Epilogue
ABBY
3 MONTHS LATER
“ Wait, wait.” Grayson holds up a finger, looking between me and Harper with incredulous delight. “You had a crush on me in high school?”
I glare at Harper, who gives me a sheepish expression, before I meet Grayson’s eyes. “Um, maybe we could talk about this later?”
Eli smirks as he takes a sip of his beer, but wisely stays silent.
“Did you know about this?” Grayson asks Owen.
Owen scoffs. “As if I paid attention to anyone’s love life.”
“Don’t look at me.” Kristen holds her hands up. “This is news to me, too.”
My face is roasting, hot enough to cook an egg on. “Okay, triple-date-night-whatever-this-is is over.” I get up from my seat, but the chorus of objections has me sitting back down.
Grayson leans into me. “We’ll definitely talk about this later,” he murmurs, low enough for only me to hear.
Okay, not helping my mega blush.
It’s scary good how well Grayson has fit into my friend group here, but then again, half of them are his siblings, so it only makes sense. And not only that, but fitting into my life in general. Like he’s always been a part of it.
Which he has, of course. But his transition from occasional cameo to main character has been pretty seamless. Once he switched teams at work and went fully remote, it wasn’t long before he found a renter for his condo and made the move to Crescent Pass. He debated about finding a place of his own, but I convinced him to stay with me while he looked at his options. And once he was here, it felt so right that any talk of him leaving fell by the wayside.
I still pinch myself sometimes, praying that the past few months haven’t all been a dream. A miraculous, wonderful fantasy where the guy of my dreams is in love with me, each day better than the last.
I’m content to sit back and watch Harper and Grayson dominate most of the conversation as the six of us sit outside Owen’s cabin around the fire pit in the backyard, the summer air warm and pleasant.
As Grayson is telling a funny story about a hiking song he, Jenny, and Jamie made up on a recent hike he took them on, Kristen looks over at me and squeezes my hand. We don’t need words for me to know what she’s thinking, because I’m thinking the same thing. How nice it is for Grayson to be here now, spending quality time with his niece and nephew. As much as they used to idolize their Uncle Owen, Uncle Grayson has quickly risen in the ranks to be a contender for favorite uncle.
Weekends are spent with family, and he seems to be making up for lost time, creating new memories with the twins, reconnecting with his brother and sister and their significant others, and of course basking in the adoration of his mother now that he’s returned home. And that’s in addition to helping out with my parents, who thankfully need us a little less since Mom has recovered.
What I love most, though, is our time after work on the weekdays, just the two of us. My home is filled with laughter and happiness and so much love, my chest aches with it sometimes.
After a half hour, as the night is winding down, Grayson whispers to me, “You ready to get going?”
I nod, giving him a lazy smile.
“And you’ll tell me about this crush, right?”
Oh God, I already forgot about that.
He brings my hand to his mouth to kiss my knuckles, grinning mercilessly.
We make our goodbyes a few minutes later and head around the house to where Grayson’s parked by Owen’s workshop. He opens the passenger door for me, his gaze twinkling with mischief.
“No teasing,” I warn, settling into the seat.
He mimes zipping his lips before shutting the door, but that’s only for show. He wouldn’t be Grayson without a little teasing.
He at least waits until we’re off Owen’s property and on the main road before asking, “So on a scale of one to ten, how likely were you to tell me about this crush?”
“Hmm.” I tap my lip, pretending to think. “Negative one, because I was taking it to my grave.”
“Why? It’s hot.”
I chuckle, unable to help it. “No, it feeds your ego. Which is already in danger of exploding, it’s so big.”
He laughs, just like I wanted him to.
“Seriously,” I say. “If you’d known back then, how would you have reacted?”
His lips twist. “You mean when I was desperate to put Crescent Pass behind me? Okay, fair point.” He holds a finger up. “But you at least have to tell me why you had a crush on me.”
I turn toward him, and though his focus is on the road, my gaze lingers over the upward tilt of his mouth, the crinkles next to his eyes, his happy and relaxed aura.
“Well, I thought you were incredibly handsome.”
“Still am,” he agrees with mock solemnity.
“Okay, ego.”
He grins, biting his bottom lip.
“And I liked that you were smart and funny. How kind and thoughtful you were to others. That you always helped your family.”
His smile gradually drops as I continue on, something both pleased and abashed in his expression. I love the rare times I’m able to discomfit him in a good way like this.
“You were fun to be around,” I tell him. “You brought life and energy into a room when you entered. You still do that.” I reach over and intertwine my fingers with his. “And I guess I wanted all of that energy and focus on… me.”
He makes the turn onto our street, silent as he processes my words. It’s not until we’re parked in the driveway that he responds.
“If you had told me all that back then, I wouldn’t have known what to do with it. Definitely would have fucked it all up somehow.” He unbuckles and leans over the center console to kiss me, nice and slow. “I wouldn’t have appreciated you the way you deserve,” he whispers against my lips. “Wouldn’t have fallen in love with you the way I have now.”
He reaches over and unbuckles my seatbelt, too. “Wouldn’t have known you’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”
Heat crawls over my cheeks, still stunned by the romantic things he says, even after months together.
He opens his door and quickly rounds the car, leading me out and up the driveway. When we’re inside the house, he’s kissing me, bracing me against the back of the front door.
“I know what to do with it now,” he murmurs in my ear, sending a thrill down my spine. “You have all of my energy and focus. You have everything of me. I’m all yours.”
His hands slide down my torso, his touch lighting me up, every time like the first. I’ll never get tired of this.
“I love you,” I tell him in between kisses.
“Love you more.”
Impossible. But as he carries me back to our bedroom, I’m willing to agree to disagree. Though I’ve loved him longer, I don’t doubt his love for a second. Not when he shows me every day.
Like he said, he’s mine. Just like I’m his. And the best part is, it’ll be that way for the rest of our lives.