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There was no way that his family wouldn’t try to help with or at least have some input in any event that was being planned, whether it was a wedding or a picnic in a small glade by a creek.

As they ate their lunch, Lee found himself drawn completely into the moment. His focus was on nothing but Rori, as he longed to learn even more about her. The parts of herself that she didn’t share with the people at work.

Lee noticed that while Rori wanted to hear stories about his growing up years in Serenity, she wasn’t as inclined to share about her own childhood.

As they talked, their conversation flowed as naturally as the nearby brook. They talked of places they wanted to visit, and it came as no surprise that the places Rori named all had beautiful vistas.

The one place they both wanted to visit was New Zealand. Lee wanted to see it because of Lord of the Rings, while Rori wanted to go there to take pictures of the scenery.

Was it too soon to think that maybe a trip there could be in their future?

Maybe.

It was early on, but the connection he felt building between them brought with it a lot of hope. More hope than he’d had about anything recently. And along with the hope, he felt a strong sense of peace. Like he was finally on the path God had designed for him.

Which was good enough for him to want to continue pursuing Rori.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Rori couldn’t believe how emotional she felt. She was smiling and laughing, truly enjoying herself with Lee, but tears lingered just beneath the surface.

He had done all this for her.

When he’d asked her out on a date, she’d assumed that they’d go for dinner and maybe a movie. Something simple and easy. And that would have been more than enough.

But this?

This?

It was everything.

Each thing about the date proved he’d thought of her when he’d made the plans. He’d thought of what she might enjoy.

The food they’d enjoyed on that picnic blanket told Rori that he’d taken what he knew about her so far and planned accordingly. The meals they’d shared to date had been comprised of sandwiches and pizza. He’d apparently taken notes on what she put on her sandwiches when they’d eaten at the park and made sure to include all of that.

During their time together to date, she’d enjoyed learning about Lee, but she hadn’t been as keen to share about her past. The last thing she wanted was to cast a pall over their time together.

While Lee shared stories about birthday parties, sleepovers, holiday trips, siblings, and parents, Rori was left with stories of no birthday parties or gifts, no friends, no trips, and she had no positive stories of times with her siblings and parents. No one wanted to hear those stories. Especially on a first date.

Someday, she might share all of that with him, but she didn’t want it to taint this time together. And she didn’t want tears to taint it either, even if they stemmed more from being just so deeply touched by what Lee had done than from any sadness.

Although, they were sort of rooted in sadness. How was it that she had made it this far in her life, with that day being the first time someone had done something like this for her?

“Want chocolate or strawberries?” Lee asked as they packed away the remnants of their lunch into the small cooler bag inside the picnic basket.

“I have to choose?” Rori asked as she shoved the emotions down to mull over later, choosing rather to embrace the lighthearted moments Lee had created.

He grinned and gave her a wink. “I think I could be persuaded to give you both.”

Laughter bubbled up, and Rori wondered if she’d ever been happier in her life.

“Your wish is my command,” Lee said with a flourish as he presented her with a container of strawberries. “And we have some whipped cream to dip them in. Also, what Halverson meal would be complete without some brownies? Layla and Amelia made them with Charli’s help this morning.”

“That was sweet of them,” Rori said as she put a couple of strawberries on her plate, then added a brownie and a dollop of whipped cream.

“Like I said, everyone was on board with this and wanted to play a part in making it special. The girls wanted to come along.”

Rori chuckled. “Really?”

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