoses neatly beside it. I grab her hand and help her climb in.
“This is…” she starts, then trails off, wide-eyed.
“I’ll turn the heater on to warm things up if we get too cold, but I didn’t want us to miss the northern lights,” I say, settling in beside her. “They’re supposed to be crazy tonight.”
I open the basket.
“Oh my God, this looks amazing!”
“There are hand-warmers here, and feet-warmers”—I wave at them—“and about a thousand blankets, so you don’t freeze.”
She shakes her head, grinning. “You thought of everything.”
I lean over and kiss her softly. “My grandmas would not approve of me kissing you before the date is over, but I couldn’t wait.”
She laughs, the sound bubbling out and making the whole night feel warmer.
I pass her a thermos, and we lean back on the pillows, the moonroof above framing the sky like a window to another world.
The first real wave of color washes across the stars—ribbons of green and pink that shift and ripple like magic. Juju sucks in a breath, hand tightening around mine. I don’t look at the lights. I look at her, the glow reflecting in her eyes, her lips parted in wonder.
“Worth it?” I ask softly.
She turns her head, and her smile is the kind that makes my heart stop. “More than worth it.”
We pull out the sandwiches, and she hums after she takes a bite.
“So good,” she says. “You’ve always known how to make everything taste good.”
