Page 107 of To Catch a Firefly

When we park alongside a familiar stretch of road, my gut swoops. “El?”

“Feel like…trespassing?” he asks. “For old time’s sake?”

My laugh is more than a little surprised. “Are you serious?”

His exit from the truck is answer enough. Shaking my head, I follow, and Ellis grabs my hand before walking with me past the rows of corn to the bend that leads to the nearby house. I nearly lose my footing when the windmill comes into view.

It’s covered in lights. White strands circle the base, curling up the length of the windmill. Even the wide blades at the top are trimmed in fairy lights.

“How?” I sputter, sparing a quick glance at the house.

Ellis gives me a wink. “Got permission.”

I shake my head in disbelief.

Ellis’s pace is steady as he leads me to the door at the back of the windmill. It opens easily, and the inside looks like a dream. More lights cover the interior, winding up the staircase, giving the space an otherworldly glow. It feels like pure magic as I pass through the doorway, memories of me and El when we were younger flitting through my mind like hazy snapshots.

Ellis gives me a tug toward the stairs, helping move my feet forward. He leads the way, hunching once he reaches the top. Despite his shoulders being so wide they barely have room to slip through the hole, he manages it, holding out a hand once he’s up top. I follow him through, eyes blinking at the fairy lights strung across the low wooden ceiling.

“I can’t believe you did all this,” I say, kneeling before I shuffle forward. The sun has yet to set, but the view out the window is still breathtaking. It’s our home, stretching out in front of us, an endless sea of maize and green.

I huff a small laugh.Damn corn.

When I look behind me, my breath stutters. “El?”

He’s kneeling, too. But instead of being on two knees, he’s down on one, hands clasped in front of him. The expression on his face is one I’ve seen hundreds, if not thousands, of times before, and his lips quirk up a bit at one side, like he has a secret.

He opens his hands without a word, opening the small box within at the same time. The world feels hushed, not a sound reaching my ears above my own soft exhalation. Ellis never speaks. He doesn’t have to. Earlier, he gave me his heart. This…this is his life he’s offering.

My hand trembles as I reach forward, picking up the ring. It’s softer than metal. Silicone, if I had to guess. A thoughtful choice considering my active job. And it’s dark blue, so dark, at first I thought it was black.

I slip it on my finger without a word, looking at it for a long moment before I meet Ellis’s gaze. His eyes are wet now, lips shaking with his smile. I scoot forward, hands on his cheeks, lips in front of his own. And I kiss him.

It’syesandof courseandwe’re going to be so happy, you just wait and see. It’s sixteen years ofHi. What’s your name? Mine’s Lucky.It’s knowing no matter how much more time passes, this is my person, and I am his, and we’re bound together by fate or choice or, hell, corn for all I know.

It’s being somewhere in the middle of a very long journey, and knowing there’s no end.

“Me and you, El,” I whisper against his lips. “It’ll always be me and you.”

His mouth brushing mine is an agreement.

We stay at the top of that windmill for hours, my lips bruised from Ellis’s kisses. When the sun sets, we watch, the fairy lights keeping us company like little twinkling fireflies. The stars keep us company, too.

And as night rolls over to morning, my fiancé’s hand is in mine.

Chapter 37

Lucky

“Too much?” Danil asks.

I whistle, eyeing my friend up and down. He’s in an impeccable pinstriped suit, the coal color suiting his complexion. His dark hair is styled neatly back from his face, and every inch of him, from his expensive watch to his wingtip shoes, looks pristine.

“You clean up nice,” I tell him, to which he snorts.

“You’re one to talk.”

I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My own suit is a light cream color, and my shirt and tie are white. Ellis’s, I know, will be the same. I took care when drying my hair this morning, making sure it didn’t frizz too badly, but I have a feeling it won’t matter once I get outside. The curls have always been unruly.

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