15. Stallone

fifteen

Stallone

“I know you love coffee.” I bring her a mug of the piping hot coffee I had made as we move to the couch for after-dinner conversations. She takes her mug, and I plop down beside her, taking up so much room, it feels like a love seat.

I’m not complaining.

We ate our burgers side by side, bellied up on my kitchen island. She didn’t miss a chance to brush my shoulder or reach out to give me a soft touch. It’s more than the flirtation we’ve shared before. Those little touches do everything to ignite a fire in my heart and bond me to her.

“You make great coffee.” She hums between several slow swallows and focuses on the after the nightly news talk show that’s on TV.

"It’s the Keurig,” I reply, but then our conversation wanes. The longer our date goes on, the more comfortable we are sitting in silence. It doesn’t surprise me one bit when she slouches her body against mine, pulling her feet up under her until we are fully snuggling. I wrap my arms around her and it’s a relief to feel her this close. She’s relaxed, not the hyper- competitive woman she was on our first date. I take the moment to lean over and drop a kiss on top of her head. Her sweet honey scent consumes me, and I marvel at how I’m one lucky guy.

Speaking of Lucky, I let him in the house after dinner, and he took right to El, curling up on the floor by our feet. The three of us are the picture of happiness I always had in my head. Only now I finally see El’s face in that picture, and it makes my heart pound so hard that if I didn’t know it was happiness, I would think I was having a medical emergency.

I grab her free hand and playfully rub my thumb over hers. “So, what’s your family going to say when they find out you met an old man?”

She tips her face up to mine. “You’re not an old man, and it doesn’t matter what they think. It only matters what I think.”

The thing is, I want to believe her.

But she’s so young.

Some would say too young, with wild oats left to sow.

But I believe her when she says she doesn’t care, because she doesn’t seem the type to care about sowing wild oats.

I’m in that place in life where I’m ready to make adjustments for someone special. I’m not so stubborn to think life must only be my way. If she wants to go slow, we will tiptoe together, relishing all the milestones we make. If she wants to move things along faster, and wants a family with me . . .

Then I’m an even luckier man.

I’ve never felt so still inside while knowing it’s all going to work out.

I roll my bottom lip, trapping it in my teeth. It’s crazy to feel this way so soon after just meeting someone, but I’ve never felt this kind of connection with anyone.

I’d say I’m falling for her.

It’s clearly too soon to tell her that, but I have something else in mind. Something to show her.

“Hey.” I drop my hand down to her hip and lean forward at the same time. “Come with me.”

Her perfect brow furrows together into a quizzical look, but she doesn’t hesitate to follow my lead. We rise off the couch together, and I take her hand and lead her to the French doors off the kitchen and onto the wraparound deck. I don’t need to tell her why I brought her out here. The ladylike gasp that slips from her lips the second she sees the sky tells me she gets it.

“I’ve never seen stars like this before.” Her tone is drenched in awe as her gaze glues upward, while she meanders all the way over to the end of the deck that overlooks the valley. Nothing blocks her view, and her expression morphs into one of childlike wonder.

I knew the stars wouldn’t disappoint as the sky was cloudless all day. Normally, when I’m out at night, I enter a haze where I can’t help but think this must be the most beautiful place on earth. Tonight, I just look at her. I walk up behind her and wrap both arms around her body. She doesn’t flinch, but covers her hands with mine, and we freeze together looking up. She fits so perfectly into my arms that my heart skips an actual beat, making my chest ache, and I suck back a deep breath.

I never planned on Arielle.

I certainly wasn’t out looking for something to consume my thoughts so much that it makes it impossible for me to concentrate on anything for longer than a few minutes, but I’m not going to run from this either. I dip my head down to rest it on top of hers.

“This is absolutely breathtaking,” she coos after many long moments of silence. “I can tell why you love it here so much.”

“One of the many reasons.” The view from here never gets old, but a tinge of jealousy buds in my chest, as I can’t help but wish I could see it for the first time again. Yet, I’m so grateful I can share it with her. “I grew up on the top of this same mountain. When I was a kid, I used to imagine that the stars would start to fall, and since I was so close, I’d be able to just reach up and catch one.”

“I can see why. It does feel like we’re right there with them. You’re really lucky to live here.” She turns her head, scanning in all directions, while pulling in a deep inhalation. “The air out here is so clean and crisp. I’m going to miss that too.”

“I’m assuming it’s completely different than what you have in Boston.”

She answers me by squeezing my hands tighter, and I can feel her body slouch even more onto mine, creating a oneness that feels flawless. I would call this perfection. If there is anything I can do to get her to stay, even just a little while longer, I’m going to do it. I’m not the smartest guy on the planet, but I know a woman like Arielle is rare. Chemistry like ours is even rarer. “El,” I rasp over the top of her head when my emotions bubble up so much, I can no longer contain them.

“Yeah.” Her voice is soft and dreamy, like she’s dreaming the things I refuse to let myself dream about. Like how I don’t want her to leave, ever. In my head I see this play out like a movie. She leaves her place in Boston to stay here with me. It doesn’t take me more than a second to make her my entire world, and it’s not more than a month or two before we get married. I wouldn’t be surprised if we had a little one on the way this time next year. That’s the life I want so badly, but I don’t dare to tell her that much.

“One thing I’ve learned in life is sometimes you have to take chances.” I stall, take a deep breath, but that inhalation only pulls her sweet scent into my lungs, and it makes my knees shake. I risk another kiss, just ghosting my lips over the crown of her head, and I pray it’s not the last time I get to do that. Swallowing, I say one mere sentence, but it’s so powerful I feel as if I’m pouring my whole heart out to her, and my heart slams against my chest. “I hope this doesn’t scare you, because we’ve haven’t known each other very long, but I’m falling for you.”

I hold my breath, expecting a long pause and maybe even a little squirming, because I know I can come on strong, but I won’t dance around for what I want. She does nothing of the sort. Instead, she turns around, her head tipped back so she can look all the way up at me, and she says with bold confidence, “I’m falling for you too.”

I wouldn’t believe something like this could happen so fast, but at that moment a seal is created in my heart, locking it off from anyone else but her.