Page 84 of Husband to Go

“Oh my gosh, the entire planetarium at the Natural History Museum? For the entire night?”

He smiles, pleased.

“Yep. I want us to have some alone time while being out, and this seemed like the perfect way.”

I throw my arms around his shoulders.

“Yes, let’s go. I definitely want to do that.” He kisses the top of my head and chuckles.

“Let’s get out of here then.”

We grab our coats, put on our shoes, and head downstairs. Tanner calls a car, and we head up to the planetarium.

It’s just like he described it. There are only a few people milling about, and they appear to be employees. We’re ushered to the amphitheater, and it feels like I can see all the stars in the sky. It looks so real, like we’re actually looking up at the Milky Way in all its splendor.

“Wow,” I whisper.

“Yeah, it’s beautiful,” Tanner rumbles.

I hear a cart being rolled in and sit up to look.

“Mr. Logan.” Whoever rolled it in bows their head a little bit before leaving, and I look at Tanner expectantly, wondering what’s going on.

“Sweetheart, I got a few desserts from my favorite place delivered. I thought you might like to try them out, and see another little tidbit about me.”

I stand up and pull the cover off the cart. There are so many snacks littered on the platter, I don’t think we’ll be able to even come close to finishing all this food.

“Oh, my goodness. It’s so much.”

“I went a little overboard, didn’t I?” Tanner stands next to me, inspecting the treats with a critical eye.

“No, this is perfect.You’reperfect.” I pick up the first one that appeals to me, a pastry with what looks like raspberry jelly in the center. Maybe a Danish?

I take a big bite, and the flaky edges break off in my mouth. Oh, it’s so good. I grab another, my eyes already bigger than my stomach even though I just ate a full meal.

Tanner makes two plates, and we go back to our seats. I’m so busy eating that it takes me a few seconds to realize that the screen has changed from the projected stars to the start of a movie.

“What’s going on?”

“I had them play a movie for us.”

I keep watching, waiting to see what Tanner has chosen for us. Then I squeal.

“Is thisThe Proposal? I love this film!” Sandra Bullock is my favorite actress, and I adore Ryan Reynolds too. He smirks a bit in the dark.

“I had a feeling you might like it.”

This man seriously is the perfect boyfriend. I can’t believe I was worried at all. Maybe Andrea was right about not really knowing one another. There were so many things that Tanner told me about himself that were complete news to me, but I’m happy he opened up. It couldn’t have been easy, admitting to his childhood and unhappy family when he’s normally so private.

But that was then and this is now. Now, I’m allowed to ask all the questions I want, and I feel like we’re stronger because of that openness. I snuggle into my boyfriend’s side, throwing my limbs over his body. He rubs my legs, drawing broad circles. The two of us laugh and eat, and I realize that this relationship is the one that I want, and likely for the rest of my life.

Maybe it’s weird or unconventional. Maybe it goes against some peoples’ sensibilities. Maybe people will judge us until our dying day, but at this point, it doesn’t matter. I’m ready to be happy, and I know with Tanner, that fulfillment and true contentment are right there in my grasp.

Epilogue

Kylie

FiveYearsLater.