61. Liam
“What time?”
“They will be releasing them at noon.” The woman on the other end of the phone replies.
“Okay, perfect. Thank you.” I end the call and smile.
“What are you smiling about?” Declan asks.
I pocket my phone and turn to him.
“I’m taking Emily to Central Park today for a surprise.”
“Another one?” he asks with a raised brow.
“Aye,” I say with a nod and a cheesy grin on my face.
He chuckles when he sees my expression and slaps me on the back. “Alright, you lovestruck puppy.”
I check my watch and see I have just under two hours to get Emily ready and to Central Park for the event.
“Shite. I gotta go.” I wave goodbye and head to our home.
I step into our room and halt when I see Emily on the ground surrounded by random items. She’s hunched forward with a journal open on her lap.
When I hear her sniffle, I quickly stride over and kneel beside her. She raises her head and I frown at the tears that stain her cheeks.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
She smiles and shakes her head. “Nothing.”
I peer down at the journal, and she moves to hand it to me. “Read it.” She says.
I take the journal from her hands and turn it toward me. “What is it?”
My eyes roam over the words and my heart expands in my chest while also cracking. I swallow the emotions that squeeze my throat and blink away the burn in my eyes.
Settling the book aside, I cup Emily’s face with my hands.
“You are my home too, Féileacán. ”
She buries herself into my chest and I wrap my arms around her.
“I have a surprise I want to show you. I think you’ll love it.” I say when she pulls away. “Get ready, baby. We’re going to Central Park.”
I swipe away the tears on her face and kiss her gently. When she stands and heads toward the ensuite, I ready myself to go.
We walk through Central Park until we reach the conservatory.
“What are we doing here?” Emily asks, tugging lightly at my hand.
I check the time and smile when there are only five minutes left until her surprise will be revealed.
“Come on,” I pull her with me as we move toward the open garden where a crowd has gathered.
Emily furrows her brow and glances around. She pauses when she sees a group with some covered cages.
“Liam?” she whispers.
I smile at her reassuringly and squeeze her fingers. “Just watch. You’ll love it.”
A young woman steps in front of the group and clasps her hands.
“Thank you so much for coming to our butterfly release.”
Emily sucks in a breath and her head whips to me before she returns her attention back to the woman. She goes on to talk about the importance of butterflies and their contribution to the ecosystems they reside in.
She gestures for the other men and women in her group to step forward. They lift the cages and move to her side. Emily’s hand tightens around mine when they unveil the butterflies under the cover.
The crowd loudly counts down from ten. When they reach one, the cages are opened from the top and hundreds of butterflies escape into the sky.