I squeeze his hand in mine. ‘I totally love you.’
We watch the rest of Penny’s performance in silence, his arms around me and my head on his chest. You’d never know it’s been nearly twenty years since they did this; they’re that good. The local crowd is also going nuts, which is an excellent sign that the music world will receive them well.
‘You all are amazing!’ Penny says into the mic as they wind down. ‘Who’s ready for the ball drop? It looks like we’ve got twelve seconds to go. Countdown with me! Ten, nine, eight…’
The crowd echoes around her, counting down the seconds until we travel in time to the next year of our lives.
‘Three, two, one,’ River says, kissing me at the stroke of midnight like he means it.
This is the best night of my life so far. Especially considering just three months ago, I was begging a man to love me. Now one a hundred times better just volunteered the words and even looks happy that he said them.
‘This is our year, baby.’
‘It’s our year,’ I repeat, kissing him hard while the crowd screams in response to the ball dropping. But in true River style, he slows things down, sending butterflies through every part of me with his lips on mine and his fingers in my hair. He says he likes to remember every second of the important moments, so he does this often. ‘You never know what might become a core memory,’ he once said. I really hope this becomes one. He is the best kisser, and I wish I never needed to breathe, but as I pull away to take a breath, I can’t help but smile.
‘You are perfect,’ I say, causing him to tighten his grip on me as he lifts me off the ground.
‘Really?’
‘Totally,’ I say, laughing through him kissing me repeatedly. ‘I love you so much.’
‘You’d have to be an idiot not to,’ he says, repeating my words from the night he asked me to be his girlfriend.
‘But I’m not,’ I say. ‘You’re my favorite man in all the world, and I promise, you’re the last man I’m ever saying that to.’
‘I’d love to be the last boyfriend you ever have.’
‘It’s a deal,’ I say, leaning into him while he kisses my forehead before we head to the stage to congratulate Penny Candy. Let the New Year begin.