She gasped, as moisture filled her eyes. “Really?”
“Yes, and to answer your previous question, yes, absolutely. It was worth it just to see that look on your face.”
“I never even told you,” she said softly.
“What?”
“I’ve always wanted to go to a lantern festival just like they do in my favorite movie.”
Garrett smiled and gave her hand a light squeeze. “Dang, I’m good. And here I was thinking it would just make for a fun evening in the dark with pretty lights floating around us.”
It was almost dark by the time they parked and got through registration. The event was scheduled to begin in half an hour and there were already hundreds of people around them.
Reese stood close to Garrett, his arm wrapped protectively around her as they watched people and their kids starting to light their lanterns. She still couldn’t believe she was about to do the one thing she’d always dreamed of doing.
Garrett had gone out of his way so many times for her. But tonight, he’d done what no one had ever done before. He’d made her feel like a princess from her favorite movie, and if she hadn’t already known she was in love with him, she would know it now.
The first lanterns floated around them, casting soft shadows on the ground and on his face. “Ready?” He asked.
Reese smiled. “Yes. And Garrett?”
“Yeah?”
“Best. Date. Ever.”
Garrett gave her a crooked grin that always warmed her insides. “Should we make a wish?”
“Yes.” Reese closed her eyes for a moment, then looked at the small flame inside her lantern. The soft glow represented every prayer and wish she’d ever spoken, but tonight, there was only one thing she wanted.
“On three?” Garrett asked.
“Yes.”
“One. Two. Three.”
They released their lanterns into the dark sky, then stood silently watching them float away side by side, moving higher and further away. “Thank you for this,” she whispered, unable to hold back the emotion clogging her throat.
Instead of answering, he turned her in his arms and gently covered her mouth with his, deepening the kiss until her mind was dazed and her body craved him more than anything else in the world.
She moaned softly, and Garrett pulled back with a smile. “I love doing that to you, Miss Graham.”
Reese shivered at his words as he held her close. “Just wait until I finally get to do what I’ve been wanting to do to you,” she teased.
Garrett’s smile faded into a look of intensity she hadn’t yet seen from him. “When and where?”
“Tonight. Your picnic table.” Reese knew what she wanted and she was never someone who played games.
“Are you ready to go?” He asked.
“Yes.” There was no denying how much she wanted Garrett, and by the urgency with which he was leading her back to his truck, he wanted her just as much.
