Once my family leaves, Finley and I sit back down in front of the fire. I ask her, “Do you want to get going to?”
She shakes her head. “Not yet.”
“But you hate the beach,” I remind her.
“Not as much as I used to.” She offers me a secret smile as if I’m responsible for her softening.
But then a gust of wind hits and sand blows over us. Finley abruptly stands up and declares, “Now it’s time to go.”
“Should we clean up here first?” I ask.
Putting the garbage bags into the cooler, she says, “The men are going to come back and pick everything up.” Pointing at the fire, she says, “But you could put some sand on that to put out the flames.”
I hurry to follow orders and then I take Finley’s dishwasher-gloved hand and escort her off the beach. As soon as we get to the car, she brushes herself off and removes her outerwear. Then she gets into the car.
Once we’re inside, I blast the heat before telling her, “This was the best date I’ve ever been on. Thank you.”
“I don’t know if I believe that,” she says shyly, “but it was pretty good.”
“I can assure you it’s the only date I’ve been on that included my family.” I reach over and take her bare hand in mine. Giving it a squeeze, I tell her, “You aren’t like all the other girls, are you?”
“It’s not for lack of trying,” she grumbles.
I stare deeply into the sea green depths of her eyes. “Quit trying,” I tell her. “You’re lightyears beyond everyone else and I never want to see you try to snuff out your light. You’re too special for that.”
Then I lean over to Finley and kiss her. The sensation is positively electric and I don’t ever want to let her go. I don’t know if minutes, hours, or days pass. I just know that we’re totally connected, our spirits intertwined and dancing around us.
When we finally pull away, Finley says, “You know what we have to do now, don’t you?”
“Run off to Vegas and get married?” I’m only partially teasing. As of this moment, I cannot imagine a time when Finley won’t be a prominent fixture in my life. Just the thought of living without her makes my heart hurt.
“Not until our twentieth fake date,” she jokes. Then she says, “We have to learn how to drive a car.”
“It sounds like Kevin is on board,” I tell her. “But being that we can’t do that tonight, how do you think we should spend the next couple of hours?” I pump my eyebrows at her suggestively.
Finley smiles coyly. “Oh, I think you know.” Then she leans over and we kiss again.
If you told me last year what I would be doing now, I wouldn’t have believed it. But life has a way of taking you places you don’t see coming. I figure as long as you try to keep your boundaries open and don’t run when obstacles arise, there are rewards waiting for you. And without a doubt, Finley Harper is one of my greatest rewards.
EPILOGUE
FINLEY
Thomas and I are going out tonight to celebrate our first official year as a couple. We’re going back to the lodge to pay homage to our first date.
The last twelve months have taught me an amazing amount about life. For instance, it does not always go according to plan, and that’s a good thing.
My path has not been typical, but that’s not only because I’m on the spectrum. I’m different because we’re all unique creatures. No two people are alike and that’s something we should celebrate, not feel diminished by.
I look into the mirror and check myself out. I’m wearing a copy of Thomas’s blue cashmere sweater, but this one is in my size. He bought it for me for our one-month anniversary, and it’s now the softest thing in my wardrobe. I hurry to grab my gift for him and go down to the curb. As much as he’s practiced, he still isn’t a great parallel parker.
As I leave my building I see Thomas has already arrived, and true to form, he’s parked at an almost ninety-degree angle. Hejumps out of the car and comes around to the passenger side. “Don’t judge me,” he says. “I’m going to keep practicing.”
I reach up and give him a kiss—an activity I will never tire of. “We don’t judge each other, remember?” Then I tell him, “I will love you even if you never learn how to park.”
He opens the car door for me and once we’re both inside, he asks, “Can we exchange gifts now?”
“Pretty please!” I say excitedly. Then I hand him my box.
