Page 76 of London, Love, & A Little Something Irish

“To Disneyland Paris,” he finishes, grinning despite my squeal interrupting him.

“Eeeeeep! No way, seriously?” I squeal.

He laughs. “Yes, seriously. Remember my aunt and uncle in Paris?”

“Yes! Wait—so we’re actuallygoing?”

“We’re going,” he confirms, grinning wide.

“I’M SO EXCITED!”

I fling myself across the table and wrap him in a hug.

“Thank you thank you thank you!” I say, kissing him right on the mouth, because how could I not?

I’ve dreamed of going to Disneyland Parisforsolong—especially for my twenty-first. And he listened. He remembered. Heplanned it.

I let out a dreamy sigh.

I. Can’t. Wait.

29

Nataly

“I can’t believe we’re here!” I squeal, my excitement bubbling over.

He grins. “I’m happy you’re happy.”

“Are you kidding? We’re onMain Street. InDisneyland Paris. This is absolute perfection. I can smell Disney bakes. I want tolivehere!” I say, bouncing on the balls of my feet like I’m five years old again.

He just laughs, eyes sparkling at my excitement.

Main Street in Disneyland Paris is pure magic. Every single detail. The hidden Mickeys. The storefronts with their whimsical signs. The scent of baked goods floating in the air. And the music—it’s what ties it all together. It matches the vibe so perfectly that it feels like warm cookie dough came to life and turned into a place.

“I feel likeBuddy the Elf—my own version. First, we’ll go on rides for two hours, and then we’ll go get Mickey-shaped pizza,then we’ll eat cotton candy as fast as we can, and then, to finish, we’ll snuggle watching the fireworks.” My grin is so big.

I spotted cotton candy at the Bake Shop, and I’m determined to get some before the day ends. It would make for such a cute photo by the castle, too!

He flashes his lopsided grin. “Sounds perfect. Throw in some chocolate donuts though.”

“Done, and done.”

After a few dreamy photos by the castle, we head for our first ride: Hyperspace Mountain.

What I love about Disneyland Paris is that it feels like someone cherry-picked the best rides from Disneyland California and Disney World Florida and dropped them right here. Sure, some people say it’s not “as good” as Florida—but do I care? Nope. Not one bit. This place isperfectto me.

And it has something neither American park has:Crush’s Coaster.

I’m ridiculously excited to try it out when we hop over to Walt Disney Studios later. The parks are so close that it’s easy to bounce back and forth all day.

Now we’re in line for Hyperspace Mountain.

My birthday’s on September 2nd. As a kid, I hated that—it always meant school had started, and I was the oldest in my class. But as an adult? It’s a dream. It means that all the kids are back in school, so wherever we go, prices are lower and places aren’t as packed. Win-win. So the lines here are relatively short today. We only have to wait 20 minutes to get on and it’s just the start of the day.

We’re drawing nearer to the front of the line. I see the roller coaster take off.

“I think my stomach already left the building,” I say. “I love the adrenaline, but it’s our first ride of the day and my stomach’s like, ‘No thanks, I’ll wait outside.’”

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