I watched her finger the charms, taking them all in as her eyes danced around their glittering colors. I wanted that charm bracelet to be a conglomeration of our lives together. Something she could wear, look down at, and envision only me. When I saw the charms in the jewelry store, I knew it was perfect, but it wasn’t the only gift I wanted to give her.
“These charms are so cute,” she said.
“They each have to do with our life together,” I said. “You know, growing up and shit.”
“And shit,” she said, grinning.
“That microscope is from that ninth-grade science project that went all sorts of wrong,” I said. “And the motorcycle is from when I gave you your first ride.”
“That was after the science project botched itself, if I remember correctly,” she said. “You took me on a ride to calm me down.”
“Hell yeah, I did. And the ferris wheel’s from—”
“The county fair I always dragged you to,” she said. “Mom hated rides like that and Dad didn’t like going without Mom.”
“So, you’d always want to take a second trip to the fair with someone who would ride those things with you,” I said.
“Oh, my gosh. It’s Bugsy!”
“I saw that beagle charm and knew it was perfect,” I said.
“I loved that dog,” she said.
“I know you did. And now you have a charm to remember him by.”
“And there’s a Tinkerbell charm on here!” she exclaimed.
“Can’t have a charm bracelet for Tink if there isn’t a Tink on it,” I said.
“I love it so much,” she said. “Thank you. I just have a question.”
“What’s up?”
“What in the world is the key-shaped charm for?” she asked.
I looked into her eyes and took a deep breath. That one hadn’t been fulfilled yet. That monumental life moment was still in her future. I prayed she’d say yes. I prayed she would let this happen. We all needed it, to be honest. A fresh start with the people we loved. I looked Kyra in her eyes and drew in a deep breath, not knowing how to answer that question just yet.
“Do you believe in miracles?” I asked.
“That seems to be the word of the day around here,” she said.
“Then if you do, it’ll make sense tonight,” I said.
“Okay, so is that the second gift you have for me?” she asked.
“No,” I said. “This is: I know I’ve upset you these past few days, constantly fighting with Chance about, well, everything. So, this is my promise to you.”
I took her hands within mine and brought them to my lips, kissing her knuckles while she looked up at me. Her eyes sparkled with wonder and delight and her skin felt so soft against my lips. I wanted to memorize this moment and every moment from here on out. I was in love with Kyra Lancaster and there wasn’t any fucking thing that would stand in the way of that.
Not even Chance himself.
“I promise you, Kyra Lancaster, that I’m not going to fight with Chance anymore.”
“Ethan, that isn’t—”
“We’ve always been a lot alike,” I said. “We both have strong personalities and we’re both stubborn as hell. But I know you don’t want us fighting. I can see it in your eyes whenever we do. And neither of us—but especially me—want to upset you. Ever.”
I watched Kyra’s face approach mine before she pressed a kiss to my cheek. I closed my eyes and grinned, feeling her warmth against my skin while her body pressed into mine. I nuzzled into her lips, wishing I could simply hold her there like that forever. But I knew the guys were wondering what she was doing and I knew I was taking time away from her Christmas with her father.