“How did you know I even liked this song?”
I rest my forehead against hers, a little embarrassed. “I know you have a Spotify account. So I looked you up, and your profile is public. Anyone can see the songs you’ve started and the playlists you’ve made. I saw that you’d made a playlist of just this song. I had no idea how many versions there were.”
“There’s a lot.”
“Which is your favorite?” I ask.
“The original by Cyndi Lauper. Is this our song now?”
“You better believe it. Hannah, I will always catch you. I will always be there for you. I love you today, tomorrow, and next week.”
“Next year,” she whispers.
“In ten years.”
“For the rest of our lives.”
I dip my head down, pressing my lips to Hannah’s. “And then forever.”
“And then forever.”
53. Time After Time
When the song is over, Ford walks me through the gym and out the main doors. “Where are we going?”
“Did you want to stay?” Ford glances back at the school.
“No.” I got what I came for. I wanted to dance with my boyfriend, and it was perfect. “What about Jack and Leah?”
“They’re going to get a ride with Ty and June,” Ford says as he helps me into the car. When he drives past his house, I know exactly where we’re going to our spot. It becomes evident that someone is following us when we turn onto a dirt road and the car behind us does as well, but we ignore it. Ford parks in front of the cabin. He holds my hand, bringing it to his mouth and kissing my palm. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
I don’t like the idea of him going out there alone, but I trust him. “Okay, be careful.”
“Always.” He grabs a flashlight out of the glove box, and I watch him walk up to the cabin, unlock it and go inside. A couple of minutes later, the little log cabin and the surrounding trees light up with twinkle lights.
He’s smiling from ear to ear when he opens my door for me. “What do you think?”
“I love it. It’s all so beautiful. When did you do this?”
“I came out this morning and set it up. I wasn’t sure how it would look.”
“It looks so amazing. Just when I think our spot can’t get any better.”
Ford traces the line of my jaw and then kisses me. “Just wait. There’s more.” Ford has one arm wrapped around me and the other in front of him, holding the flashlight. We walk the short little trail to the meadow, where he’s strung lights around the tree with our initials carved in it. He pulls his phone out, clicking on it, and music plays.
I wrap my arms around his neck. “This is perfect. I love it so much. Tonight has been amazing.” Well, minus a few stupid people.
“I used to come here when I needed to break from the world. It was a place I could come and think through my problems. But now I love it because I think of you and what you mean to me whenever I come here.” Ford cups a hand around my neck, letting his thumb brush the edge of my jaw. “Tell me how you feel about me.”
I tilt my head, gazing at him. There’s a nervous energy radiating off him, and I’m not sure why. It’s not a worrisome energy. It feels more like excitement. I step closer to him. “I love you, Crawford Cross. I love you down to my bones and the center of my very being. The way I feel about you scares me. When you told me we had forever, it felt like this abstract notion. That forever was far away and a long time from now. It’s stupid, but it scared me. I wanted to love you now, right at this moment.”
His face softens, and he smiles, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Hannah.” He breathes over my lips. “I wish there was a word that surpassed love, because the word is inadequate for how I feel about you. I love you with an intensity that makes me feel like I could move mountains. Sometimes I wonder if we’re too young to understand all the elements of love. We’ve only really started to live our lives. We both have so much ahead of us. I don’t know about you, but when I picture my future, football, college, a career. I picture that future with you. When I try to take you out of my life and my future, all I see is a black hole. I don’t want a future where we’re not together. I know we haven’t been together that long, but you have been a part of my life for the last eight years. I want you to be a part of my life for the next eighty.”
Ford takes my hand, entwining it with his. There’s something in his palm. He steps closer, wrapping his other arm around me and pulling me flush against him. He kisses the hollow of my neck, gliding his lips across my jaw. He kisses the shell of my ear. “I want to love you and be with you for every second of the rest of our lives and then forever. Marry me.”
I gasp. Ford’s hold on me tightens, and I wrap my free hand around his neck, trying and steady myself, but my entire body is trembling. “It’s okay if you think this is crazy. It is. We’re young. We have our entire lives ahead of us. I’m not asking you to marry me tomorrow or even next year. I want to give you a promise that I will be here for you through every moment, through every experience. I will be here waiting, time after time, because, in a thousand worlds and a thousand lifetimes, I will find you. Your soul sings to mine, Hannah.”
“Yes,” I whisper without hesitation. “Yes, a million times, yes.” Still holding me tight, Ford slips a ring onto the ring finger of my left hand. When it’s secure, he wraps both arms around me, lifting me.
