Wish Upon a Star by Jim Cangany Page A

a
problem with letting go? I'd always couched my behavior as keeping
the memories of the loved ones I'd lost—Dad, Mom, Evan—alive. I'd
treated those memories like a badge of honor. Were they actually
anchors dragging me down and holding me back? I didn't know.
    What I did know was that Annie loved me, and she wouldn't
have put herself through what we'd been through if she didn't care
deeply for me. I had to trust her on this one. Hadn't I asked her to
trust me once or twice? Oh yeah.
    Annie gave me a few minutes to say goodbye to Mom's car
before we headed home in my new wheels. The whole drive, she
went on and on about the bells and whistles my new BMW had.
    I was just glad I'd been able to figure out how to turn on the
headlights.
    After we got back to the condo, I had a beer and Annie had
some fruit juice while we unwound. When the news was over, I
turned off the TV and took Annie's hand.
    "Thanks. I promise I'll work on the letting go thing."
    "Today's been a good first step. I know this was hard and I
thank you for your willingness to work with me on it."
    I chuckled. "You know, you were pretty impressive, leading
me right down the path. Almost like you knew what you were
doing."
    "Well, Good Lord, E.J., think about it. I work in the
entertainment industry where everyone's either been in or is going
through therapy." She winked at me and got to her feet. "Now come
on, I'm in need of the kind of therapy only you can provide."
    Unsure of what to do once we were under the covers, I
simply stroked Annie's arm and looked into her eyes. A few flecks of
gold glittered in the moon light coming through the window. She
placed her hand on my hip and I shuddered.
    "Are you sure about this? I mean, I don't want to..."
    "I'm not made of glass, silly." She kissed me on the nose and
drew herself next to me. Her soft skin felt like fire on mine. "You
won't hurt me. If I remember correctly, I'm the one who
propositioned you, after all."
    She brought her lips to mine. They tasted like apples. When
she ran her tongue across my collarbone, I melted into
nothingness.

Eight
    Having her own car turned out to be the best therapy in the
world for Annie. With clear roads and a set of wheels she was proud
of, she started spending more and more time out and about and less
time brooding on the couch.
    I was handling some of her fan email the day before chemo
round four when she and Miranda came through the door. Annie
held a bottle of sparkling grape juice.
    "E.J., do you have any idea how lucky you are to be engaged
to this woman?"
    "Let's see, there's the new car and the job as Cassandra's
assistant, so I guess I could do worse."
    Annie stuck her tongue out at me. "If you're going to be that
way, you don't get to see the wedding dress I picked out, and Randi
and I will keep the bubbly to ourselves."
    I'd known Annie and Miranda had been on a shopping
excursion, but picking out a wedding dress was news to me. To be
honest, I'd been so focused on getting through each day, I hadn't
given the wedding any thought. Her wedding dress was something I
wanted to see, though.
    "If it helps me redeem myself, I've responded to fifty-seven
fan emails today. And I have an update from Samantha on the tour
DVD."
    Annie took two champagne flutes from the cabinet. "Is that
it?"
    "And I got caught up on the laundry."
    She reached for a third glass. "In that case, you have totally
redeemed yourself."
    "Agreed," Miranda said. "I can barely trust Ryan with folding
the clothes, much less washing them." She handed me the
bottle.
    I popped the cork and poured. Between her head bobbing
and her toe bouncing, Annie looked like she was going to burst. She
took her glass and raised it. "To my two favorite people in the
world."
    We each took a drink and, following Annie's lead, placed our
glasses on the table.
    "All right, the photo doesn't do the dress justice, and I'll have
to be fitted closer to the wedding, but here you go."
    She handed her phone to me. The dress was a