Hal’s eyes lit up, and maybe therewassomething about our plan he hadn’t seen coming. “Why, of course, Gabe. However long you need. You’re really moving here?” he asked, eyes gleaming.
Seeing my grandfather emotional tugged at my emotions, too. My lips tipped up in a smile. “Yeah, I am. Figured it would be easier this way to continue my relationship with my girlfriendandto spend more time with my grandfather. If that works for you?”
Hal’s lips spread into his own smile. “I’d like that, Gabe.” He cleared his throat. “I’d like that very much.”
I stood from my seat, rounding the desk. Once Hal stood, I pulled him into a tight embrace. “Thank you. For everything.”
“You have nothing to thank me for, son.”
When I pulled away, Lily stepped in to give Hal a hug, too. When she pulled back, she looked between us, saying softly, “You two have the same smile.”
As Hal’s smile widened, I realized she was right. It was something I suddenly had a new appreciation for.
Lily and I left Hal’s store hand in hand, and once we were outside, she threw her arms around me, nuzzling her face in my neck. “You were amazing in there,” she murmured. “I love you so much, and I’m so proud of you.”
“I love you more, Sunshine.” I wrapped my arms around her tightly and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I can’t wait to work on this together. I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else.”
When I first got to Golden Falls, I expected to be in and out of town. I remembered telling myself it wasjust business. I was so glad I didn’t listen to myself, that I let myselffeelwhile I was here. Because I felt so damn much. I finally felt like I belonged. I felt grateful that I’d reconnected with my grandfather. I felt appreciative of the people in my life who supported me, and I was ready to move on from the relationships that had held me back.
I felt like the luckiest man alive that Lily Richards loved me.
“But wait,” Lily said, tilting her head to the side. “There’s one more thing on my winter wish list. Seeing a shooting star. Do you think we’ll get a chance to see one?”
We started to walk down the street toward her apartment, and a part of me actually missed the lights and decorations that had since been taken down. I didn’t think that wouldeverhappen.
I swung our clasped hands together, trying to hide my grin. “Something tells me luck is on our side.”
48
GABRIEL
Of course,I wasn’t going to let the final thing on Lily’s list go unchecked. Have a little faith in me.
Not long after we got back from Milwaukee, and while we were working on our pitch to Hal, I downloaded an app that tracked meteor activity and turned on notifications for upcoming meteor showers in northern Wisconsin. I also reached out to Cooper and Wes to see what spots they recommended around here for a clear view of the sky. Cooper recommended a farm on the outskirts of town that one of Marnie’s friends owned.
Then there was the challenge of figuring out how we were going to comfortably watch the sky without freezing in the chilly January weather. Luckily, I had help figuring that out, too.
“Can I open my eyesnow?” Lily asked again. Her mitten-covered hands were over her eyes as I carefully drove us to the viewing spot.
“Don’t act like you haven’t been peeking,” I teased, stealing a glance at her and watching her smile widen.
“Okay, but even with my peeking, I haven’t been able to figure out where we’re going.”
Within a few minutes, I pulled into the long driveaway, the snow crunching underneath the tires. I couldn’t wait for Lily to see the view in front of us—an open field covered with snow paired with a dark sky and brighter than life stars. I put the car into park and unbuckled my seatbelt.
“Alright, Sunshine. Go ahead and open your eyes.”
Lily wasted no time removing her hands from her eyes and blinking into focus. Her lips parted in awe as she looked between me and what I’d set up for us. “Gabe, how did you…” She trailed off with a laugh.
In the middle of the field, there was a clear pop-up bubble tent with blankets, pillows, a thermos of hot chocolate, and snacks for our meteor shower viewing. The exterior of the bubble tent had white string lights clipped to it.
She hopped out of the car, and I followed her, eager for her reaction as more of the setup came into focus. After a few steps, Lily turned around, tears glistening in her eyes. She threw her arms around my shoulders. I wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to me. I never wanted to let her go, and luckily, I didn’t have to.
“We’re going to see a shooting star tonight?” she whispered. Lily bit down on her bottom lip, but even that couldn’t hide her smile. One of my favorite things in life—if not myveryfavorite—was making Lily happy, whether that was reassuring her that she didn’t have to do things alone, starting a bubble bath for her after a long day, or anything else that would lessen the stress in her shoulders and bring a smile to her face. She was always thinking about others, and I vowed to be the man who prioritized her each and every day—and reminded her it was more than okay for her to put herself first.
“We’re going to seemultipleshooting stars,” I said to her, finding it impossible to hold my own smile back. “A meteorshower is anticipated to start within the next hour or so, and we have a front-row view.”
“Wow,” Lily sighed. She looked back up at the sky, as if imagining what was to come. She then reached for my hand. “Well, we better get all cozy, right?” She wiggled her brows, and I let out a laugh.
