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Ellie and I carried the final boxes back to the guesthouse, Sadie trotting along behind us, sniffing anything and everything in sight. It was mid-afternoon by the time we got the last box unpacked and put away.

We were officially both living in the guesthouse now—our house.

As the sun started its afternoon descent, we were finally in the truck, headed to Ellie’s surprise.

“So, where are we going?” she asked excitedly for about the tenth time. “Please tell me. Pretty please.”

“We’re almost there, actually. Put this blindfold on, I want it to be a surprise,” I said.

“Oh, you’re really going all out, huh.” She placed the blindfold over her eyes.

“No peeking, I mean it.” I said, squeezing her thigh to let her know I was serious.

After driving a few more miles, we arrived at our destination.

“We’re here. I’ll help you out of the truck. Don’t take off the blindfold yet,” I instructed .

“The anticipation is killing me,” she said, giggling.

After making my way to the other side of my truck, I held her hand as she slowly got out. She was wearing a sleeveless red dress that was cut low enough in the front to show some cleavage—not a lot, but just enough. The hem ended at her upper thigh, making my mind wander from the task at hand.

Focus, Colt.

With my hand resting gently on her back, I guided her to the spot. When she was standing exactly where I needed her to be, I paused and took a breath.

“This day hasn’t been easy for you the past few years. You’ve walked through hell and back, Ellie. But you made it. You survived. And you didn’t need anyone to rescue you— you saved yourself. I know they’d be so damn proud of you. Wherever they are, they’re watching… and they’re proud.”

I slipped the blindfold from her eyes.

Her breath caught as she looked ahead—at the headstones of her parents.

“I knew coming back here would be one of the hardest things you’ll ever have to do. But I also knew you needed to, because healing starts here. And I didn’t want you to face that first step alone.”

She stared at their headstones in silence. After a few moments, she kneeled in the grass and trailed her fingers across the front of the etched stone.

I stood a few steps back, giving her space—but ready to be there if she needed me.

“Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad,” she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. “Long time no see, huh?”

She bowed her head, releasing a shaky breath .

“A lot’s happened since you left. But I’m guessing you already know if you’re really up there, watching over me.” Her hand paused on the stone. “I hope you’re proud of me. Even if I didn’t always make the right choices along the way.”

Her voice trembled as she fought back tears. I wanted to swoop in and hug her, but I also wanted to give her space at the same time.

She let out a long, deep breath. “I miss you guys more than anything in this world. I’d give anything to see you just one more time.”

As her eyes locked on the etched images of her parents, two red cardinals fluttered down, landing on top of the headstones—one on each.

Ellie froze.

The cardinals didn’t move. They simply watched her—calm, still—like they were waiting for her to understand.

I wasn’t a spiritual man, not really. But those birds looked at Ellie like they had a purpose, like they knew her.

Tears welled in her eyes, spilling down her cheeks. She didn’t bother to wipe them away.

“I love you guys,” she choked out, her voice breaking. “So much.”

I stood back, watching as she took it all in.

I hadn’t been sure if this would be good or bad for Ellie, but after talking with my mom and Molly, we all agreed she’d probably want support the first time she went back.

And if I knew Ellie, she’d come up with excuse after excuse not to go.

But I also knew her well enough to know she needed this moment more than anything in the world .

After a few more minutes of talking, the cardinals still sitting on top of the stone cutouts, Ellie stood up, dusting off her knees. Both birds tilted their heads as she stepped back.

She pulled me in for a hug, standing on her tiptoes as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

“You’ll never know how much this moment means to me and how much it means that you were the one to give it to me,” she whispered in my ear. I could feel the wetness of her tears against my skin.

“The nights still young,” I said, reciprocating her tight hug. “I have one more thing planned for you.”

“I don’t think I have any more tears left to cry, Colt,” she said jokingly as she wiped her eyes and face.

“I promise this one won’t make you cry—I think.

” I took her hand in mine and led her back to the truck.

“It’s just down the road. There’s this spot Jace and I used to go to as kids.

It’s right in the middle of Silver Creek on the bluff, so it’s the best seat in the county to watch all the fireworks shows at once. ”

I had something set up in a little patch of grass surrounded by wildflowers. It was almost dark, so we needed to get there before sundown.

As I drove down the narrow, overgrown dirt road, Ellie rolled down the window and leaned out slightly, her hair catching the breeze. She smiled, soaking in the warm summer air and the last golden sliver of sunlight.

I slowed the truck as we neared the spot. When Ellie was in the shower earlier, I called Jace and Cassie, directing them where to go. I had given them specific instructions on how I wanted everything set up to surprise Ellie. So help me if they fucked it up.

“Right this way, my lady,” I said, taking her hand as she stepped down from the passenger seat. I guided her towards the open patch of grass.

Her eyes scanned the little setup: a quilt stretched out over the soft summer grass, pillows scattered across the top, and tea lights arranged in clusters along the sides.

In the center, sat a picnic basket stuffed with goodies courtesy of Mom, who was more than happy to help once she found out it was for Ellie.

Jace and Cassie had set everything up exactly as I’d pictured it in my head. It was, without a doubt, the most romantic thing I’d ever done. Hell, I was more surprised than anyone that I’d managed to pull it off. But here we were.

“Colt,” she said, her voice breathy and full of wonder. “This is like something out of a movie. It’s beautiful. You said I wouldn’t cry, but I think I’m about to cry again.”

I pulled her into a bear hug. “Please don’t cry, El. It physically hurts my chest when I see you cry.”

“Don’t worry,” she said with a soft laugh. “These would be happy tears—but I think I managed to stop them. For now.”

She pulled back and sat on the quilt, hugging a pillow to her chest. I settled down beside her and opened the picnic basket.

“Mom said she packed all your favorite snacks in here. Molly added a slice of fresh red velvet cake from the bakery, just for you. I figured we could sit here and watch all the firework shows together. ”

“This definitely beats sitting in a tiny apartment alone all night.”

My jaw tightened. Ellie liked to joke through her pain, but it pissed me off that she’d ever had to feel that way. As long as she was mine, she’d never be alone on the nights she needed me the most.

There were a lot of nights when she was gone that I’d felt hollow, trying to fill the emptiness with anything I could—mostly work. But even then, I’d held onto the hope she might come back.

Ellie didn’t have that same kind of hope. Her parents weren’t coming back. That kind of loss changes a person, and during a time when she should have been healing, she was dealing with a douchebag like Jason.

She must’ve sensed I was getting in my head, because she shifted, scooting directly in front of me. She grabbed my hands and wrapped them around her waist, leaning back against my chest as I instinctively pulled her closer.

Just then, a loud bang echoed through the air in the distance—the first firework of the night.

It burst high in the sky, scattering across the dark canvas above us with flashes of red and gold, sizzling out as the next one spiraled upward. This one was bigger than the last, blooming into three separate bursts—green, blue, and white—each trailing glittering sparks as they fell back to earth.

Ellie let out a soft breath. “These are so pretty.”

I didn’t say anything. I was more focused on Ellie than I was the fireworks. The way she felt in my arms, how perfectly we fit together, how I’d been waiting for this moment since the day she left .

Ellie was in my arms, and she was healing. That was more important to me than anything else in this world.