Page 109 of To Catch a Firefly

I will kiss you all the days we’re together.

And I will think of you any day we are not.

I don’t know what it is that makes attraction, but I know I bend toward you no matter where on this Earth you are. I feel your pull, and if I am your moon, as you say I am, then I promise to always call you back home.

You are my world, Luck. And even when all goes dark, I will look for you. I will find you, blinking for me in the endless night, and I will be with you always. My brilliant firefly. My love. My Luck.

Forever, I’ll be waiting.

“Shit,” I mutter, wiping my cheek as my breath stutters. “He wasn’t supposed to make me cry before the ceremony.”

Danil hands me a tissue, and I thank him, clearing the moisture from my face. It takes me a moment to feel more composed.

Ellis’s letters never fail to leave me spinning, just a little.

“You know,” Danil says slowly. “I think if I evercouldhave felt more for someone, it would have been you.”

I look at him in surprise, pulse hitching. “Dani…”

“Oh, get that look off your face,” he says, rolling his eyes. “This isn’t some declaration. I’m not coming in like Julia Roberts on your wedding day, allpick me, choose me, and I’m not going to quietly pine after you for years to come. It’s just…” He fiddles with the pack of smokes in his pocket before holding it up. “You mind?”

I shake my head, and Danil opens the window, leaning against the sill as he lights a cigarette. He takes a drag before bending and blowing the smoke out the window. When he stands upright again, he chews his lip for a minute as if in thought.

“Here’s the thing,” he says. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever want what you do. The permanent partner. The lifetime commitment. But you’ve made me feel something I haven’t for most. It’s notlove…not that kind. But it is… Well, fuck, itislove, you know?” He pinches his nose. “Jesus, I’m mucking this up. What I want you to know is that I treasure you, Lucky-boy. You’re something special to me, and I’m glad you’re in my life.”

“Dani,” I say softly, rising from the bed.

“We’re going to hug again, aren’t we?” he says, carefully stubbing out his cigarette. He opens his arms, breathing a put-upon sigh, but there’s a smile on his face as he wraps his arms around me, careful not to crush my boutonniere. He kisses my cheek, as he so often does, before pulling back. “I do love you, Lucky. In my way. And I’m happy for you.”

“I love you, too, Dani,” I admit, voice choked. “And I never did thank you.”

“What for?” he asks.

“For reminding me of my courage the last time you were here. I needed that.”

“Glad I could help,” he says, punching my shoulder lightly. “Now, what do you say? Ready to walk down the aisle?”

I blow out a breath.I’m ready.

My parents are waiting for us in the living room. They smile when we enter, and then the four of us head outside.

Ellis and I decided on a simple ceremony for our wedding, not needing anything more. Our engagement was short, but we didn’t want to wait. We wanted to be husbands, and soon, we will be. Our gathering is small, just family and a few close friends, with Danil officiating. And as we round the house from the front to the back, everything comes into view.

There are a handful of white chairs set in two rows with a break down the middle. Gauzy white fabric trails from wooden posts, flanking both sides of the unofficial aisle. Blue flower petals decorate the grass, blowing gently in the breeze. And more white gauze is situated up front, creating a backdrop that looks like fluttering clouds.

Mrs. Cole is already seated, as well as Gabby, Riley, and our other friends. And, after giving me another hug each, my parents join them.

But at the center of it all, waiting for me in front of a field of corn, is Ellis, holding up a sign with big, blocky letters. I clamp a hand over my mouth as I read it.

Lucky

Will you marry me?

Ellis is grinning above the edge of the sign, his eyes, even from here, looking wet. Our guests glance between the two of us, smiling, if not a little confused. Our parents, though—they understand.

“What do you think?” I shout at him.

His grin widens, and he drops the sign to his side, revealing his blue boutonniere that matches my own. My stomach flutters as I take him in. He looks undeniably handsome standing there, the soft colors of his fitted suit contrasting so nicely with his darker hair. He looks steady, strong, and determined, and the me of so many years ago never would have imagined he’d be mine.

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