“Of course I remember that, Ry,” he says—his voice low and husky. A warm feeling shoots through my body at his tone. Colton chuckles at my response and continues pulling me forward. “Watch out, there are two steps coming up.”
Colton slows down and helps me down the stairs. “Can I open my eyes now?”
“Be patient, Ry. We’re getting close,” he tells me. I groan, but let him pull me forward. Where could he be taking me? I hear the sound of water running somewhere close by. Are we near a lake? I’m surrounded by the sound of crickets chirping and wind rustling the leaves of the trees. The ground below me is uneven. It feels like I’m walking on a stone or brick path. I stumble forward on a loose rock and collide into Colton’s chest. “You’re so graceful,” he laughs as he continues pulling me forward.
“Hey, you can’t say anything until you’re the one walking blindly on an uneven path,” I mumble. Colton stops moving, and I walk into his chest again. He lets go of my hands and steadies me. “Can I open my eyes now?” I ask.
I arch my head up toward him and wait for his response, but it never comes. Instead, I feel his lips brush against mine. Colton’s arms wrap around my waist and he slowly pulls me closer. I press myself into his body and wait for him to kiss me. His breath hits my cheeks as he lingers in front of me. Oh, just kiss me already.
Colton gently presses his lips to mine, kissing me slowly. I melt into him. My knees feel weak, my heart rate increases, and I can’t think straight. Colton means so much to me that it scares me sometimes. I’m slowly pushing my insecurities back everyday—telling myself that I am good enough for him. This perfect man kissing me is my soulmate. We’re destined for each other. It’s taken me longer to realize it, but I’m beginning to see it now. Colton pulls back and rests his forehead against mine. “You can open your eyes now,” he whispers.
I slowly open my eyes and look up at Colton, getting lost in his green gaze. He’s watching me, waiting for my reaction. Seeing twinkling lights out of the corner of my eye, I turn to the right. My mouth falls open as I look at the scene around me.
I’m standing in the middle of a large garden. Tall flowering plants surround me. A small fountain is located in front of me with water cascading over small ornamental stone angels, leading into a koi pond with lights on the bottom of it lighting up the fish and giving the angels an ethereal glow. Potted plants, shrubs, and ferns cover everything in sight. A stone path leads further into the garden in front of me. Small LED lights line the path showing the way. The twinkling lights around me are fireflies lighting the night sky. Lights wrap up the bases of all the large trees in the yard and get lost under the mass of leaves.
Colton reaches over and gently closes my mouth. I draw my eyes from the garden and look up at him. Hugging him to me, I say, “It’s so beautiful. Thank you for showing it to me.” Colton starts walking backward. I let go of my grip around his waist and follow him. He sits down on a cushioned swing and pulls me beside him.
“While you’ve been working with Colin, Tom, David, and I have been coming down here to clean up the garden and add all the lights. The Howicks helped finish everything up tonight while we were upstairs.”
“Why would you do that? We’re not staying here for much longer…”
“Because I wanted to see that look on your face—that surprised, completely awed, totally beautiful look.” I feel a blush rising on my cheeks from his compliment. “And then the blush that accompanied me telling you that,” he laughs.
I lean in his side and continue to admire the scenery around me. “Thank you, Colton.”
“There’s no need to thank me. You’ve been working really hard lately. You deserve a little break,” he tells me.
I rest my head on his chest and curl my knees up. My eyes follow a firefly in front of me. I reach out and catch it. Opening my fist, I watch as it crawls across my fingers, choosing not to immediately fly away. It’s little legs brush against my skin as it moves onto the back of my hand. I feel Colton’s eyes on me the entire time. Tearing my gaze away from the little bug, I look up at him.
“What?” I ask him when he continues to watch me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the firefly fly off, but I don’t look away from Colton. He shakes his head and looks over toward the fountain. A small smile forms as he stares ahead. “What are you thinking about?”
“Us,” he answers. “The future.”
“What about it?”
“I don’t know. Nothing. Everything. I think about it all. What I want to happen…how I hope things play out.”