Page 28 of Starry Night Kisses

“I don’t know, I guess because it kind of makes me seem a little hung up on her. I just haven’t found anyone I was interested in,” he peeks at me, “until now.”

As we near the summit, the trail turns into switchbacks, and the terrain transforms into a steeper, rockier landscape. “I haven’t been withanyone since Jonathan,” I admit, keeping my eyes trained on my feet and periodically looking ahead to ensure it doesn’t get too difficult for Bagel.

“Not even when you were in Europe?” I can hear the dry humor in his tone.

“I could have,” I answer truthfully. “But something always held me back. After… After everything that happened, I didn’t want something meaningless.”

Archer hops over the last ridge, tail wagging and tongue flopping out of his mouth as he turns to see Bagel struggling to get up the lip of a smooth rock. My heart flutters, and my body explodes with a dopamine hit, like whenever I watch animal videos on social media, as Archer jumps back down and nudges Bagel under his butt, helping him up before jumping to the top once more.

Eric’s hands are warm as he grips me from behind, sliding his palms under my shirt and against my skin as he helps me. While the view is beautiful, I imagine it will be breathtaking once the maple leaves have grown back, their bare gray branches resembling spindly fingers reaching between the evergreens.

“Alright, boys. Come get your snacks,” Eric croons at the dogs as he kneels to get their bowls and food from his pack.

A slight breeze carries the scent of earthy moss and the unmistakable damp fragrance of spring. It’s chilly, and I set my pack down to pull my sherpa-lined jean jacket over my flannel.

While Eric settles the dogs, I unwrap a granola bar and peer at the landscape. The forest stretches to the horizon, green speckled with gray and the occasional glimpse of a turquoise lake nestled amongst smaller peaks.

“This will be great for your travel blog,” Eric murmurs, wrapping his arms around me. He’s holding his phone horizontally, the camera flipped so the frame is filled with us and the dogs in the background.

Smiling while he takes a few shots, I reach an arm behind me to wind around his neck and press up on my tiptoes, balancing against his chest as I kiss him over my shoulder. Eric obliges me, snapping a few photos of us kissing before pulling back.

“So you’re a fan of the blog, huh?” I ask, sitting on a large rock protruding from the ground.

His answer is merely a grin as he searches my pack for another granola bar.

Eventually, I’m startled when he asks, “Are you thinking about him?”

My gaze snaps to his, only to realize he’s looking at my necklace. It takes me a second to realize I’ve fished it out from underneath my shirt and am rubbing the pads of my fingers over the alexandrite in the middle of the star.

“No!” I exclaim with so much zeal that it makes me sound guilty of doing exactly that. “I’m sorry, it’s just a habit.”

“It’s okay, Evie. You don’t have to hide it from me,” he says softly, coming over and pressing a kissagainst the top of my head. “I guess I’m just curious if I’ll be spending my whole life sharing you with him.”

Panic settles through my bones as viciously as the butterflies that erupt in my stomach at hearing him say he wants me for his whole life. I snap my head up to look at him. “No, Eric. I promise. It’s not like that.”

Except, it sort of is because as much as I try to forget about him, Jonathandoescreep into my thoughts more often than I’d like. It makes me want to explain how I feel to Eric.

Don’t let your past ruin your future.

I grab his hand and pull him down to sit beside me. He secures the dogs next to the rock before putting his arm around my shoulders and pulling me tightly against him.

“What I went through, spending those days there only to have Jonathan vanish into thin air like he never existed…it wastraumatic. Even after we ran into each other—don’t get me wrong, how could I be upset when his wife and daughter were alive? Still…it was also traumatic in its own way. Yet, therapeutic in a sense? I don’t know if I’m making any sense–”

“You are,” he interrupts. “I felt the same way with Daphne. Eight years is a long time to be with someone, especially when they spend most of it grieving. I wouldn’t go as far as saying our divorce was traumatic, but it was hard to see her move on so quickly. Yet, at the same time, when I first saw them together, I understood right away, and I was happy for her.”

“Understood what?”

“That she and Henry were meant to be together. Their story was like two pages of the same book that connected instantly as soon as they found each other.”

I reflect on my ex-husband and how quickly he ruined our marriage for his secretary. “I’m sure thatwashard to watch.”

“Yeah, but I knew I’d find my own happy ending someday.” He props his chin on my head and squeezes me tighter. “What I’m trying to say is, I understand if he sneaks into your thoughts occasionally. Daphne did, too, for over a year. It doesn’t threaten me. I’ll never get jealous of him or upset that he crosses your mind, and I’ll never ask or expect you to stop wearing your necklace. It’s a part of who you are now. I can’t imagine you without that thing.”

Again, the fact that we’ve only seen each other a handful of times since we met slinks into my head. Eric keeps making comments that suggest we’ve known each other for much longer.

“Besides, it’s okay. I know I rock your world better than anyone can.” I can hear the mirth in his tone, and I grin up at him to see a teasing smile on his face.

“You, sir, are one cocky man.”

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