The plate in front of her held lemon-herb roasted chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, and roasted carrots and asparagus.
“You told me once it was your favorite,” I said. “Something your mom makes when you go home.”
Her expression warmed, and that look alone made all the planning worth it. Wine replaced beer tonight. The atmosphere felt quieter, more intimate. Conversation came easy, laughter slipping between stories about the orchard, about her childhood swim meets, about my brothers and the chaos that came with them. At one point she laughed so hard she reached for my hand across the table without thinking. Neither of us let go. Watching her relaxed, happy, and glowing made something settle inside me. I wasn’t thinking about the fight in Toronto. Iwasn’t thinking about family drama or the weight of everything happening around us. It was just her and me.
“You’re staring,” she teased softly.
“Can’t help it,” I admitted.
A faint blush touched her cheeks.
Dinner stretched longer than either of us expected. The candles burned lower. Wine glasses emptied and refilled. The world outside the room faded until it felt like only the two of us existed. A soft knock came at the door before it opened slightly. Cooper peeked his head in with an easy grin.
“You two alive in here?” he joked.
Claire laughed softly, glancing at me. “Barely.”
Cooper nodded toward the table. “Kitchen’s still open if you want dessert before they shut things down.”
I looked at Claire. “You want something sweet?”
She leaned back in her chair, smiling contentedly. “I’m honestly full.”
“Same,” I said.
Cooper gave me a look that said he knew exactly what was going on and disappeared again. I pulled my phone out and checked the time. A knot of guilt tugged at me, remembering where Phoenix was.
“Hold on a second,” I said, standing. “I’m just going to check in with Phoenix.”
Claire nodded while I made the call. He picked up on the second ring, background noise loud behind him.
“How’s Elyna?” I asked quietly.
“Tired,” he said, voice strained but happy. “This is gonna take a while. They said probably all night.”
“You holding up okay?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he breathed. “Just… nervous. Go enjoy your night, Ash. I’ll update everyone.”
I smiled. “Text me when the baby comes.”
“Will do.”
“Everything okay?” Claire asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. He said it’ll probably be all night.”
We lingered a little longer, finishing the last of the wine. Neither of us seemed ready to break the quiet bubble we’d been living in all evening. Eventually I stood and held out my hand.
“Come on,” I said softly.
Outside, the air had cooled, the sky dark and clear. Stars stretched overhead as we walked back toward the cabins. Our shoulders brushed occasionally, and when her hand slipped into mine it felt natural.
“Thank you for dinner. It was very special and delicious,” she said quietly.
I chuckled. “I was worried you’d hate it.”
She stopped walking, turning toward me. “Asher… no one has ever done something like that for me.” That hit me harder than it should have.