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I stroked his cheek with my thumb. “But you did get me out of there. You called for help and everything is fine now. I’m here. I’m okay, and I’ll never do something like that again.”
“Sometimes, before I fall asleep at night, I can see you stuck inside your car. It scares the shit out of me.”
I nodded. “My dreams were pretty scary, too. But it’s all over. We don’t have to think about that anymore. We need to focus on the present, and our future.”
He smiled. “Our future?”
“Yes. Eyes ahead, focused on where we’re going. Not where we’ve been.”
“And where do you see our future going?”
“What do I look like, a fortune teller?”
“Oh, you’re funny now?” He flipped me onto my back on the couch, tickling me relentlessly while I squirmed underneath him.
I squealed with laughter. “I’ve… always… been funny,” I gasped in between giggles.
It felt good, yet strange to laugh. The relentless storm had finally passed us, and sunlight was streaking through the dark clouds.
We could finally be happy. No strings attached.
22
Full of Surprises
“This weather is so crappy. We should have just ordered in.”
Chase sighed. “It’s just a little snow. I am not letting my girlfriend order in on her birthday.”
I leaned over onto the driver’s side and kissed his cheek. “I love it when you call me that.”
“What, my girlfriend?”
“Yes.”
He grinned. “I know you wouldn’t have minded staying in tonight, but I just couldn’t do it. Not this time, anyway. We’ll have plenty of birthdays to stay in. This birthday is special.”
“Why, because of the whole I-almost-died-but-didn’t thing?”
“Yes, that… and because it’s our first time spending your birthday together. The first of many.”
“Fine. But if you think you’re always going to win every fight with your adorableness, you need to think again.”
“I will ride out these good looks as far as they’ll take me.”
“They got you this far.”
I stared out the window at the old Victorian-style house we were pulling up to. White with black shutters, string lights lit up the wraparound porch. With Valentine’s Day only a week away, red hearts decorated every window upstairs and downstairs.
“Aww Chase! I’ve heard such good things about this place. I’ve always wanted to try it, but it’s a little out of my price range.”
“Tonight, you don’t need to worry about the price. It’s your night. My baby eats whatever she wants.”
“Are you sure about that? Your baby is hungry.”
He chuckled as he turned into a spot. “It looks packed. Good thing I made reservations.”
I loved seeing him in better spirits. He had his good days and his bad days since Tim’s passing.
