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I smile I appreciate that response So inal ork or cover every surface in shiplap I’lad Ryan appreciates the history of the house

He looks atbefore he speaks

“I think my uncle knew I’d appreciate this place for what it is,” he says siuess Or so”

There’s ,” but I don’t press

“I wish I’d spentin his house… I’ rid of his stuff It feels like, if I hold onto some of it, then I won’t lose him completely”

“You don’t have to get rid of anything,” I say, trying to sound gentle “You don’t even have to get rid of the house”

He nods, not like he’s agreeing, just like he’s thinking But it’s more than I could hope for I feel like I’ve made a crack in his determination to leave Reindeer Falls

Ryan looks around, gesturing at the wooden bea with ratification of renovation, coet plans for a cohs and takes a sip of his cocoa before continuing “It was Uncle Joe who gotback when I was into really be aimless all day”

There’s hope there, in what he’s saying Hope and possibility

“Anyway” He shrugs “Enough about me Didn’t I promise you a movie?”

I nod He most definitely did

We debate our choices and settle on Miracle on 34th Street I wait as he queues it up, processing everything that he just toldit very difficult for e I can even understand why he was reluctant to get out the decorations Thatmemories of Uncle Joe, and that couldn’t have been easy

But in the end, he did it For me

Ryan presses play and tugs ainst his chest and for a moment, I can focus on the movie It’s one of my favorites, after all Who doesn’t love Maureen O’Hara and parade shenanigans? But being this close to Ryan has consequences onAnd now that I know he has actual feelings on top of being beyond pleasing to look at, I’m about to lose my mind

It starts innocently enough I tip my head back up and catch hisdown s I reach for his pants, and he stills my hand