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A laugh rumbles in Levi’s chest. “Vegetables? Not this time.”
Levi parks and kills the engine of his truck. “Ready?”
“I have no idea!” Still—I am. I open the door and hop out, sliding until my feet hit the ground. I straighten out my dress and find Levi at my side.
He picks up my hand—as if this were normal, as if we’ve been holding hands for years. Goosebumps break out over my arm and up my neck, my body is hyper-aware of his every touch. “Come on.” He leads me over to the little brick building.
It’s longer than it appears at first glance, and just when I’m thinking that I might forever be in the dark, I see the sign. A long cloth draped from end to end of the front of the building.Post Falls Butterfly Pavilion.
“Butterfly—” I’m still peering at the sign. Still making sense of things.
“Number one,” he says, squeezing my fingers with the lightest of pressure. “I figure this is your best chance to catch a butterfly.”
A laugh bubbles from my lips, and for some reason tears blur my vision. He gives me a soft grin, one that’s almost like a secret.
With his free hand, he maneuvers his wallet from his back pocket and buys two tickets, removing his card and returning it to his wallet, all while never letting go of me.
His hand in mine is like a gift. It’s like something I’ve been missing my entire life. Lost, but now found. Unknown, now never to be forgotten. I could never forgetthis. It’s too wonderful.
And we aren’t even inside yet.
There’s an entrance to the brick building, but Levi turns us around toward the greenhouse. “That’s a museum. We can check it out later. Let’s go see the butterflies now. Yeah?”
I nod, heart pounding. “Yes.”
There’s a woman dressed in khaki and green at the entrance, ready to welcome us inside. She explains that we’ll go into a small entry, then once the front door is closed, we’ll be allowed to go into the exhibit. It’s a safety precaution to keep the butterflies from escaping.
My stomach swirls—as if filled with the little creatures. We enter the small space and the worker shuts the door behind us.
“Ready?” Levi asks, peering down at me.
He is strong, handsome, and good. And my thoughts come out before I have time to edit them. “This might be the perfect time for number five.”
31
Levi
Ican’t help but laugh—not out loud and not at Meredith. She’s right. This place is private and sweet, and it would be the perfect place to kiss her. But I carefully remind myself that I’m here for number one, catching a butterfly.
I squeeze her fingers, my eyes dropping to her lips for only a second. “Come on,” I tell her, pulling her through the next door and into the exhibit. There are plants and ferns and flowers every which way—and butterflies. Butterflies galore. Every possible species and color. Every direction.
Meredith sighs, then laughs, though it sounds more like a bell ringing in this moment. Her hand falls from mine to her side and she spins in a slow circle, taking in the space.
I stay rooted in my spot and just take in the view. Not the plants, flowers, or even the thousands of butterflies throughout this massive room. But Meredith. Her face glows like the earth has created a spotlight just around her. Her eyes are as blue as the sky and they take in everything.
“This place,” she says, “it’s magical.” She steps farther in and I follow after her.
We walk side by side in silence. We take in everything around us in the solace that this place seems to deserve.
“Look, there,” she says after we’ve walked half the exhibit.
A low-hanging branch from one of the flowering trees is covered every inch with orange Monarch butterflies. A large ceramic bowl, like a bird bath shaped like one of the Monarchs sits just below the branch and is filled with the butterflies as well.
Meredith’s laugh rings in the air. She pulls in a breath, her eyes determined. I watch as she quietly creeps upon them, keeping her tennis shoes silent, until she’s in their midst. Their wings freeze with Meredith inches from the branch and bowl. And then, they take flight. It’s as if they are synchronized. They swirl and whirl upward, as if on command. They flutter in unison, but they don’t go far. They flurry around Meredith as if she were their master. Slow and steady, she lifts her arms, like my niece about to twirl. She stays still though, all except her lips, they turn up in the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. Her eyes flutter up and around to see the show all around her.
A few monarchs perch on her outstretched arms and one even on her blonde head.
“You did it. You caught one.” I whisper, watching the scene. She’s actually caught several. I fumble, trying to get the phone from my back pocket. I snap a quick photo before they all decide to leave. “I got it,” I say—more to myself. But I’m not looking at the phone. The photo could be blurry for all I know. I can’t take my eyes off Meredith. From the strange phenomenon happening around me.
