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“You want all the nitty-gritty details?”
“You have heard some of the books I read. You can’t shock me.”
He then tells me about how Grayson was pretty much a lost boy. Then Riley came in like a hurricane, and then left. Grayson went through some hard times, especially after a good friend of theirs died, but then he pulled his head out of his butt and figured it out and Riley was waiting for him the whole time. She loved him enough to leave and let him figure out what he truly needed in his life, and in the end, it wasn’t the adventures. It was going on adventures with Riley.
“And now they are engaged and getting married a week after I get home.”
I’m sure I look like a sad, droopy puppy, because that story melted my heart.
“That’s amazing. The strength both of them must have had to do what they did. I just can't imagine. It took everything I had to leave Pennsylvania and go on this trip. She left the love of her life behind, not knowing if he would figure everything out. Pure strength.”
“Yeah, she’s one tough cookie, that's for sure. Fire engine red hair and snark for days.”
We finish eating and split the giant cookie that came with the pizza.
“What about you? Is Chrissy your only friend?”
“Yup. She sure is. I have acquaintances, but she’s my ride or die. The chunky peanut butter to my jelly. She gets me out of my shell to try new things but also knows when I just need her to binge eat ice cream and watch rom-coms together. She was actually pretty reluctant about me going on this trip, but in the end, she always supports me.”
“She sounds pretty special to you.”
“She is. I love her. Even if her mouth has no filter.”
We finish our cookie and snuggle up together in bed. It isn’t long before I hear a soft snore coming from Chris. I lift my head from his chest and lightly kiss his chin.
“Good night, handsome.” I say and sleep.
Chapter 22
Sarah
Thankfully,wegetadirect flight from Texas to California, so it only takes a few hours. Chris and I play cards and do birdie-themed word searches. We talk more about our families, friends, and experiences we had as children. He tells me about growing up with acres of land to play on, and I tell him about growing up in the city with a backyard the size of a postage stamp.
“So, what are you hoping to see in California? I don’t remember you telling everyone what you are most excited to see,” I ask him as we wait for the aisle of people to start moving.
“I really want to see a Nuttall Woodpecker. Montana has a lot of woodpeckers, but these are really only found in California.”
“I have never heard of them.”
“They are small like the Downy, but they have stripes on their backs.”
I nod my head. “I think woodpeckers might be my favorite.”
“Oh, yeah? Why is that?”
“Well, besides the small songbirds, I feel you can see them almost anywhere. A Red-Bellied Woodpecker was the firstdifferentbird to come to my feeders. I was so excited to see it.”
“That makes sense.”
“And then the first time I saw a Pileated Woodpecker, I lost my mind. They are so big! And he was so close to us.”
“They are impressive. I had to rescue a clutch once. A hawk attacked the mama. We waited twenty-four hours to see if the dad would show up, but we weren’t sure what happened to him. Had to hand feed them until they were ready to be released into the wild.”
My eyes are wide, and Chris puts his fingertips under my chin to close my mouth. I can only imagine how amazing that must have been.
“I need to volunteer somewhere. That’s like a once in a lifetime experience.”
“It is something I will never forget.”
