Page 86 of The Mr. Right Checklist

We step inside, and he uses the card again. As the elevator rises, he gathers me in his arms and he’s all smiles. “You’ve worked so hard to set this up, I wanted to be sure you got to see it play out. My father works in this building. He pulled a few favors for us. We’re heading up to the roof, but don’t get too excited. It’s just a roof.”

Emotions bubble up inside me. “No, it’s not. It’s a roof you brought me to, to see something that might never have come to fruition if you didn’t show up at my door that first day, and believe in me, and teach me how to do it right, and make sure I was protected legally.” I’m getting choked up again and take a deep breath. “You, my friend, are incredibly thoughtful, and it will never be just a roof to me. But we might be too far away to see them.”

“Maybe, but it’s worth a shot.”

The elevator doors open, and we step out onto the roof. There’s no Eiffel Tower, no waterfall lights or elaborate flooring, but my breath catches at the sight of an enormous telescope with a big red bow around it and a table set for two with a large pizza box in the middle from my favorite pizza place, a bottle of wine, wineglasses, and a vase of beautiful pink carnations. And because I’m me, my eyes tear up.

“How did you do all this when you’ve been with me the entire day?”

“A gentleman never tells, and stop eyeing my pizza. It’s steak and pineapple, my favorite. If you’re nice, maybe I’ll share.”

He’s teasing. He picks off the pineapple and puts it on my slices. “That’s awfully generous of you.”

He kisses me and takes my hand. “Come on, sunshine. I don’t want you to miss the big event.” We walk over to the telescope. “Have you ever used one of these?”

“I have a vague memory of using a small one in middle school, but it was nothing like this. It didn’t have all those gadgets.”

“Well, this one is yours, and it’s on an equatorial mount. I’ll show you how to use all the gadgets later.”

“Mine? You got it for me? For tonight?”

“That’s right, Sherlock. Now get over here and look through the lens.” He guides me in front of him. “It should be adjusted fairly well already, but you can turn this to focus it.”

I peer through the lens and adjust the focus. “Wow. I see them! It’s like they’re right in front of me.”

“Do you think I’d buy you a cheap telescope?”

“No. I didn’t think you’d buy me any telescope. She’s walking down the path! Do you want to see?”

“No. This is for you.”

“I’m so nervous for her. She’s looking around, smiling so big. I think she likes it! They’re in front of the tower. He’s getting down on one knee! She’s crying! I wonder what he’s saying. He’s standing up and putting the ring on her finger! She said yes! He got the yes!” I throw my arms around Fletch again, both of us laughing. “Thank you for thinking of this!” I look through the telescope again, then turn away quickly.

“What’s wrong?”

“They’re kissing. It feels wrong to watch.”

“I’ve got an idea.” He moves the telescope and fiddles with the dials on it. “Take a look through there and see if you can find your parents’ stars.”

“I think you mean choose stars for tonight.” I look through the lens. “I can’t get over how clear everything is. It looks like I can reach out and touch the stars. There are two bright ones right there. Look.” I step back and let him look through the lens.

“Looks like you found them. The one on the right is your mom, and the one on the left is your dad.”

“How do you know which is which?”

“Because your mother always held his right hand, and because I had those stars named for them. The star on the right is Bonnie ‘Mama’ Amor, and the one on the left is Miguel ‘Daddy’ Amor.”

I can’t tell if he’s kidding, and then I realize I never told him my parents’ names. “How do you know their names, and what do you mean, you had them named?”

“Ruby told me their names. The way you described your parents’ love as being all-consuming, I figured their stars would be inseparable, so I found two orbiting stars, which are gravitationally bound to, and in orbit around, each other, and I had them registered with the International Space Registry. Now you’ll always know where they are, and they’re your parents’ namesakes forever.”

Tears spill down my cheeks as I try to wrap my head around what he’s said.

He pulls a black velvet pouch out of his pocket and empties it into his hand. He holds out his palm, showing me a rose-gold necklace with two interlocking hearts on it. “These have their names and the coordinates of their stars on them, so you’ll always have them with you.” He turns them over, showing me the inscriptions.

“You did this for me?”

“I know how important your parents are to you.” He moves behind me and gathers my hair over one shoulder, putting the necklace on me. “This way you’ll always know exactly where they are. I’ll show you how to find the coordinates with your EQ mount so you can see their stars anytime you want.”