Page 142 of Crazy Thing
I smile.
Then he kisses me right here in the woods, next to his wrecked car. And I make the commitment to him once and for all. “I’m all in. No matter what happens next. I’m all in. I love you.”
57
DARIUS
Jimmy helps Rainbow climb onto a large tree stump and she waves her arms overhead. “Everybody! Hello! Hello, folks!”
The jovial buzz begins to simmer down and a serene hush falls over the forest. The residents of Starlight Falls turn their attention to Rainbow.
Her smile beams over the crowd. “Thank you everyone for showing up here today to lend a hand as we clean up our beloved waterfall. Thank you for volunteering your time, and a special thank you to our sweet Ziggy for organizing this day for us.”
I loop an arm around Ziggy’s waist and she blushes as the crowd claps gleefully, chanting her name. “Zig-gy! Zig-gy! Zig-gy!”.
Rainbow’s eyes swing to me. “And of course, thank you to Darius Brighton from the bottom of my heart. You are our town’s knight in shining armor, stepping up to the plate when we all needed you. If you hadn’t intervened, we wouldn’t even be standing here today. Thank you for purchasing this land and thank you for gifting it back to thepeople. The land that was once in jeopardy, it now belongs to all of us. Now, the waterfall is accessible to the entire town forevermore.”
Cheers rip across the forest and my bones fill with pride. And it’s not just my siblings clapping and hooting for me this time. I take a moment to let my eyes sweep across the place. The faces of my neighbors—faces that just a few months ago regarded me with suspicion and distrust—now, they’re cheering forme.
And Ziggy did that.
That’s what her influence is like. Everything she touches turns to…love.
I’ve accomplished a whole lot in my life. I have many achievements to be proud of. But saving the local waterfall has got to be my favorite.
No—mysecondfavorite.
Making Ziggy fall in love with me is achievement number one in my book, of course.
All that to say, Starlight Falls finally feels like home. For real. Now everything makes sense. Now, I finally understand why life took me away from the fast-paced routine I built in Manhattan and San Francisco. It was so I could end up here, and rediscover what it truly means to find home.
Ziggy pops up onto her tiptoes and kisses my cheek. And it’s all the confirmation I need that I’m right where I need to be.
After Rainbow says a few more inspiring words, she tugs on a pair of work gloves and grabs a broom. “Okay, family—let’s clean this place up.”
Rakes and gloves and trash bags are distributed, and Ziggy assigns everyone to a particular task. Then the residents of Starlight Falls go to work.
There’s a lot to be done today—picking up litter, rakingdead leaves, and installing benches along the path down to the falls. We have plans to plant flowers along the trail and even to build a treehouse where the kids of Starlight Falls can play. But those plans will have to wait until the spring.
For now, it’s a crisp late autumn day. The sky is gray and cloudy. But everyone is in high spirits and as long as the rain doesn’t come down, we’re all good.
I’m right in the thick of things, doing my fair share along with my neighbors and…friends. But Ziggy is uncharacteristically low energy today. She’s exhausted. No wonder, after all the work she’s put in over the past few months. Yet still, she holds onto her smile as she goes around, handing out water and snacks to the volunteers.
I don’t like seeing her this way. It’s decided. I’m clearing my schedule next week and I’m whisking her away. Anywhere she wants to go. Just me and her. For as long as she needs to recuperate her energy.
I see the way Ziggy’s expression darkens even further as an older couple hesitantly approaches our clean-up crew.
“Mom…Dad…” she says, her jaw tight as she watches them descend the slope toward us. “What are you doing here?”
Her mother’s nose stays upturned as she stares around like she’s never seen mud and twigs and bugs before. “Elizabeth…erm,Ziggy, darling. We’re here to help.”
My fairy girl blinks. “You’re here to help?”
Her father clears his throat. “This is a community effort, isn’t it? And we’re a part of the community.” He throws me an unsmiling glance.
Ziggy looks at a loss for words. “Wow. This is…unexpected.”
Mrs. Beaumont sighs. “Look, Ziggy. We’ve had our missteps in the past. But as your parents we want to show that we support you and your endeavors.”
