Barely.
I had no idea how an asshole like me had gained the trust of a woman like Lauren, but I vowed right then and there that I’d never take that gift for granted.
Shewasgoing to be mine, and once she was, I was never going to be dumb enough to let her go.
Lauren
“This is the most incredible thing I’ve ever done,” I said as I snuggled with Cole in a mound of blankets as the aurora danced around us.
The light show had started a few hours ago.
We were at a high point outside of the city with zero light pollution and a spectacular view.
I’d gotten all of my photos with the help of an expert photographer, who was also our guide.
She’d shown me exactly how to set up the tripod and how to get breathtakingly beautiful photos because she’d been picturing the aurora in Alaska for most of her life.
Those amazing pictures never would have happened without assistance because Cole had purchased a very sophisticated and expensive camera for me, one that I never could have used without some advice from an expert.
I loved shooting pictures, but my knowledge was minimal.
I hadn’t gotten much opportunity to practice in the past, and I’d definitely never had anything as beautiful as the northern lights to picture.
My regret about missing the opportunity to see them in Montana was a thing of the past.
I never would have gotten views like this in Montana.
Honestly, I was surprised that Cole had even remembered me mentioning that I was sad that I’d missed the show when the solar activity had been high a few months ago.
It had been a passing comment. Not something we’d discussed in length.
Still, he’d remember that disappointment, and he’d bent over backward to make sure that I got my chance to see the aurora up close and personal.
What kind of guy did something like that?
What kind of guy actually remembered a passing comment from a woman?
Obviously, Cole did, and his thoughtfulness touched my soul like nothing else could.
“You have to be freezing,” he grumbled as he tightened his arms around me.
“I’m not,” I argued. “You made sure it was impossible for me to be cold.”
Yeah, it was the beginning of March, and the nighttime temperatures here in Fairbanks were probably below zero, but I wasn’t cold.
We had a tent set up on three sides of us, and there were heaters keeping the air around us tolerable.
We were seated on some sort of pad, and the blankets were stuffed with something similar to hot water bottles that were still keeping us warm.
Cole had made sure that I had the proper inner and outer wear to withstand the brutal temperatures, so I hadn’texperienced a single moment of discomfort since we’d arrived at the viewing site.
The temperatures had definitely dropped in the last half hour or so, and I knew that we were going to get cold once the attempts to generate heat were weak compared to the frigid temperatures.
Still, I wanted to savor every moment of the dancing green, red, and pink lights while I had the chance.
The skies were clear, and the lights were so vivid and beautiful. We’d been treated to a long show, and I knew how lucky I was to experience something so beautiful for so long.
“It’s not impossible for you to be cold, angel. The temperatures have plummeted. It’s after two.”
