In fact, it was so dark she rather hoped that she didn’t walk directly into the lake before she’d spotted it. But it did seem that they were almost to a clearing. The brush ahead wasn’t so thick, and a breeze tickled the curls at her nape.

“There,” Reese purred in her ear. “Look up, Sophie.”

She did, and her breath caught in her throat.

At the bottom of a gently sloping hill, dozens of colorful lanterns bobbed from the boughs of a huge, ancient oak along the lakeshore. Like a swarm of glowworms celebrating the arrival of summer, the lights danced above, painting the water red, blue, yellow, and green.

Beyond the tree, a wooden pier extended several yards into the lake, and dozens of small lanterns placed at the edge glittered above the water like chandeliers at a mermaid ball. At the end of the pier, a collection of jewel-toned pillows and plush quilts beckoned.

The entire effect was dazzling.

“Reese,” Sophie whispered. “How did you do this?”

“I wanted to surprise you,” he said. “Do you like it?”

“Yes.” Her voice cracked on that one little word. “I love it.” Her heart was so full of joy that her chest actually hurt. She hadn’t known, till then, that joy could do that to a person. She rubbed the spot on her chest just above her heart, trying to ease the ache away.

“Go have a look,” Reese urged. “It’s all for you.”

“It’s for us,” she said. “Let’s go.” With that, she picked up her skirts and ran down the hill toward the lake as fast as she dared, Reese on her heels. When she reached the oak, she was laughing and breathless and dizzy with delight. She leaned against the thick tree trunk, tipped her head back, and gazed up at the lanterns above. “You must see the view from here,” she said to Reese. “It’s like standing under a parasol made of rainbows.”

He chuckled as he strode toward the oak and leaned against the opposite side of the trunk. He was so near that she could feel the frisson of heat between them. Her palms were pressed against the rough bark; his were too. All she had to do was slide her hands toward his—just an inch—and their fingers would be touching.

“You’re right,” he said, his voice a caress. “It’s like a rainbow parasol.”

They stayed like that for a few minutes, basking back-to-back in their private, colorful cocoon, listening to water lap against the shore. And though they never actually made contact, Sophie felt Reese all around her.

He was the rough, solid trunk pressing into her back. The long, fragrant grass tickling the tops of her feet. The warm evening air kissing her neck.

At last he said, “Would you like to walk out on the pier? There’s a basket of food there if you’re hungry.”