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“I’ll keep her for now. Florin will probably have to be moved to whatever apartment we buy, but I hate to give up the boat so soon.” I lift my chin back at Kai. “What are you thinking you’ll do with the island?”
A somberness creeps over him. “I was thinking of selling it. I doubt any of us are too interested in spending time there.” His gaze drifts to Tess. “I suppose the sale could fund a trust for a certain budding artist I know.”
Again, Tessa’s eyes go round. “A gallery. I could open my own gallery. Oh my God, it would be amazing.”
Kairos and I both shake our heads and laugh, Tessa joining us good-naturedly. Michael sticks around for a few more minutes, then excuses himself so we can have dinner alone. We eat and drink and reminisce over the best of our memories as we usher in a new era for our makeshift family.
The sky is dark as I make my way home, yet the city is a kaleidoscope of colors.
Holiday lights paint the trees and buildings in vibrant rainbows that reflect off icy sidewalks and streets. Even the marina is decorated with white lights wrapped around pier posts and draped along the office rooftops. Something about the tiny lights twinkling everywhere makes it impossible not to feel festive.
I smile as I walk down the pier toward the Calypso for a slew of reasons, the greatest of which is knowing Isa waits for me onboard. I have a surprise planned for tonight.
“Are you watching cartoons?” I ask when I join her in the lounge.
She grins unabashedly. “Absolutely. It’s A Charlie Brown Christmas special—an absolute must-watch part of the season. Though, the older I get, the more awful those kids seem. They’re horrible to him! I don’t know how I didn’t see it when I was younger.”
“But you’re still watching it?”
“Of course. It’s a classic,” she deadpans, then pats the seat beside her. “Want to join me?”
“I do, but let’s grab some food from the kitchen first.”
She pauses the show and follows me down the stairs. We heat some leftovers, then take our plates back to the lounge where we finish Charlie Brown and watch the first half of The Santa Clause. It’s all I can do to sit still, but I need to give the guys time to finish setting up my surprise.
As soon as I get a text telling me they’re done, my heart skips into overdrive.
“Pause for a minute, will you? I need a bathroom break.” I give her a quick kiss, then head for the stairs, hurrying to our bedroom to grab the ring I picked up from a jeweler yesterday.
She’s scrolling on her phone when I return. “All good?”
“Yeah, but I want to show you something. Come with me.” I offer my hand to help her from the sofa, then guide her upstairs to the sky lounge.
She gasps as we enter the room. “Elio! The lights are beautiful.” Her eyes devour the multicolor Christmas lights strung across the ceiling and down the walls, creating a rainbow tunnel of light. She’s so distracted, she doesn’t see the red blanket at our feet.
“Careful.” I pull her back, drawing her attention downward.
“Oh my gosh! Is this a hot chocolate picnic?” she squeals, taking in the blankets and pillows laid out for us, along with two steaming mugs and a plate of cookies. When she looks back at me, the radiant joy on her face is powerful enough to send me to the moon.
“It is. And I promise no one’s getting drugged this time.”
She shakes her head at me, but her chiding is tempered by the irrepressible grin splitting her face. “You owe me for that. Seems only fair I should get to tattoo you back.”
“Name the day. We’ll go together,” I reply without hesitation.
Isa stills and blinks. “Are you serious?”
“Of course.” I draw her close and press my lips to her in a brief but ardent kiss. “The marks covering my body weren’t by choice, but if I were to choose, there’s nothing I’d want more than your name decorating my skin.”
“Oh, El,” she breathes.
I kiss her again because, damn, do I love this woman.
“Let’s sit and enjoy the lights for a bit.” I sit with my back to one of the club chairs and my legs wide so that she can sit in front of me, and I can hold her. We each take one of the mugs, then she leans back against my chest. “This is wonderful, El. Thank you.”
“I wanted to do something special. It’s not every day you get to celebrate thirty-three days together.”
She peeks up at me. “I should have known. The big thirty-three days,” she teases, but I know she loves it because random little celebrations were a part of who we were, and who we still are today.
