Picture Perfect

people, purely because I don’t like people digging into my life for their own bullshit reasons. I knew Tessa wasn’t asking me questions so that she could sell my life story to a tabloid so I answered every question honestly and in detail. I wanted to tell her everything anyway. To my way of thinking, that was how real relationships were supposed to evolve. I noticed that she got teary eyed when I talked about my mom, and that touched me.
    “My mom was amazing. She was beautiful, smart, and so goddamn funny. She used to read me books but she’d change the words to really funny stuff. She and I lived to make each other laugh. My dad called us Laurel and Hardy. Once a month we’d have pajama day in the house. We’d all stay in our pajamas, watch movies and eat junk. Those days were the best. She tried to keep that going until the very end, even when she was too tired to stay awake for an entire movie and she couldn’t force down any food. To the bitter end she was the best mom a kid could have asked for.”
    It had been so long since I’d talked to anyone that wasn’t already ‘in the know’ about my mom, and it felt good to share that with Tess. I lay down on the blanket and settled my head on her thigh as I talked. The feeling of her running her fingers through my hair was both comforting and relaxing. It anchored me to her, and it felt so damn good.
    “She sounds amazing Flynn. I love that she was untraditional and fun. That’s totally in keeping with what your dad and your grandparents were like at dinner last night. Your father is a really great guy. Do you think he’ll ever remarry?”
    Blowing out a frustrated breath, I shook my head against her leg. “You have no idea how badly I wish that he would, but I don’t see it happening. He adored my mother, and his position on relationships is that if he doesn’t feel as passionately for someone as he did for her, there’s no point in bothering. He was solidly single for the first few years after her death, but over time, he started to date again. I’ve met a few, my grandparents have as well, but no one has ever gotten him to want to take it to the next step. It’s a shame, because my dad really is the type of man that should have had more kids. He’s amazing, and I’m not just saying that because he’s my dad. It drives me crazy that he’s fifty-one and has given up on finding love again. I hate thinking of him being alone for the rest of his life.”
    Tessa’s fingers traced my cheek as she sighed. “I think it’s beautiful that you love your dad so much that you wish he’d find someone to love. He’s not old by any stretch of the imagination, and you never know… he could still find someone. Don’t give up hope.”
    Lying there with my head in Tessa’s lap and her fingers tracing my face, I got why my dad knew so quickly whether a relationship had the possibility of going anywhere or not. I used to think that he made the decision to quick, but now I understood. When it was there, it was REALLY there. My feelings toward Tessa were coming on fast, and I knew that we were headed somewhere special; a place I’d never been. How funny that I’d thought it would take months to grow into that feeling with someone. The truth was light years away from what my expectation had been.
    Looking out at the view, I realized that the sun was getting ready to set. Sitting up, I grabbed Tessa’s hand in mine. “See that babe? That’s why I brought you here. Grab your camera and snap away. I know you’re going to love this.”
    The quick kiss that she dropped on my lips before she got her purse told me all that I needed to know. I chose well when I’d brought us here. I watched with a smile as she started taking photos. I could tell that she was completely absorbed in what she was seeing, and I was delighted to see that. The setting sun left her in silhouette in front of me, a vision of perfection that stilled my beating heart. Reaching into my pocket for my iPhone, I snapped a dozen photos of her taking pictures of the sun as it set. As I snapped my last photo, she turned to me and smiled. Her timing was perfect, and I captured the joy on her face.
    “It’s perfection Flynn! I love it!”
    She was right; it was perfection. The photo I’d gotten of her made my insides go soft, and I set it as the photo for her listing in my address book. As I finished, she called me to the edge to watch the end of the sunset. She had one of those cameras that