Page 86 of A Love Like Candle Light

Today I learned she scrunches her nose adorably when she’s nervous and she loved learning about the stars as a child, yet doesn’t remember a single thing today.

The sun is now completely gone, and the sky is filled with more stars than I’ve ever seen at once.

At one point, Kylie nudges my knees apart and sits down between my legs, leaning against my chest and feeding me bits of pastry over her shoulder. I reach into my bag and put another blanket around her. Having a relatively warm day is one thing, but now, with the sun gone, it’s freezing.

“Is that the North Star?” She points east.

“No, it’s not.” I chuckle, pointing to the correct one.

Abby falls asleep on our legs while we continue to snack on Caleb’s pastries and watch the stars.

And then, once Kylie’s eyes keep fluttering closed and every second word is replaced with a yawn, I gather her and the food up and we make our way back to the car.

“Thank you, Erik,” she mumbles sleepily as we pull into her driveway. My heater is working on full power and she hides a yawn behind her hand. “It was the best date I’ve ever been on.”

“Likewise.” Before I let her out of the car, I run my fingers through her hair and gently pull her into a soft kiss. “I have an early shift tomorrow or I’d totally stay over.”

“Tomorrow?” she asks, and I nod.

“I’d love to. Hey, Kylie.”

“Yeah?”

“I still really, really like you, even when we’re not in bed together.”

Her lips pull into a tired grin. “I really, really like you too, Erik.” She gives me another kiss and then tears herself away from me to let Abby out.

I watch her, until she has unlocked her door and waves at me from the open doorframe, before I start the engine again and drive home.

Chapter 29

Kylie

The day can't pass quickly enough. From the moment I wake up, excitement bubbles in my stomach, and I can't get a stupid grin off my face.

Erik took me on a date. And not just any date, the perfect date. He remembered how excited I was about looking at the stars at the campfire on the beach, and he planned a whole damn date around it.

The first thing I did when I got home was have a good cry in my hallway. It's almost a relief, so fucking exhilarating to be seen again, to have someone notice.

And Erik notices.

As soon as I got chilly in the crisp night air, he put a blanket around me. When he noticed how much I loved the pizza rolls his aunt made, he left them for me to eat and stuck to Caleb’s pastries.

Hell, he even brought food for Abby.

I'm overwhelmed. Being this happy can’t be healthy anymore. For once, the lingering voice of doubt is completely silent. I'm not kidding myself. I'm sure it will return at some point. Maybe it won't ever go away completely, but Erik's got a damn good hold on it. He silences it without any effort, just by being himself, because apparently he's exactly what I need.

The minutes feel like hours when I'm working, setting up campaigns, creating concepts, answering emails, so when Lauren knocks on my door in the early afternoon, I'm all too happy to be done.

"Hey, Lauren." As always, Abby darts outside as soon as I open the door.

"Hi, Kylie." She grins and leans down to greet her. "I was wondering if I could hang out with your dog. And you," she quickly adds as if I'm an afterthought. I can’t even blame her.

"Give me a minute to put on my shoes." By the time I return, Lauren's kneeling on the ground, running her hands through Abby's fur and talking to her in a high-pitched voice.

"Yes, you're such a cutie," she coos. Once she notices me, she jumps back up.

"Where are the others?"