Page 34 of Road Trip With the Ghost Hunter
Once we buried the rest at the base of the tree, we stood in each other’s arms, watching the river flow. Li held the now-empty sweatshirt against her stomach, her cheek on my chest. The end of one thing, the beginning of another. The circle of life.
Later that night, Dawn did up her veranda with Edison bulb string lights, candles to keep the mosquitoes away, and a smallelectric fire pit to roast marshmallows. Dawn and Jeremy rocked on the two chairs, sitting side by side, holding hands. Jeremy busted out the whiskey. Li sat on my lap in the Adirondack chair she raved about to Dawn. Wait till she sees the two in my backyard when we get home.
Smiling, I sipped my glass of whiskey neat. Li leaned into me, sipping hers with ice. Her and Dawn were laughing about something Kathy did last night. I glanced over and saw Jeremy watching me. A soft, knowing grin appeared as he subtly tipped his whiskey glass my way. Giving him a nod of gratitude, I did the same with my glass.
There’s nothing a large beer and a good woman can’t fix.
Well, Uncle Filip, we’re drinking whiskey, not beer, but you were right. Tipping my face up, Li looked down at me, smiling. Dawn and Jeremy added to the conversation I was only half listening to, but in that moment, it was just us, Li, and I, in our own bubble.
We hadn’t said the three words. Not officially, even though we both admitted to falling in love. But I felt them. Looking at her now, her eyes softened. She saw it in mine. And without saying the words, we both leaned in and pressed those words into the other’s lips. This kiss and every kiss with Li felt like breaking through the surface and finally taking your first breath. I was going to love this woman for the rest of our days, fight for us, and appreciate each moment while we had them.
We still had a lot of living to do. Together.
