“Same old thing. I wish I could go outside. I love the winter.” Marcus looked out the window. His eyes were full of dreams. “It’s going to rain tonight. I wish I could stand in the rain and jump in the puddles. That would make my day,” he sighed.

I thought my heart would fall out of my chest. We take simple things in life for granted. It’s human nature to do so. But to see a young boy who only wanted to play in the rain…he should be able to do anything he wished, but couldn’t. It was heartbreaking.

Marcus changed the subject. “Is Alex going to sing with us?”

Elijah looked at me for an answer.

“It depends. If I know the song,” I replied.

Elijah gave me a wicked smile. “I know just the one.”

As Elijah strummed his guitar, we sang. “I’m the one who wants to be with you….” Surprisingly, Marcus knew the song, too.

“That’s Elijah’s favorite song,” Marcus commented after the song ended. “I think I know the reason why now.” He lightly socked Elijah’s arm.

“You know I’m going to wrestle you hard when you get better. So be prepared.”

“Yeah.” Marcus’s tone suddenly became somber.

“Anyway, I’m sorry we were a bit late today. Want me to read you a story?”

“I want Alex to read to me.”

Marcus looked at me with those innocent eyes, so how could I refuse? “Of course I’ll read to you,” I said quickly.

When Marcus fell asleep, we headed out. I was so touched seeing Elijah interact with Marcus that I was sure I couldn’t respect him any more than I did right now. Most people felt sorry for themselves for their loss, but Elijah did something good. He took that pain and replaced it with something to honor his brother. In the process, he was helping others.

Elijah drove us to the top of a hill, pulled out a picnic blanket when we got out of the car, and draped a light blanket over my shoulders. The sun had set and the stars and moon appeared, illuminating the dark sky with their magic. The city lights below shone in multiple colors, looking like lights on a ginormous Christmas tree. It was a marvelous sight; one that held your attention so you couldn’t look away. It was so peaceful here. Being the only ones here was like being in our own world within a world.

“I didn’t make dinner. I bought it from a restaurant. I know the owner. She let me borrow these containers to keep the food hot for hours,” he explained, placing them in front of us.

“Elijah, you didn’t have to go to all that trouble. Sandwiches would have been fine or I could’ve made something. Just sitting here with you, looking at this view, I don’t think I could think of food.”

Elijah let out a chuckle. “I know you’re starving, you barely ate lunch. Of course, I had to do this. I only want the best for you. You’ve seen just a part of who I am. You haven’t seen anything yet,” he winked.

“I can’t wait,” I gushed.

Sitting side by side, we finished our seafood linguini, salad, and we even shared a big hunk of cheesecake. Then we cuddled together with a blanket around us. Though occasionally, the cool wind would brush my face, making me shiver, I was warm from the heat of Elijah’s body.

“How did you find this place,” I asked, tracing his facial features with my finger. I started from his thick brows, across his long eyes lashes, glided down his nose, and curved around his cheekbones. When I reached his lips, he kissed my fingertip.

Elijah closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “It was by accident. When my brother passed away, I took off for a few days to be alone. That’s when I found this place. It gave me peace. I would sit here for hours just staring at the stars, the moon, and the city lights. I needed something to balance the pain. You are the only one I’ve ever brought here.”

I tenderly kissed his lips to thank him.

Elijah gave me a kiss on my nose and continued. “I still come here a lot. It’s what gives me hope. It keeps me grounded so I won’t do anything I might regret. Besides my friends being there for me, it’s how I survived the loss of the only family I had. I brought you here so that I could share this special place with someone I would do anything for. You know I’ll be graduating this year, but what I didn’t tell you is that I’m going to take an internship with Professor Kelp. There is a good chance I may get into the MBA program. I’m even thinking of becoming a stockbroker.”

I blinked at the realization he was thinking about the future…our future, and the feeling was incredible. “Elijah, I don’t know what to say. I’m so proud of you. You don’t know how happy you just made me. I was worried about our future.”

“Don’t be. I told you I would shape up so I could be the man you deserve, the man you need me to be. I want to be able to provide for you and the family I hope we’ll have one day.”

“I love it when you say things like that.” I wrapped my arms around the strong nape of his neck and pressed my body to his. “My dad would’ve loved you. If you’re up for it, I’d like you to meet my mom and my stepdad. I’m glad I went back for Christmas. Mom and I had a long talk. There were misunderstandings that got in the way before, but it’s all good now.”

“I’m happy for you, Alex. Life is too short. Don’t dwell on the bad.”

“Okay,” I nodded and blinked when I felt a drop on my nose. “Is it going to rain?” Then it was apparent when the drops fell faster.