“Do you remember our first date?” I ask. “You were telling me what made you decide you wanted to be a firefighter. And you told me then that you’d rather be running toward something than running away, even if you’re scared. I want to be brave like you. I want to run toward you, even though I’m completely terrified. And I want to know…what I’m asking is, will you still be there for me to run to?”
His Adam’s apple bobs and his face falls, taking my heart shattering to the ground with it.
It’s too late.
I drop my gaze and blink back the tears pooling in my eyes.
I nod. “I understand. I’m just—I’m really sorry.”
“I can’t be here for you to run to, Lindsey.” He places his finger under my chin and lifts my gaze to his. “Because I’m going to be running beside you.”
“Really? You forgive me?” I ask, tears escaping down my cheeks.
He wipes away the moisture with his thumb. “Just promise me something. It’s okay to be scared. But I need you to talk to me, okay? Let’s work through it together.”
“I promise,” I say, leaning closer to him. “So…do you have any plans for New Year’s Eve?”
“I do now.” He takes my head in his hands and places a tender kiss on my lips just as the breeze kicks up, stinging my skin, followed by the piercing shriek of my mother.
“Fire!” she yells, and I whip around to find the luminaries that made up the letterNscattering like flaming tumbleweeds in the wind.
I gasp as Oliver pulls me out of the literal line of fire.
“Uh-oh,” Kayla says.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen!” Lucy’s shrill voice is shaky with panic as Joe and a couple of the other firefighters jump into action to extinguish the flying fireballs.
Willow presses her fingers into her temples. “I googled it. The sand was supposed to weigh it down and stop any potential fires.”
“We were supposed to put sand in there?” Aunt Rose cries.
“It’s like the cupcake incident all over again.” My mother’s shoulders are trembling from attempting to contain her laughter.
“Now, hold on a minute,” Aunt Rose says. “Why is this my fault? It was Ellie’s job to keep an eye on the weather.”
Ellie’s eyes are wide while Noah and Emily cling to her. “I did. The radar doesn’t showwind,and even if it does, I don’t know how to see it. I’m an interior designer, not a meteorologist.”
“Should I help them?” Ben asks, scratching the side of his head.
“Everyone stay where you are, please,” Joe barks. “Let us do our jobs.”
I slide my hands down my cheeks and turn my eyes up to Oliver. “You sure you know what you’re getting yourself into?”
“Not even a little bit,” he says with a chuckle as he pulls me into his arms. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way because I love you.”
My breath catches in my throat as I gaze up at him, memorizing every detail of this perfect moment. The way he smells, the icy chill of the rain on my cheeks, and the exhilarating feeling that’s taken root deep inside my chest.
I have a choice to make, and I want to make sure I get it right. I don’t wilt or shy away at his words, and I don’t hide, buried beneath the dirt. This time, I bloom.
“I love you too.”
MJ
One year later
“Get a load of that view,Myra Jean.” Ron puts his arm around me on the balcony of our Gatlinburg chalet, courtesy of the karaoke prize Oliver and I won at Mistletoe Fest last year. “Not a bad way to spend a holiday.”
“Not bad at all,” I say, kissing his cheek.
