“And I’m thankful for every single one of those candles,” she says, kissing me on each cheek. “Now, prepare yourself for a Concordian delicacy made by yours truly with a little help from my sidekick.” She cuts into the cake. “I have to make a big deal out of this because it’s your birthday present too, since there aren’t any stores nearby.”
“Best gift ever.”
“Best day ever,” Sonny says. His eyes sparkle and I realize this family is actually the greatest gift ever.
Everly proceeds with her grand cake reveal. “The pressure is on. Okay, ready? This is a triple-layer cake. The top and bottom layers are your standard rich and moist chocolate. Then sandwiched between is the fudgiest chocolate brownie you’ve ever eaten. I sampled it.”
“I’m drooling.”
“The glue that holds them together is a ganache. Think thick chocolate pudding. Then on the top, as you can see, is a double chocolate frosting with dark chocolate chips sprinkled all over...and some rainbow sprinkles too. You can thank Sonny.”
“Do you really love chocolate?” I ask, hugging her to my side.
“I really love you,” she says.
“I love you too. Thank you for making today special.”
We dig in and I have seconds, because birthdays, and preseason starts soon, so that means no more sweets...but what does it mean for us?
We take an after-dinner walk, exhaust Sonny with a game of tag, and then do our usual bedtime routine.
Afterward, Everly and I meet on the back deck to watch the sunset. The dusky rays sparkle in her eyes like it’s shining for us alone.
Today has been about me, but it wouldn’t be but for her. “So, tell me more about Everly, book lover, baker extraordinaire, and accomplished figure skater.”
We talk about her years spent on the ice.
“If you could go back in time and follow your dreams instead of what your father had planned for you, what would you do?” I ask.
She lets out a long sigh. “I wouldn’t go back because then we’d never have met. But be things as they may, moving forward, I suppose I’d like to get back into skating at some point.”
“Like make another run for the Olympics?”
She laughs. “No, that ship has sailed...into an iceberg.”
“Like the Titanic?”
“If that boat had my father’s face on it, yes.”
But I instantly regret asking about the future because I’m not sure how a family fits into a professional football player’s plan.
“Your turn. Tell me about the guy who I thought was a grumpy beast, but turned out to be the most amazing man I’ve ever met.”
A smile plays on my lips. “Don’t tell anyone. I have a reputation to uphold.” My voice is husky in the dark, like I’m well acquainted with wood and sandpaper and other manly things.
Everly tilts her head and I meet her big green eyes.
As the fireflies blink in the field surrounding the deck, I lean in for a kiss. As ever, it’s magical. Unlike anything that I’ve ever experienced. It lights me up from within, but in contrast to the flashing fireflies, the glow doesn’t go dark.
My mouth presses against hers. Hungry, desperate. Am I trying to distract myself from thinking about the future? How will we make things work?
I give back as our mouths move together. The kiss deepens, and our hands and hearts tangle. But with her lips on mine, I can’t help but think about how I got the scar.
When we part, my fingers drift to it, and I say, “Want to know how I really got this scar on my face? The fish story was a little tale Mom used to tell me before I went to sleep. I always asked how I didn’t have a mark from the fishhook.” I fear what she’ll think about this so-called amazing man, but she needs to know.
“If you want to tell me.”
“I went dark after I found out about Bran. I smashed everything I came into contact with, including a few faces. One of the faces I smashed wasn’t too happy and shoved me into a window. For a split second, I saw my reflection and was glad for the pain because it dulled what really hurt.”
