Page 57 of A Love Like Candle Light

“Maybe.”

I pout and try to steal a piece of chocolate from Kieran. At first he holds the bar out of reach, then he seemingly remembers Erik shared marshmallows with him and offers me one piece.

"Ultimately, O'Brien got a job with the railway. It was a tearful goodbye as he left west, without his wife."

My breath gets stuck in my throat. I hate where this story is going.

"He came back six months later," Bobby clears his throat, "after he found out she had died."

"No," Lauren gasps, hands flying to her face to cover her mouth.

My eyes burn with tears. Quickly, I swallow past the knot in my throat.

"Days after he left, Elizabeth injured herself, working in the bakery she occasionally helped out at," he continues, the fire reflecting in his eyes as he directs them to the ground, "and it would be her demise. She developed sepsis, which, ultimately, killed her."

You could hear a pin drop in the silence.

“I hate this story,” Kieran murmurs, softly enough so only I hear it. All I can offer as reply is a nod.

"By the time he returned, Elizabeth was already buried. O'Brien never recovered from his loss."

Nic and Henry exchange hushed words I can't make out, Laurens fingers dig into Caleb’s forearm.

"O'Brien went to his wife's grave every single day and put a flower on it. Rain or shine, he went."

Erik’s arm around me stiffens and when I glance up at him, his jaw is set and he blinks rapidly.

"He never left Wayward Hollow again, vowed to stay close to her until the end. He spent the rest of his life building the town that was supposed to become their home, only asking for one thing: every year in the fall, there would be a celebration. A way to honor his wife, who used to love watching the leaves change color so much."

One hot tear rolls down my cheek, and I quickly wipe it away.

"Some people visiting Wayward Hollow have reported hearing a woman's voice at night, crying out for her husband."

"Oh damn, I got goosebumps," Lauren whispers and rubs her arms. Instead of a reply, Caleb zips his jacket around her shoulders and turns so the heat from the fire can reach her.

"So, even a hundred something years later, we come together here in Wayward Hollow and celebrate the fall." He gets up and lets out a heavy sigh. “And Elizabeths life.” He lifts his beer. “To Elizabeth.”

"To Elizabeth." Andrea repeats and lifts her cup toward the fire.

"To Elizabeth," everyone around the campfire mumbles before drinking to her. I don’t have a drink, so I lift the s'more that appeared in my hand instead.

"What a sad story," I mumble to no one in particular and stare into the flames.

Life is so short, and even people who deserve their happy ending aren’t guaranteed one. The realization is so heavy, it makes the one I got for my divorce look like a feather in hindsight. I glance at Erik.

Who am I to deny myself a happy ending?

He's right here. He feels right. And as if he can read my mind, he meets my eyes and everything else in the world ceases to exist. There’s only him and his beautiful green eyes and the fact we’re dating. It’s so surreal.

"Hey guys." Suddenly Nic appears in front of us and destroys our little moment. "We're having a campfire by the lakeshore later. Do you guys want to come?"

Erik’s eyes dart between Nic and me as he waits for me to answer.

"Sure." I nod eagerly. "I'd love to."

"Are you coming too, Erik?" She doesn’t bat an eye at the way we’re sitting here, arms around each other, so close, not a sheet of paper would fit between us.

"I'd love to," he echoes, lips tugging into a smile.