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But he shook his head. “Alexis, I appreciate the offer. I really do. But I can’t.”

“Why? You’re working so hard. I have the money. Let me help you.”

He let out a long breath and looked away from me. When his eyes came back to mine, they were steady. “You’re not a bank, Alexis.” He closed the gap between us and slipped his arms around my waist. “But thank you for offering. It means a lot that you did.”

I shook my head. “There were people who helped me to get to where I am, and now I can help you. I wish you would let me.”

But his face was resolved.

I pressed my lips together. “Promise me if you can’t raise the money that you’ll let me loan it to you. Don’t lose your house.”

He let out a resigned breath. Then he nodded. “Okay. I promise.”

But I knew he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t because he wouldn’t take anything from me if we weren’t together.

And after today we wouldn’t be.

He hugged me. Then he started laughing a little.

I pulled away. “What?”

He shook his head. “It’s nothing. It’s just I offered you a rock and you offered me fifty thousand dollars.”

I snorted.

“Come on.” He chuckled.

He threaded his hand in mine, and we strolled out of the park onto the moonlit bike trail leading to the Grant House.

The night was beautiful. The walk was lined with apple trees in full blossom. White flowers in the thousands arched over the path and ensconced us in their light fragrance. It was gorgeous and surreal. We made our way slowly, looking up, our hands clasped between us.

Daniel stopped. “Hey, look at that.”

He nodded to a break in the trees at the full moon, framed between cloudy apple branches. It looked bigger than usual. Closer. I stared up at it, and a warm breeze rolled through the canopy and loosened a snowstorm of petals that drifted down around us.

It was like the universe had dipped a snow globe. Only the petals didn’t fall. They floated like dust motes. Flower fairies, twinkling in the moonlight.

“Do you see this?” I said with wonder.

Daniel was looking around, his mouth open. “It’s like…magic.”

It was gentle and ethereal and soft, and they hovered around us, moving in slow motion. Daniel put up a finger to touch one, and the disturbed air swirled the petals like snowflakes in a flurry.

“Have you ever seen anything so perfectly beautiful?” I breathed.

I turned to Daniel. But he wasn’t watching the petals anymore. He was looking at me. “Yes…” he said quietly, holding my eyes. “You.”

Then he slipped warm hands onto my cheeks, and in front of the moon and the heavens and the magic that was swirling around us, he kissed me.

The world stopped turning.

We were suspended in frozen animation. A moment so perfect it couldn’t be real.

And I realized then that it was too late.

I was in too deep. The time to walk away had ended. I think it was over the moment it began.

Wakan and Daniel were planted inside of me and they were growing there, like a garden bursting into life. Roots plunging and anchoring me, vines twisting and flowers pushing from the earth and blooming in my soul, filling me up.