Page 90 of A Winter Wish

But Lexie had just seen something in the sky, over Theo’s head. “Oh my god!” She pulled away from him and ran a few steps, out in front of the cabin. Under her slipper socks, the fresh snow crunched. Soon, the icy water would seep in, freezing her feet, but she didn’t care. Because there, up in the clear night sky, was the aurora borealis. Swirling rivers of green-blue light danced against the darkness, vivid and bright and beautiful. Lexie knew there was a scientific explanation for seeing them, but right then, it felt magical—like something otherworldly, just out of reach.

“How did I not notice this?” Lexie exclaimed, twisting her neck up, still unable to believe what she was seeing. “How did you not notice?” she demanded of Theo—but she didn’t look at him, unwilling to take her eyes off the lights that looked so alive, in case they disappeared.

She felt Theo come up next to her. “That was not there a minute ago, I swear.”

“Does it come on that quickly?”

“I have no idea.”

“Me neither—but it seems like we should have an idea.”

There was a moment of quiet between them, and in the quiet of the countryside, Lexie could hear someone from one of the other cottages exclaiming too.

Then, “Lex?”

Lexie looked at Theo, and hit one hand to her head. “Right! God, I’m so sorry.” She stepped to him, took his hands in hers. His fingers were cool to the touch, proof of how long he’d been outside. “You were saying…?”

He huffed out a small laugh. Then pressed his forehead against hers. “I was saying, I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you.”

Lexie breathed in the smell of him and closed her eyes as her heart swelled. As, irrationally, her throat tightened, warning of tears on the way. “Well, that works out well,” she whispered, “because I’m definitely sure I’m in love with you.”

“Thank fuck for that,” he breathed. He drew back just an inch, and for a moment they ran their gazes over each other’s faces, like they were committing this moment to memory. Then he bent his head and kissed her—and it felt like coming home.

When they broke apart, he came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her, like he couldn’t stand to not be touching. She let her head fall back on his chest as she looked up at the northern lights. “Do you know how lucky we are, to see this?” She kept her voice quiet, out of respect for what they were seeing.

“Yeah. I’m feeling pretty lucky right now,” Theo murmured.

Lucky—that was right, wasn’t it? She was lucky, to have found him. They were two people who would probably never have met if it hadn’t been for her dad, bringing them together.

Theo kissed her neck, sending a shiver down her spine—one that was only partly because of the cold. “Happy Christmas, Lex,” he said, his breath caressing her ear, in a way that made her think of the hot tub, and the cozy cabin waiting for them, and a Christmas Day spent just with Theo tomorrow.

She thought of the wish jar, sitting inside—of the wish she’d wanted to write, but hadn’t. The thing she’d wished for most as a child hadn’t come true, but knowingly or not, her dad had made her last wish—a wish that felt like it might be the most important one ever—come true.

Maybe, through this, I can be a part of your future.

She thought of her dad’s last words in that letter—the last words she’d ever have from him.

I’m sorry—and I love you.

She looked up at the green lights dancing in the sky once more. She felt Theo’s hand on hers, gently pulling her inside—noticing, no doubt, the way that she was starting to shiver. She stayed put for a moment longer, squeezed Theo’s hand to let him know she was coming.

Goodbye, Dad—and I love you too.

And she wondered if, wherever her dad was now, he too could see the lights. It might sound fanciful—but here she was, staring up at something that seemed impossibly magical. So although she didn’t say the words out loud, who was to say, in that moment, that he couldn’t hear her?

Chapter Thirty-five

One Year Later

“Oh crap, I forgot to take the arancini out the oven.”

Theo smiled over at Lexie from the other side of the kitchen as she came in, having disappeared briefly to sort her hair out. “I got them out.”

“OK.” Lexie smoothed down the dress she was wearing—pure sparkle, in honor of New Year’s Eve. “And do you think we have enough Prosecco in the fridge? I couldn’t find any more space, but I think we have ice so—”

“Lex.” He closed the gap between them, took her hands in his. “We’re ready, don’t stress. Besides, it’s not like any of them will care if the arancini are a bit burnt or we run out of cold Prosecco at some point.”

Lexie nodded, thinking of the burnt Yorkshire puddings they’d had at Christmas at her mum’s house just a week ago, and smiled a little. It had been Theo’s idea to have a small New Year’s Eve party at their new flat. They’d moved in a few weeks ago, just in time to put a Christmas tree up—signing both of their names on the lease. Surprisingly, it hadn’t made Lexie break out in hives—she kept waiting for the panic to hit, but so far she’d felt nothing but the buzz of excitement. Harry was now renting out the apartment over the office—at a discounted rate, of course. It had made sense for Lexie and Theo to go for somewhere a bit bigger, and Lexie had wanted something that felt like theirs from the get-go, something shared—and Theo had been all for that.