I laughed.
“Let me guess. Zay and Alina?”
Cole shook his head.
“They helped with the setup, but the idea was mine. And Enzo’s. Mainly Enzo’s. I told him I wanted to do something nice. He came up with the rest. Though don’t tell him I said that. I was supposed to take all the credit.”
I laughed and put my hand on the table, palm up and open, and Cole put his hand on top of mine.
“Well, no matter who came up with it, it’s awesome.”
“I’m glad you like it,” he said. “I also… I wanted to ask you something.”
I froze and a knot formed in my throat. I nodded.
Cole pulled away from our touch and ducked under the table only to resurface with a small box. He slid it across the table, and I grimaced.
“What—what is this? More sexy truffles?” I croaked.
“Open it,” he said.
I touched the top, found the ends of the red bow, and tugged it free before I put my fingers around the lid of the round box and lifted it, unsure what I’d find inside but excited for whatever Cole had to give me.
It was a red ornament, a heart-shaped glass Christmas ornament nestled in a silk cushion, light dancing across its planes.
“Wh-what…” I started, lifting it by the thread at the top, and Cole took my hand again.
“It’s… it’s my heart. Well, not my actual heart, but you know what I mean,” he said and rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Gosh, I’m screwing this up already.”
I smirked.
“You’re not doing as bad as you think you are,” I said. “Go on.”
“It’s… well, it’s supposed to symbolize my heart. It’s heavy and fragile and been through a lot, but… I want to give it to you. To look after it and protect it and all that. You just have to make a promise.”
I squeezed Cole’s hand and smiled.
“What kind of promise?”
“You have to promise not to break it. I don’t think it could take another shot. And I promise I won’t break yours either. I will cherish you and look after you as well. I just… gosh, this is silly. I sound so cheesy.”
I shook my head.
“No. Not cheesy at all.” I pushed myself off the chair and walked around the table to get to him, heart in hand, and crouched down in front of Cole. “I promise you, Cole. I will never hurt you. I will never break your heart. And I will always love you.”
“Yeah?” he whispered, and my chest felt heavy.
Not just with the responsibility of Cole’s heart, but with the vulnerability he was showing me. This was the true Cole. I knew it was. That Cole from Boston was just a scared kid who’d been through hell and didn’t want to go through it again. This Cole? This one was the real deal.
And I would stick to my promise no matter what.
“Yeah,” I said and bent forward.
Cole leaned toward me as well and reunited our lips. They’d spent enough time apart. It was time we gave them, gave our hearts and souls, what they wanted.
Someone to love.
As we deepened our kiss, there was an explosion of light and color, then another and another, but we didn’t break apart. We simply kissed, welcoming the new year with the only thing that mattered, and the fireworks? The fireworks paled in comparison to the ones lighting up my insides whenever I was with him.
