Page 92 of My Greatest Joy

“You amaze me.” I laugh, almost envisioning what the scene tonight will look like. “The best I can do is an uneven stick figure.”

Moments later, Finn walks up with a holiday cup and hands it to Oakley.

“What were you two talking about?” he asks, placing a sweet kiss on Oakley’s lips.

“Painting.” Oakley shoots me a wink, and I appreciate her kindness.

“Well,” Levi says. “Lucy has a booth around here somewhere. I need to go say hello.”

“She’s on the far side, right in the middle of all the commotion,” Oakley says.

“Good seeing you again, Fallon,” Finn offers. “Keep him out of trouble.”

“One can only try,” I say.

“If you get bored, I’ll be here all night,” Oakley tells us, and we wave goodbye.

Levi falls in line beside me with Dasher in tow. “What did she say?”

I chuckle, but her words aren’t ones I’ll be forgetting anytime soon. “Nothing. Nothing at all. But she did get me a gift.”

“Yeah?” he asks.

I pull it from my pocket and show him.

“It’s perfect.” He laughs, and I quickly steal a kiss.

Eventually, we find Lucy, who’s selling hand-carved ornaments from the shop and boxes of White’s famous gingersnaps by the dozens. She’s busy as hell, so we wait in line for our turn to chat with her.

“It’s those cookies,” I say, seeing how many people are buying. “Is it really a secret recipe?”

“Yep.” He smirks.

“And you’re not going to tell me?”

He leans in and whispers in my ear, “Not until there’s a ring on that finger.”

My heart flutters at the idea of marrying this man. But I know it’s a fantasy, and I’m getting way ahead of myself.

“You’re a tease. But I did notice your wise choice of words. You saiduntilinstead ofunless.”

“Always so observant.” He winks.

I swallow when it’s our turn to order. Lucy squeals when she sees us holding hands. “Oh my God, it’s my favorite non-couple.”

Levi leans across the table and gives her a hug. She forces me to do the same, but I don’t mind it. “Are you guys having fun?”

I nod as Levi places some cash in her tip jar. “Just wanted to say hey and tell you that you’re a badass.”

“Thanks, Levi. You’re my favorite hype squad. But I’m closing this baby down once I sell out of everything.”

“Then I guess we better leave you to it,” he tells her.

After walking around for a few more hours, we find an empty park bench and sit. I pull out my phone and type away, writing down all my thoughts.

“You’re so fast,” Levi says, sitting back.

“There’s so much to write,” I say, going back to my phone. He doesn’t rush me or ask any questions, and after an hour of nonstop typing in my phone, my wrists and fingers ache. I lock it and look over at him, and he’s completely relaxed, happy even.

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