One Funeral (No Weddings #2)(64)

Excitement sparked through me. When I’d closed my eyes and trusted Cade implicitly, he’d led me to this moment. Not one cell in my body dared to balk now. “Sounds wonderful.”

He grinned wide and grabbed my hand, tugging me toward the candlelit path. “Perfect. My plan was to continue celebrating here, privately. Make up our own festival, our own traditions.”

I skipped ahead, pulling him faster down the path.

He chuckled, jogging to keep up. “Careful in those heels, Maestro. No twisted ankles.”

On the tiny dock Granpop had built eons ago, four pillar candles were situated in a group on the corner. Two white paper lanterns lay beside them, along with two unlit candles and a utility lighter.

Cade squatted beside the materials. I sat near him, dangling my feet off the dock. And as he fiddled with the candles and lighter, the puzzle pieces began to click.

“Were your sisters MIA tonight at Summer Palace because they were setting this up for you?”

He paused with his project to cast me a sidelong glance. “For us. And yes, they have natural talent at setting up parties—even the private kind.”

I twisted fully around, resting a hip and bent leg on the wooden surface. “What about what Ling had said? Did you ask her to do the dragon cake?”

He froze, staring at the lighter in his hand for a second before glancing up at me. “I asked her to do the whole event.”

I gaped, turning to fully face him, tucking my feet underneath me. “Why would you do that?”

He abandoned the candles and lighter and knelt beside me. “You wanted to make your dragon cake. And the longer I know you, the more I want everything you want. Your dream became my dream, and I wanted to make it happen for you.”

My voice came out the barest whisper. “You arranged the entire festival at Summer Palace…for me?”

A hard nod. “I did. I would do anything for you.”

I tilted my head. “So our dinner at Summer Palace and this, here privately, is a date?”

A wicked grin curved his lips. “Sure as hell is. How did it feel when you didn’t know what was happening?”

I thought back on the last couple of hours. “Comfortable. Relaxed. Fun.”

He leaned closer and slid his hands into my hair, cradling my head. His lips brushed along my jaw, skating up to my ear. “And how does it feel with the two of us here alone, now that you know this is a date?”

His hot breath danced over my ear, shooting a shiver down my spine. I swallowed hard, trying to clear my head. But then I let go, not thinking it all. “You and me, with nothing but romance all around us, makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.”

“I’m the lucky one.” He leaned back on his heels, then pressed in for a gentle kiss. Soft lips brushed mine, tempting with a promise of more to come. “And good. I was hoping to make you feel like the luckiest girl in the Greater Philly area. So I overshot a bit.”

He pulled away on a wink, and I laughed.

Off to the side, he busied himself again. “These paper lanterns are Chinese sky lanterns. There’s a festival in Taiwan where thousands of people gather all along the waterline and launch these into the air. I read that casting up a lantern can symbolize letting go of our past selves and getting new ones.”

I straightened out, facing the water, dangling my legs down again as I listened. With a deep breath, I tilted my face up to the glittering starlit night. Cade brought both of the now-lit lanterns over and took a seat beside me on the dock.

He smiled, handing me one. “For us, I thought they could symbolize our new beginning.”

In cradled fingers, I held the delicate lantern by its paper sides. “Do we make a wish?”

Holding his in the same manner, he laughed. “I don’t know what others do. We can do whatever we want. It’s our adventure.”

“Then, I say we make a wish.”

I closed my eyes.

I wish for us to be amazing together—now and always.

After a slow exhale, I opened my eyes.

Cade counted down. “Three. Two. One.”

At the same time, we released our miniature hot air balloons, and they floated up into the sky. Together, they caught the same air current, his chasing mine up into the dark night.

In slow motion, I let my upper body collapse back, crossing my arms under my head. Cade did the same as we watched our two little lanterns disappear. “That isn’t illegal, is it?”

“Probably.”

I laughed. “Breaking and entering with the boathouse. Theft of a boat.”

“Scull,” he corrected.

“Scull.” I laughed. “Now we have arson on our consciences.”

“I was assured that under the right conditions, those babies would fly straight up into the sky. The oiled paper and framework supporting it is supposed to be biodegradable.”

“What are the right conditions?” I squinted, barely following the drifting lights as they veered far left.

He shrugged. “Don’t know. I’m really glad they’re flying high instead of torching a neighbor’s house.”

I snorted. “Delinquent.”

His soft laugh made me smile.

I turned my head, watching him as he stared up. Then I gazed into the sky again. “I can’t see them anymore.”

“They’re up there, floating together on an adventure just like us—because we set our past selves free.” His hand found mine, and we laced our fingers together above our heads. “I’d like to go there someday.”