Page 17 of A Winter's Wedding

America directed Leo to a burger place, and after a quick internet search of the best places to stargaze in Colorado Springs, Leo headed to a park called The Garden of the Gods. Just off the interstate, he followed the road as it snaked around gigantic monuments and delicate spires. He found a small empty parking area situated near the base of what appeared to be a giant red platter stuck into the ground and balancing on its thin edge.

America looked up through the windshield. “Do you think it’ll fall over?”

“Let’s hope not until after we eat. Why don’t you grab the food and meet me upstairs,” Leo said and opened the back door.

“Upstairs?” she asked, not quite knowing what he was talking about.

America slipped her arms through her coat sleeves and zipped up her red puffer. Gathering dinner, which consisted of two cheeseburgers, fries, and a large Dr. Pepper, she met Leo at the front of the car. He sat with his legs crisscrossed and invited her up to join him on the hood. “Upstairs,” she giggled.

The hood was still warm from the engine heat, though the air felt like tiny little ice knives cutting her exposed skin. Leo unrolled a large southwestern style blanket and draped it over their shoulders as they sat looking westward.

Pulling the soft fabric around her legs on the far side, she asked, “Where did you get this?”

“Nahele must have thrown it in the back before we left the hogans. Here,” he passed her a small, folded notecard, “he left this note.”

She opened the small card. “Leo and America. Congratulations on your marriage. I hope this blanket will keep you close on cold nights and hold you together when times are tough. Best wishes, Nahele and Doba.” America tucked the note inside her coat pocket. “That’s incredibly sweet. Why do you think they took such a liking to us?”

Leo unwrapped the brown parchment paper from around his burger and lapped up the melting cheese where it was dripping out of one side of the bun. “I think people just get a feeling about other people. Like I did when I met you. Or like you did when you met Carol. You just knew she was a nut waiting for someone to come crack that hardheaded shell of hers.”

America laughed. “When you so sweetly told me to go and speak with her about decorating the town for Christmas and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I think if you had told me what to expect I may have formed an opinion about her, a wrong one, and never tried to be her friend. So, I guess I know what you mean. As for you, I thought you might be an ax murderer when we first met.”

“I’m glad you’re over that.”

“Who said I am?” She laughed.

“How do you know I’m not?” Leo gave a diabolical chortle back knowing how many true-crime podcasts America used to listen to. It was no surprise that her mind had gone there.Just one more reason to love her, he thought. “Remind me to send Nahele a thank you note once we get back home.” Leo took another bite of his burger as the sky turned from a dull purple to a dark blue. “You’re not eating?”

“I’m not hungry.” America looked down at her wrapped burger, and her stomach growled loudly, causing them both to giggle. “I guess I’m hungrier than I thought.”

Once their dinner was gone, and the hood of the car was nearly cooled off, the sky was filled with millions of little specks of light. Leo laid back and used the windshield as a headrest, while America snuggled into the crook of his arm. He was warm, though the air was not, and he smelled like bacon and cheddar. Through his coat, she listened to his steady breathing and strong heartbeat. Leo pulled the blanket over their bodies, and they took in the magical night sky.

To have and to hold… The words played in her mind in time with his heartbeat.To have. To hold. To have. To hold.

No matter how hard she had fought the reality that they were in fact married now, she had to admit that the air had changed between them the second they signed the papers in the Paris Hotel ballroom. It wasn’t enough for America to know the truth, she wanted to show Leo, her husband, how much he meant to her. She took his hand and hugged it into her chest. The blanket was wrapped tightly around their bodies and giving them all the warmth that it could provide, but she snuggled closer anyway.

“Not the honeymoon you were imagining?” she said.

Leo flexed his arm around her, pulling her body closer to his, if that was even possible. Her cheeks heated and she knew it wasn’t from the cozy blanket. “Better,” he said and kissed the top of her head.

“Better? Than Italy?”

“Oh no, I didn’t say that. We’re still going to Italy next week. At first, I felt like marrying you was all wrong?—”

“Hey,” she nudged him.

“Not like that. I just had this picture in my head of what our marriage was going to look like. And accidentally getting hitched in Vegas was not what I had in mind with my Valentine’s surprise.” Leo squirmed and his chest muscles tensed as he offered an explanation as to why this trip was better than what he had imagined. “You know how perfect my parents’ marriage was. I just keep thinking all the stuff that’s being thrown our way… Is it a sign?”

America sat up and inspected his face for the truth. “So, you think that your parents’ lives were perfect because they loved each other so much? I don’t think that’s how that works, Leo. I’m sure they had their fair share of hiccups. You just didn’t notice, because despite any obstacles they faced, their love for each other got them through it all. And that’s what you saw as their child. And that’s all you’re choosing to remember now as an adult.”

“Like I only saw what I wanted to see?”

“Not exactly.” She laid her head on his chest. “I just think it’s not a good idea to compare our relationship to this idealized version of what you think your parents had. Because I can tell you right now, we can’t compete with all that. Nor should we have to.”

America was sensitive to the fact that Leo’s mom and dad had each passed away only a few weeks apart. His mother died of a broken heart not long after his father’s heart attack. Leo had told her that he longed for a love as big as theirs. One that was so big, only angels can carry it. That kind of pressure had weighed on her ever since and only increased after their engagement. But now, as they lay together, far from home, she wondered if their love was growing in big ways too.

“Look,” she said, “a shooting star.”

“I saw it too,” Leo pointed to the area of the sky where the streak of light had been. “Quick, make a wish.”

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