Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 26645 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26645 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
“I got it,” she says as she pulls a folder out of her bag. The name on the front isn’t mine, but when she hands it to me, I can clearly see that it is. “I made a copy and hid it in a decoy folder. I really thought it would be more difficult.”
I laugh with her as I look over the evidence briefly. “Thank you for this,” I say, reaching a hand over to the back of her head to pull it toward me. I kiss her and pull away after a few moments.
“I’m sure you can find some way to make it up to me,” she says with a soft smile.
“Actually, I think I already have,” I tease before I slip the envelope under the seat of my car and put it in drive again. “I’ve got a little surprise that I think you’re gonna love.”
Daniella asks a few questions while I’m driving, but I don’t answer any of them, only throwing her a smirk or squeezing her thigh. I want her to be as shocked as possible when she finally sees it.
We pull up to the parking lot of the light show I’m taking her to, and the excitement shines in her eyes.
“I’ve been wanting to come here for so long!” she yells, jumping up and down in front of me and reaching for my hand.
She doesn’t know half of the surprise yet, so I don’t say anything. We walk to the ticket booth, and I show my ID to the woman working inside. She waves us through, and I watch Daniella as she takes everything in.
Every year, a park near us transforms into a vibrant light display for the holidays. There are all kinds of holiday-themed sculptures and attractions that make this event a staple for the holiday season. Daniella’s eyes twinkle under all of the lights as she looks around in awe.
“Where is everybody?” she asks, not fully believing what she’s seeing.
“This is all for us tonight,” I tell her, wrapping my arm around her waist and leading her forward.
I called last night and took care of all the necessary arrangements to reserve the entire park for us. Normally, it would be packed with couples on their dates or families wandering through the mazes of lights, but not tonight. All of this is just for Daniella and me.
“This is insane,” Daniella whispers as she marvells at all the beauty around us.
“Do you like it?”
She nods her head excitedly, then stands on her tip-toes to kiss me. I hold her tightly against me for a few moments while we embrace, then reluctantly let her go so we can explore together.
The first thing we do is visit the refreshment stand and get something warm to drink during our walkthrough. Daniella is shivering from the cold and nothing soothes that quite like warm apple cider.
I take her arm and lock it with mine while we walk through a tall archway decorated with warm yellow lights and bright green garland. A mistletoe hangs in the center and both of us laugh, remembering how just the night before we kissed for the first time thanks to one. I lean down and kiss her again before we continue.
At the end of the tour, we sit down on a bench and stare up at the night sky together for a while. Daniella clutches my arm and rests her head on my shoulder while we stargaze. The moon is bright, illuminating the stars nearby just for us to see.
“When I was a kid, I always dreamt of coming to places like this,” she says after a few minutes. “My mom probably would have taken me if I asked her enough, but I never did.”
“Why’s that?” I look down at her. A somber expression falls across her face, and I reach down to brush some of her hair aside.
“I didn’t want to do things like this without my dad,” she admits, taking a deep breath. “I would imagine all the other families walking around happily, together... alive. It made me sad to think about it because my dad died, and I never got to know him.”
“So you’d rather not go than subject yourself to that feeling?”
“I guess so,” she admits, sitting up and looking at me with a half smile. “But I’m glad I’m here with you. This is lovelier than I could have ever dreamt of. Thank you.”
I lean forward and kiss her forehead before standing up and extending my hand for hers. We start making our way back to the entrance after walking around for over an hour. Before we can make it there, Daniella stops us in the middle of a walkway and points at something in the distance.
“Is that a photo booth?” she asks, laughing softly. I nod my head and follow her as she lets go of my hand and rushes toward it. “Come on,” she beckons to me after opening the small black curtain.