Lily stood on the snow bank, shivering despite being dressed warmly. She kept sneaking out to look at the mountains. Shade shook his head at her, knowing it was a lost cause. She would never change; she would always be Lily, so sweet it made him ache.
Her hand had been out when he had come up behind her. She had confessed shyly the night before when he had caught her doing the same thing that it was like holding the Northern Lights in the palm of her hand.
“What did I tell you about sneaking out of the cabin, Lily? I’m going to punish you when I get you back inside,” he whispered into her ear.
“I couldn’t resist, Shade. Isn’t it beautiful?” Lily whispered reverently. “I didn’t know anything so beautiful could exist.”
“I didn’t, either,” he said, rubbing his cheek against hers. His tone was just as reverent, but he wasn’t watching the sky; he was staring down into her face.
“All these years, I’ve waited to see this. It’s more spectacular than I ever believed possible.”
He swept her into his arms, packing her back inside the warm cabin, shutting and locking the world outside.
Shade had hot chocolate on the table in front of the couch and a warm fire blazing a few feet away. He heard her sip her chocolate as he threw a log onto the fire.
He stood up, going into the bedroom then coming out with a small package, handing it to her.
Lily opened the tiny package. Inside was the exact replica of the flower Gaige had destroyed at the fair so many months before. He had saved it to give her at the right time. Wanting it to be special, he had chosen their honeymoon.
“Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Thank you, Shade. I love it.” She reached up, kissing his cheek.
“I’m going to go take a shower. Can I trust you not to sneak out again?”
“Yes.” She curled her legs under her, sipping her hot chocolate.
She was still sitting and staring into the flames when he came back wearing only a pair of sweatpants.
He sat down next to her on the sofa, his arm on the back of the couch. “What are you looking so serious about?”
Lily shrugged, avoiding his question.
“Lily?” He bore his gaze into her, demanding an answer.
“Nothing, really. I was just thinking.” She looked up at him.
He cupped her cheek, his thumb wiping away the lone tear clinging to her lashes. “About what?”
“It’s just that I waited such a long time to see the Northern Lights … It would have been disappointing if they hadn’t been as beautiful as I thought they would.”
“I’m sure it would have,” he said gently.
“I was just thinking that you said you had waited for me since Razer had met Beth, and then I thought that … What if I wasn’t what you wanted? You might’ve become disappointed.”
“You did a lot of thinking while I was in the shower.”
“I know.” She nodded.
“Lily, you only saw the Northern Lights in pictures. It’s different having expectations of something you don’t know anything about. I grew to know you over the years; what a warm, loving woman you are, how you can’t stand anyone hurt, and how strong you were to survive a childhood which would have seriously fucked-up anyone else.
“Angel, I didn’t have expectations. I knew I wanted that sweet girl whose beautiful soul I could see in her eyes. The more I grew to know you, I wasn’t disappointed—I was captivated by everything I had learned. It was like unwrapping a pretty Christmas package and finding a work of art inside which was priceless. So, no, I wasn’t disappointed.”
“You’re definitely not what I expected. Giving me flowery speeches on Valentine’s Day, a trip to Alaska to make my dream come true, even being a nice guy and giving Georgia’s brother her job so he would be able to support his kids and hers while she’s in prison.
“The first time I saw you, all I could think about was how scary you looked with all those tattoos. Then they ended up being the reason I fell in love with you,” Lily said ruefully.
“You fell in love with me because of my tats?” Shade asked, surprised.
“I understood their meanings.” She reached up, touching the stars on the side of his neck. “The stars are your guide, so you always know what’s important. The compass, so you never lose your way home.” Her fingertips brushed the one on his collarbone. “‘Strength and Loyalty’ means someone strong enough to always protect me.” Her hand glided down to the tat scrawled across his chest. “‘Only Death Can Stop Me,’ someone who will always be there for me. When I realized their meaning, I realized I had found him.”
“Who?” Shade’s asked tenderly.
“I knew I had found my cowboy.” Lily circled Shade’s neck with her arms, touching his lips with hers in a kiss which showed how much she had come to love him.
Shade lifted her into his arms, laying her down on the blanket in front of the fire. She smiled as she opened her arms to him, his beautiful wife staring up at him with dreams in her eyes. He was no dream man—that was for fucking sure—but he loved her, and he finally had her.