The thought of Evan having a kid makes the butterflies in my stomach go feral. From the way he takes care of me, looks after me, I can tell he would be perfect at it. Even with all of his anxieties, he would be the best parent ever. Especially to little girls. Holy shit, I’m getting flustered just thinking about it.
“You want kids in the future?” I ask.
“Of course, I do. I’d need something to break the cycle and give someone more than I had,” he admits easily. He holds my hands to his lips, kissing them. It’s cheesy, but I let him do it. “Come on. We’re going to be fine.”
And of course, because Evan says we’re going to be alright, I believe him.
When we make our way over, I keep my cool and hold my head high. He’s right. My dad would want nothing other than my happiness. My dad’s tanned face breaks out into a huge smile as he looks at me and Evan. I swear my mom is already on the brink of tears.
“Scarlett,” my dad greets, nodding at me. Everything feels too emotional already and nothing has even happened yet. He flicks his gaze to Evan who is still holding my hand.
“Dad, this is Evan,” I say, turning to Ev, who has the sweetest smile on his face as he extends his hand to my dad. “My boyfriend.”
Those words are seriously coming out of my mouth right now. This feels like some sort of alternate reality. It feels so right, yet so unreal. Being with Evan is like seeing all the good and the bad things with the world and still loving them effortlessly. Nobody makes me feel more cared for or as beautiful as I do when I’m with him. And now he’s shaking my dad’s hand.
“It’s nice to finally put a face to the name,” my dad says through a smile before dropping his hand.
“Likewise,” Evan says. “It’s nice to meet you.” He grins down at me and then back to my dad. “I hope you know what an amazing daughter you have, Mr. Voss.”
I elbow him in his rib at his comment as he looks at me adoringly. That’s just the thing about Evan; he’s constantly lifting me up without me knowing.
“I know,” my dad replies, locking his eyes with me.
His gaze drops from mine, moving to Evan and I have to take in a deep breath, so I don’t start to cry. This is all I ever wanted from my dad. I just wanted him toseeme. To understand me. To let me know that he can see how hard I’ve been trying to get him to realise that I’m capable of more than he thinks.
“Thank you, Evan,” he says. Ev and I blink at him, neither of us knowing what to say or what he means. “Thank you for showing me what’s been in front of me my whole life. I was too scared to get her involved and I didn’t want to ruin her. It shouldn’t have taken all this for me to realise that, but hearing about the way you have cared for her and looked after her, doing what I was unable to, made me realise that she is a lot tougher than I give her credit for. So, thank you.”
I didn’t even realise I was crying softly until I felt the salty tear drop onto my upper lip. I wipe at my face quickly, dropping my eyes to the ground. I don’t know how much more my heart can take from this. It feels too full. Almost too much.
“You don’t need to thank me, Mr. Voss,” Evan says quietly. He reaches for my hand, and I give it to him, letting him hold me. I lift my head up and he’s watching me, like always. “No matter how hard she makes me work to get it, I’m going to do anything to keep her happy and safe.”
“Is that a promise you’re making to me, Evan?” my dad asks seriously. My mom’s gaze flickers between the three of us and I do the same.
He swallows. “Yes. That’s a promise.”
“Good,” my dad replies.
“She could handle herself just fine without me, though,” Evan says, smirking down at me. I’m glad he’s finally got that in his thick skull. My dad smiles proudly. “She’s vicious.”
“Oh, I know,” my mom laughs, and I stick my tongue out at her. She shakes her head at me before her whole face lights up as she looks at Evan. “And, Evan, the song you requested is on next, so you should probably head to the dance floor.”
“You… What?” I ask, gawking at him. He ignores me, that slight smirk playing on his lips.
“Thank you Mrs. Voss,” he says to my mom, nodding at her before twisting my hand into his chest and pulling me to the dance floor. It’s already crowded, but we weave our way through, getting a spot where we can dance together.
The only lights are coming from the fairy lights above the shelter and from inside the hotel. Still, his dark green eyes glow with something I’ve never seen before. I wrap my arms around his neck, and he wraps his around my waist, pulling me into him, waiting for the song to start.
?Fade Into You byInhaler
I swear I almost pass out when I hear the open chords of the song start to play. It’s one of those songs that you can’t tell is a breakup song or a love song, but it can exist as both. This cover especially does something to my heart.
It’s slow and peaceful and it makes me want to sleep. It’s the perfect song to play in the background when I’m doing my homework or when I want to get out of my head for a while. And he chose this.
“Why did you choose this song?” I ask, resting my head on his chest as we sway to the music.
“It makes me think of you,” he whispers, “it just feels like you. Like us.”
I don’t have to ask him what he means. I just understand it so perfectly that all I can do is keep my head pressed against the steady beat of his heart. He holds me close to him, his hands never leaving my body, even as we start to get shoved to the side with more sappy couples entering the dance floor.
