Silent tears stream down her face.
I kneel beside her chair. “You spend so much time taking care of everyone. Making sure the people in your life feel seen and valued. But who makes you feel that way?”
She looks at me and brushes a kiss on my lips. “You.”
“I wanted you to see your whole life. Your whole story with room for what’s to come.” I take her hand and kiss the top of it. “I want new chapters with the person I love.”
She sets the album aside, throws her arms around me, and kisses me silly.
“Thank you,” she whispers against my lips. “Thank you. This is—I can’t even?—”
When she pulls back, her mascara is smudged and her nose is red and her smile lights up her beautiful face.
“I love you so much,” I say.
“I love you too.” She taps the photo album. “I also want more of this. Us. A future.”
“Me too. All of it.”
That’s when I hear the telltale sound of multiple people trying to be quiet and failing.
“Is someone out there?” Winnie whispers.
“Probably everyone.”
“Everyone?”
“I told you the whole town would show up.”
On the lower half of the fogged glass of the bay doors, I see the silhouette of a dog. The overhead doors slide open, and sure enough, Grandma Joyce and Judy Waples carry trays of brownies along with Mindy and Thomas, Pauline, Peony, the entire fire crew, Silver Sam with Buttercup, Lucky, Gail Clearwater, and Mayor Barbie appear.
I’m surprised they don’t have tubs of popcorn while they watch what amounts to small town live entertainment.
“Sorry!” Grandma Joyce calls out. “We thought you were going on a date, but saw your car here and got worried?—”
Judy interrupts. “Don’t lie, Joyce. We’re being nosy and we brought brownies for everyone.”
Winnie tips her head back with laughter.
They spot the album, her tear-stained face and me still kneeling beside her chair.
Mindy squeals. “Are you engaged?!”
“No!” Winnie laughs harder. “Patton made me a photo album of my whole life.”
She shows them, and I watch as the album passes from hand to hand, the collective “aww” so loud that Oreo starts barking.
Pauline splays her hand across her chest. “This is the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Romantic?” Hayes scoffs. “It’s epic. I told you guys it would work.”
Scotty glares at him. “You said it was too much.”
“I did not. I said it was ambitious.”
“You made us look at photo layouts,” James adds. “We’re firefighters, not scrapbookers.”
Austin grins at Winnie. “He’s been working on this for weeks. Drove Joyce crazy with questions.”
