Chapter 14
Devon
It felt great to be back in my hometown, and what made it even better was getting to share it with Kit. Even though we spent most of our time with my mom and Ed, I also carved out a little time for just the two of us.
A highlight was spending an afternoon with him at the aquarium.
He was so excited, and I loved watching the way his face lit up at one thing after another.
“This place is wonderful,” he said, as he hugged my arm and we watched a bunch of tiny jellyfish propel themselves around their tank. “Did you come here as a kid?”
“I was twelve the first time I visited. Ed brought me here a few months after he started dating my mom, for a guys’ day out.
When he saw how much I enjoyed it, he bought me an annual pass, and he kept renewing it all throughout my teen years.
I’d come here when I was upset about something, or when I needed time to myself, because it was so soothing.
I’d sit for hours sometimes, watching the fish in their quiet, beautiful little worlds, and thinking through whatever was on my mind. I always felt better afterwards.”
Kit squeezed my arm. “Thank you for bringing me here. I love it even more, now that I know what it means to you.”
He was particularly excited about the seahorses, so before we left I took him to the gift shop and bought him a stuffed seahorse toy, along with a National Aquarium sweatshirt and baseball cap.
When we got outside, he thanked me and gave me a big kiss.
There was a sparkle in his eyes as he handed me the shopping bag.
“Please hold this for a minute,” he said, “and wait here.” Then he ran back into the building.
He had a huge smile on his face when he returned and presented me with a gift.
He’d bought me a little stuffed turtle, a box of shell-shaped chocolates, and a baseball cap that matched the one I’d gotten him.
I grinned as I held up the stuffed animal, and he exclaimed, “Surprise! It’s a friend for Tata.
” He’d actually remembered the name of the toy I’d had since I was little.
I gave him a hug and said, “Tata and I thank you.”
The next day was Christmas Eve. Kit and I got up early, baked some cinnamon rolls from scratch, and put together a lavish brunch for the four of us. It felt good to see the smiles on their faces when Mom and Ed joined us in the dining room.
After we ate our fill and cleaned up a bit, we all settled in for an extremely drawn-out game of Monopoly.
This was pure nostalgia for me, and Kit seemed to enjoy it, too.
We joked, laughed, and chatted throughout it, which made it fun.
As sweet as he was, Ed was also ruthless when it came to making money, and he ended up winning by a wide margin, same as usual.
While Kit and I packed up the game, my mom took Ed upstairs so they could get ready for a neighbor’s holiday open house. “That’s the first time I ever played a game of Monopoly to the bitter end,” Kit said. “My dad and I would play sometimes, but we’d always call it after an hour or so.”
“I assume that’s what most people do, but we’ve always played it right down to total financial ruin.”
“I can see why Ed is so successful at his business, even though he’s the nicest guy in every other way.”
“Exactly!”
A few minutes later, Mom and Ed returned. They were dressed in hideous matching holiday sweaters, and since they were also wearing boots and heavy coats, I asked, “Are you walking to the party? It’s literally freezing outside.”
“It’s only a block away, and the fresh air will do us good,” Mom said, as she zipped up her coat and pulled a pair of mittens from her pocket. “Are you sure you boys don’t want to come along? The whole point of an open house is that everyone’s welcome.”
“Thanks for asking, but we’re happy right here,” I said, as Kit climbed onto my lap and I wrapped my arms around him.
“Okie dokie. We’ll be back in a couple of hours,” Ed told us.
After they took off, I kissed Kit and said, “Once again, you’ve been an incredibly good sport about all of my family’s eccentricities. I don’t think a lot of people would be willing to sit through an endless board game or tolerate Ed’s terrible dad jokes.”
“It’s been great. I feel really welcome here, and watching you three together makes me happy.”
Something caught my eye just then. I leaned over to glance out the window behind him and commented, “Oh hey, it’s starting to snow.”
“Really?” He leapt up and spun around. “I’ve never seen snow before. In person, I mean. I’ve obviously seen it in the movies and—oh wow, look at that! It’s really coming down!” He turned back to me with a hopeful expression and asked, “Can we go outside?”
“Of course.” It made me chuckle when he shrieked with delight and ran for the door.
We’d stuck our coats and shoes in the mud room off the kitchen, and it was all I could do to slow him down long enough to bundle up. As soon as I opened the door, he burst outside and ran into the backyard.
He flung his arms out and tilted his face to the sky, spinning around as he shouted, “This is amazing!” Kit stopped spinning and stuck his tongue out, and after a moment he announced, “I got one!”
He ran to me, and I grabbed him in a hug as he asked, “Will we get to build a snowman? I’ve always wanted to do that.”
“Maybe. It’s too soon to know if it’ll accumulate or melt immediately.”
“I really hope it builds up, but this is awesome either way.”
His smile was radiant. He wrapped his arms around me and leaned back, tilting his face toward the sky again and closing his eyes.
He filled me with wonder. Kit was so beautiful, and so full of joy. He was everything good in the world, everything that mattered. I was overcome with emotion as I watched him.
I whispered, “I love you, Kit,” because it was impossible to hold back the words for even one more moment.
His dark eyes flew open, full of surprise as his gaze locked with mine. “Say that again.”
“I love you with all my heart. It was too much to keep inside, so I had to let you know, even if it’s too soon, or—”
He pulled me down to his height and kissed me passionately. It felt like a dream when he caressed my cheek and told me, “I love you too, Devon.”
I wanted to remember everything about this moment, from his flushed cheeks and pink nose to the happiness that sparkled in his eyes. His lips curved into a sweet smile as he traced my jawline with his fingertips.
All around us, the snow kept falling. It was incredibly peaceful. As I pulled Kit close and kissed him again, my heart was so full.