Page 21 of Starry Night Kisses

“I just went everywhere I wanted to go. I haven’t really thought about anywhere else. There was always the option of getting a travel van and exploring the States, but I’m not so sure about that now.” She side-eyes me, the last few words of her sentence fading into a quiet lead.

“Would you rather be traveling in a van than be stationary here?”

This is one question I don’t already know the answer to, and I find myself holding my breath in anticipation of her response. Scaling back on work is one thing; being completely inaccessible to my bosses and working remotely is another.

Job or woman. Job or woman.

While the answer is fucking simple, I can’t provide for her and our family without a source of income, and while it’s easy to get a job in my line of work, I’ve been with my company for too long to throw away that working relationship.

“I think I’m okay with being stationary for a while,” she whispers, pulling me from my thoughts.

When I refocus on her, she’s not looking at me but staring off the trail through the trees. “Is that water I hear?” she asks with a hint of a smile. “First one there wins,” she says before taking off toward the rushing sound of the waterfall.

Archer begins to yip as we take off after her and Bagel, chasing them between the trees. Her peals of laughter join in with the dogs barking, causing the adrenaline in my veins to pump abnormally fast.

This right here is everything I’ve always wanted.

She’severything I’ve always dreamed about.

When I catch up to Evie, she’s standing on the edge of a small hill that leads down to the water, taking in the scenery. The sunlight hits the spray from the falls, illuminating the space above the small pool at the base with a rainbow.

“It’s beautiful,” she says in awe.

“It sure is,” I reply. But I’m not looking at it. I’m looking at her.

Cliche, I know.

But hey, I’m a sucker for a classic romance.

Evie looks at me from her peripheral, cheeks lighting up in a rosy pink hue as she turns her head to catch my gaze. I reach for her, intent on kissing her because I want to kiss her every minute of every hour of every day for the rest of our lives, but Archer and Bagel begin to chase each other—or try to anyway, getting their leashes tangled and nearly knocking us on our asses.

“Hold on, buddy,” I tell Archer as I unhook his leash.

“I thought you said he has a bad recall?” Evie asks, releasing Bagel as well.

“If we were actively on the trails and he saw something he wanted to go after, like that rabbit, he’d take off and wouldn’t return until he wanted to. But here, when we’re just hanging out, he won’t wander off,” I explain.

“What if wildlife or another dog passed by here, though?” She walks down the hill carefully, sidestepping the large rocks that speckle the ground.

Fishing out a remote from my pocket, I hold up a hand in surrender and chuckle when her eyes grow wide in terror as she pauses mid-step. “It just vibrates, that’s all. I’d never shock him. Henry’s mother, Maggie, is the one who helped me train him.”

Evie’s eyes flatten, and she looks like she’s about to argue that my logic doesn’t make sense. However, as she resumes walking, her ankle gives out as she steps directly onto a rock protruding from the ground. Catapulting myself forward to catch her before she falls, we end up in a tangle of limbs, rolling the rest of the way down the hill.

A passerby would probably think it looks like something straight out of a romantic comedy.

When we reach the bottom, Evie somehow ends up directly on top of me, and I think it looks just like heaven.

Both dogs crowd us, whining with sympathetic yelps as they shove their noses at us to ensure we’re okay.

“Sorry,” Evie groans, clutching the front of my jacket.

Reaching up, I smooth her hair off her face. “You okay?”

“Yeah, are you?” She begins to lift herself off me, but I tighten my grip on her waist. “God, I’m sorry!” she says, and I tangle my fingers in her hair as I pull her down and roll us over.

“I’m not.” I smash my mouth to hers, devouring her lips as she spreads her legs to make room for me between them.

Evie always tastes sweet—whether it’s from the candy canes she kept sucking on during the New Years party or the strawberry candies she keeps in random bowls around her house. Every time I kiss her, she reminds me of sugary treats.

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