Her breath caught as the pieces fell into place. She gazed up at him, but he was watching the sky, its reflection flickering in his gray eyes.
“You made this,” she whispered. “And all of those anonymous donations were yours?”
He didn’t answer, just reached across the space between them and twined his fingers with hers. Another firework bloomed, silver this time, bright enough to paint both of them in its glow.
“Looks like the Mayor’s going for another re-election,” Ethan murmured.
Cali laughed, cozy and tired and happy all at once. “She’ll win by a landslide.”
A final flare of gold spiraled upward and broke open into a thousand glittering embers. The crowd cheered somewhere beyond them, but neither of them moved. They sat that way until the last sparkle died out, relishing the warmth of each other’s hand, his thumb brushing along hers.
When Cali’s phone vibrated in her purse, she glanced at the screen and saw a message from Minka.Headed home. Ethan said he’d drive you back.A bunch of silly-faced emojis and hearts followed.
She turned to Ethan, heart still thudding from the fireworks. “Truth or kiss,” she said softly. “Why didn’t you just tell me you had plans to stay in Autumn Ridge?”
He let out a small laugh—half sigh, half surrender. “Because I didn’t have plans,” he admitted. “Not really. I figured I’d finish the job, pocket the check, and move on—same as always. Then somewhere along the way, I started thinking maybe I could stick around a little longer. The side work was steady, the people were kind, and for once it didn’t feel like I was just passing through someone else’s life. I thought maybe that was enough.”
He looked out toward the empty lot where the last threads of the smoke curled into the sky.
“And then I saw you outside the library that morning, feeding the stray cats. You were just standing there in the sun, completely unaware that you were about to rearrange my life. It wasn’t just that you looked like you belonged here—it was that, for the first time in a long time, I wanted to belong somewhere, too. With you. And I had to figure it out before Carl hauled me to the next town. No plan. Lease running out. Time slipping right along with it.”
Cali swallowed. “But I didn’t make it easy for you. I kept pulling back.”
Ethan nodded once. “I know.” His voice lowered as he met her eyes again. “But once I realized I could actually see myself building something that lasts—withyou—I had to keep trying. Every time I networked, or stayed up late, or traded fixes for cookies instead of money, you were on my mind. Does that make sense?”
She nodded, her throat tight.
“Good,” he murmured. “Because if it’s all the same to you, I choose the kiss.”
She slid closer, cupping his jaw in her hands until he drew his lips to hers. Their mouths kept finding each other, soft and unhurried. Each return was more certain, like they’d finally stopped fighting gravity.
He rubbed his cold nose against hers. “Ready to head out?”
She was teary, relieved, half-laughing from adrenaline. “My place or yours?”
“Ladies choice.”
She bit her lip, remembering Max’s soft fur and the purrs he’d bestowed on her in bed last time he was at her place. “Can I… see them?” she asked. “Then maybe my place.”
Ethan understood. “I’ll do you one better. Let’s swing by my place, pick up the fur kids, and we’ll all spend the night at your house.”
“That sounds great,” Cali said. “I want Max home. I want you there, too.”
“And we know Catsby won’t care either way as long as she’s still in charge.” He slid down from the bed and offered to help her down. “Let’s go home.”
Back at Ethan’s townhome, they found the cats curled together on the couch. Catsby gave them slow blinks and Max stretched, but neither budged. When Cali pulled cat treats from her purse, they were easily lured into their carriers, though.
They pulled up to the A-frame to the sound of hooting owls and the squeak of her neighbor’s weather vane in the night wind.
Ethan carried the cats’ carriers inside, set them down, and released their doors. Max and Catsby went scurrying off, one after the other, toward the loft room.
“I’m sure Max will let her know all the good places to sleep,” Cali said, adjusting the lights and slipping off her coat.
Ethan glanced around the kitchen. “Still feels weird seeing this place so quiet,” he said.
“Quiet?” she asked.
“Yeah. No wine bottles, no pots and pans. No you, sitting on this countertop, driving me insane.”
