I swallowed a sob, “Later, when I was coping with the loss of mom and dad over a silly accident, and later on, Chris, to cancer, I understood that their love for me would help me retain the goodness they’d shown me, and allow me to continue to build on the wisdom that they and Nana had imparted to me.”

“It’s wonderful that you were so loved, Aerin,” she said quietly, after a few minutes. “I can feel all of that good loving pouring out of you, you know.”

I blinked back tears. “This isn’t just some crush for me, Harley.”

“I know, baby,” she whispered, and then kissed my chest, again. “It feels real to me, too.”

“I’m glad that you’re making us stop and think about all of this first,” she added. “Wedging in this time to allow us to sink into it, and feel, grateful, I guess is the best way I’d describe it. And looking up at those ancient stars with you helps me appreciate this … um … pause… because the stars are telling us something else, too.”

I smiled. “That we shouldn’t be anxious, right? That the important thing is not to hurry this? Not to worry about losing this feeling, because if it’s true, if it’s right … things will happen, in time. Nothing this good slips away.”

We fell into another prolonged silence. And then she said quietly, “This is the most beautiful feeling I’ve ever felt, baby. I just want to be able to live up to its promise.”

I kissed her hair, “I will hold you in my heart forever, Harley. This feeling just keeps on growing, and we’re just learning about how to nourish it … but, and in the end, I think I would give up everything for you.”

She pressed another kiss on my chest.

“Ditto,” she said quietly.

After dropping another kiss on her hair, I gazed again at our stars. “Looking at stars at night, by the beach, is nice, isn’t it?”

“It’s nice looking up at the stars when you’re in the desert, also,” she answered, after a few minutes.

“You like the desert, still? Didn’t have enough from your time in Vegas?” I asked, with a mix of curiosity and teasing.