Page 100 of Champagne Nights

“My turn,” Ian spoke as he grabbed me and hugged me.

Ian looked precisely as my mind had pictured him—tall, tanned, spikey brown hair, chocolate eyes, and black-rimmed glasses that suited his face.

“You’re sexy. Rigby is a lucky guy.” I smiled.

He wiped the uncontrollable tears that streamed down his face.

“Now I’m not going to be able to make faces at you.”

I laughed. “You still can, and I’ll make them right back.”

The best part of getting my eyesight back wasn’t seeing the sight of the beauty of the world. It was seeing the people I loved more than life.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

TWO MONTHS LATER

Aubrey

Life was a huge adjustment after the operation, and to this day, I still found myself closing my eyes every once in a while so that I could go back to the world that made me who I had become. With each sun that rose, my eyesight and the clarity of the world became better. One of my best times was shopping with Penelope for new clothes and shoes. I would admit that my taste in style had changed now that I had sight. Ethan took me to Shakespeare Garden a couple of days after I returned home; it was exactly how I visualized it. It still gave me a sense of peace, and before the weather had turned too cold, Ethan and I would go every Saturday morning with our coffees in hand, where we sit on a blanket in the grass, and I would read while he laid his head on my lap and listened. When I returned to school a week after my operation, my students overwhelmed me with their kindness by throwing me a welcome-back party. To see their bright, smiling faces was pure joy.

It was now December, and I awoke earlier than usual for a Saturday morning. I needed to use the bathroom, so I carefully rolled out from under Ethan’s arm and quietly walked acrossthe room. When I was finished, I walked over to the bedroom window and peeked through the curtains. My eyes widened, and I let out a loud sound.

“What’s wrong?” Ethan quickly sat up.

“Oh my God!” I cupped my mouth with my hand.

“What? Aubrey, are you okay?” he asked in a panicked voice.

“It’s snowing!” I exclaimed as I looked over at him.

He fell back down and pulled the sheet over him. Going into his closet, where I kept some of my clothes, I quickly pulled on a pair of leggings and an oversized cream-colored cable knit sweater.

“What are you doing?” he asked as he opened one eye.

“I’m going outside.” I pulled on my socks.

“Sweetheart, we’ll go later. I promise. Come back to bed.”

“Fuck later, Ethan. It’s snowing, and for the first time, I can see it. I’m going now!”

Walking over to the bed, I kissed his forehead. “Go back to sleep.”

I raced down the stairs to the front door and put on my tall boots and winter coat. Stepping outside on the porch, I looked out into the city covered in a white blanket. Soft, large flakes hit my face as I made my way down the steps. It brought back a memory I had when I was six years old. I sat on the steps and watched as the flakes hit the ground and stuck to it. A few moments later, Ethan took a seat next to me.

“I told you to go back to sleep.” I smiled.

“How could I, knowing how excited you were about the snow.” He kissed my cheek and took my hand.

“I remember when I was a kid, my father traveled to Colorado for a business trip and was stuck there for a couple of days due to a snowstorm that hit. When he returned, I asked him to tell me all about the snow. He reached into his bag and pulled out a snow globe, turned it upside down, and told me that’s whatit looked like. I’ll never forget how I just sat and stared at it. When it was done, I shook it again, over and over. He told me that he’d take me up to the mountains one day to see it. We never did get around to making that trip.”

“Well, now you see it. Is it as beautiful as you thought it would be?”

“It is.” I grinned.

Ethan brought my hand up to his lips. “I have an idea. Let’s walk down to Starbucks and get some coffee.”

“Seriously?” My face lit up.

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