We settle into our seats in the midst of all our loved ones. Fairy lights shiver in the warm breath of night—fireflies trapped in glass. I count them and shake my head in amazement.
One of them for each time I almost lost this.
I’ve never been one for parties. Too many variables, too many opportunities for things to go wrong. But watching my wife—my wife; hell, I’ll never tire of saying that—glow in the candlelight as she listens to Gina tell a story, I find myself enjoying it in a way I never knew was possible.
I’m at ease. Not at arms, but at ease. Completely unconcerned.
We eat and drink and drink and eat—sparkling water for Ariel, though I think she’s drunk enough on the moment that the lack of alcohol doesn’t bother her in the least. Zoya truly outdid herself, and on a ridiculous
