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As soon as she hung up, she let go of his hand and closed the space between them, wrapping her arms around his neck. He stopped right in the middle of the crowd of people to lift her in a hug.
“Good news, I take it?”
She dropped to the ground and continued walking. “Genevieve moved to Montana for a job at a horse rescue, but she’s coming back today to talk to Sebastian. I asked her if this means what I think it does, and she said she hopes so.” She squealed. “I’m so happy for them. He’s been a miserable shell without her, and I’ve been praying and praying something would bring them back together. Thank God she’s going to talk to him.”
“That’s awesome.” The pure joy on Skylar’s face was breathtaking, and Franky was happy everything seemed to be working out for Sebastian.
They walked on for a few minutes, the sun peeking out from behind the clouds and warming the air, and Skylar’s fingers suddenly intertwined with his again.
It felt right, holding her hand. But he worried about giving her the wrong idea.
“I forgot to tell you,” she said, “We’re having my birthday party at the winery this year.”
“That’ll be nice,” he replied. “What birthday is it?”
“Can I keep celebrating my twenty-ninth indefinitely?”
“The big three-oh, huh?” Their age difference didn’t seem as big a deal as it had when she was seventeen and he was twenty-two.
Skylar scrunched up her nose.
“Are you worried about turning thirty?”
“Not really. I’m kind of looking forward to what my thirties hold, actually.”
“All good things.”
“You think so?” she asked.
He nodded. “I know so.”
“You’ll be at my party, right?”
He screwed up his face at her. “Do you even have to ask?”
“Good, because I want everyone I love there with me.”
His heart warmed to hear her say that, and he noticed her blush as she turned her head away.
“Sky.”
She hesitantly turned her eyes to his.
“I love you too.”
Her lips turned up in a slow smile.
“Will your party be big or small?” he asked.
“Big!” She spread her arms out.
Franky laughed at her enthusiasm.
“But not too big. Family, close friends, some friends of the family, maybe some coworkers.”
“So, huge then.”
Skylar chuckled.