We took a swim, lounged on the beach for a while, then went and got some ice cream. We walked around, Cole holding one of Declan’s hands while I held the other.
“Pull me up!” he’d say, and we’d both lift our arms at the same time so his feet were off the ground for a few seconds, before putting him back down. He shrieked with glee, and I couldn’t help but smiling at how happy he was. He was, in fact, acting as happy as I felt.
Finally, the sun started to set. “We should head down this way,” Cole said. “Toward the beach. We’ll see if we can get a good spot to watch the fireworks.”
“All right,” I said. “I’m just going to run into this store and use the bathroom quickly.”
When I came out, Cole and Declan were across the street, patting a Golden Retriever. I stood there for a moment on the store’s front porch and just watched them. I started to walk over, but a woman caught my eye and she smiled and said hello.
“Hi,” I said.
The woman’s smile widened. “Oh, please don’t mind me saying it, but you have such a beautiful son and husband!” she said. “You’re just such a perfect family.” She had a slight accent, maybe from somewhere down south.
“That’s very kind of you to say,” I said. I was about to tell her that Cole wasn’t actually my husband, that this wasn’t in fact my family, but for some reason, I didn’t. It was as if I could sense how disappointed she would be to know that we weren’t really together, how much she loved the idea of this perfect, happy family enjoying the day out together. I didn’t want to be the one to break it to her that it wasn’t so. Did it matter if I didn’t? It’s not like I would ever see her again.
Cole, Declan, and I continued to make our way toward the beach. There was a big crowd of people, and we moved slowly. At one point, I realized that Declan had woven his way through the crowd and was several feet in front of us.
“Declan!” Cole said sharply. “You can’t just run off like that. You’ve got to stay with either me or Allie at all times, okay? There’s way too many people here for us to get separated. And, it’s dark out. Do you know how easy it would be for you to get lost in a crowd like this?”
Declan looked down at his shoes, then slowly nodded.
“I know you’re excited,” Cole said. “We’re excited, too. We’re having a good time. But I can tell you that we most certainly would not be having a good time if we lost track of you. So you’ve got to stick close, okay? If you don’t want to hold a hand the whole time, that’s all right, but you need to stay nearby. We need to be able to see you. Even if you see a friend, or someone that you know, you can’t just go running off without first telling an adult.”
“I’m sorry,” Declan said.
Cole nodded. “It’s okay,” he said. I could tell that he felt bad now, for raising his voice. “I didn’t mean to yell after you like that, but it scared me when I looked up and didn’t see where you had gone. But no harm done. Let’s just keep on having a good time.”
We continued walking down toward the lake. Cole took a deep breath and shot me a look. I reached over and patted his shoulder.
We were able to find a good spot not too far from the water. The air was heavy with anticipation as the sky continued to get darker and darker, and then there seemed to be a pause, like everyone was collectively holding their breath.
It was like we all heard it at the same time: this high-pitched whistling sound, barely perceptible, and then an explosion of color in the sky, followed by a boom that seemed to shake the ground beneath our feet. Everyone clapped and cheered.
The fireworks were stunning. I’d seen fireworks before, of course, but never like this. Maybe it was because all the fireworks I’d ever been to had been in the city, so there was always plenty of competing light, or maybe this night was just spectacularly clear and dark, but the fireworks seemed brighter and more magnificent than should even be possible. The full spectrum of colors exploded across the sky, in huge bursts followed by loud booms, in short little spurts, in shapes, like flowers and even flags. Everyone oooh’d and aaah’d, and the kids clapped their hands. When the grand finale went off, I felt goosebumps down my arms. It really was one of the neatest things I’d ever seen, and when Cole looked over at me with a smile, I grinned back, happy that I was there with him.
It was late when we finally made our way back to the car. Cole hoisted Declan up onto his shoulders since he was too tired to walk, and we hadn’t even made our way out of the parking lot when Declan was sound asleep in his car seat.
As we drove, Cole reached over and put his hand on top of mine.
“I had a great time tonight,” I said. “Those fireworks were really something.”
“They do a good job,” he said. “And I had a nice time too. So did Declan.”
We were quiet for the rest of the trip home, though the silence was comfortable, like we could just enjoy being in each other’s company without the need to fill the empty space with talking. When we got back to the house, Cole carefully extricated Declan from his car seat and carried him inside to bed. He came down a minute later.
“He is zonked out,” he said. “I don’t think he woke up at all.”
r /> “It was a busy night for him.”
Cole yawned and stretched. “I could go for a beer. You want one?”
“Sure,” I said.
He went over to the fridge and got out two bottles of beer, which we took out onto the deck. He lit a citronella candle, and we sat next to each other as we drank the cold beer and looked up at the sky, which was dark, speckled with stars.
“Some lady tonight thought that you were my husband,” I said. “I didn’t correct her.”
He smiled. “Does this mean you want to get married?”