She followed it and discovered the light was coming from a phone, held by a person, sitting in the sand near the ocean. The light went out, and the person didn’t move.

She opened her phone again and typed Cody? into a new text, then saw the phone light up again. She could barely make out his silhouette in the darkness, but she was certain that was him. He sat with his knees up, leaning on them, perfectly still.

Her heart leaped. He was here? He was at the lighthouse—at their spot? How long had he been here, and why hadn’t she come?

She started walking toward him but stopped. He hadn’t responded to her messages. His phone had gone black again, and now he sat in darkness. Was it possible he didn’t want to hear from her at all? Were her fears founded—had he given up on them?

No sense holding back now, though, was there? She’d come this far—she’d never forgive herself if she left without talking to him.

She continued walking but stopped again when he clicked his phone on and started typing. Her phone buzzed in her hand.

Happy birthday, Lou. I hope all your wishes come true.

Her eyes clouded over, and she tucked the phone away. “I hope so too,” she called out.

She couldn’t see his face, but she saw him stand. “Louisa?”

“What are you doing out here?” she asked as she approached.

When she reached him, he tore his gaze from hers and fished his wallet out of his pocket. He opened it and pulled out a small, folded white napkin. “I made a promise.”

In a flash, every detail of that day rushed back. It had been his idea. His way of giving them something to look forward to, of reassuring her that no matter what, they’d find their way back to each other on this exact day.

Her heart beat so loud and fast against her rib cage, she had to resist the urge not to clutch her chest in a sad attempt to quiet it down. She looked at him. “You came.”

He reached for her hand, brought it to his lips, and pressed a tender kiss to the inside of her palm. “Of course I did.”

She smiled. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

He shrugged lightly. “You’re here now—that’s all that matters.”

“I’m sorry for a lot of things,” she said.

“Can you tell me about them later?” He took her face in his hands. “Right now, all I really want to do is kiss you.”

“Okay. Kissing now, talking later.”