Epilogue
NIX
“You’ll come back, right? Soon. Not in three years.” I pull Russ’s suitcase from my trunk. Chase is at his interview, so I brought Russ to the airport on my own.
“Now that you both live here, I guess I don’t have a choice.” Russ pulls up the handle on his bag. “You take good care of him for me, okay? He might be my big brother, but I think he needs more protecting than people think.”
“You know I will.” I give him a big hug, the last one for a while. “We’ll see you soon.”
“Maybe you guys can come to Charlotte for Christmas?”
It’s unlikely because of the shop, but I’m willing to think about it. Now that I have Chase in my life, a few things will need to change. He’ll be busy, too, but we need plenty of time to ourselves as well. “We’ll see.”
“That’s what I thought. Love you.” He winks at me before heading for the automatic doors.
“Love you. Call me when you get home.”
The drive back to Sleighbell Springs is thankfully short and free of heavy traffic.
I closed the shop today so that we could get Russ to the airport, and Chase officially moved into my house.
He doesn’t have much, but we have big plans to christen most of the rooms. We’re probably a little overambitious on that one.
When I walk in the front door, Chase is waiting for me in the living room. He’s sitting on the edge of the couch, his leg jackhammering.
“How did it go?” I’m a little afraid to ask. We’d make it work either way, but it would be easier if he had that position. It’d give him something to do and help him become an important part of the community.
“I got it!” He jumps off the sofa and runs over to me. For a second, we bounce up and down together.
“I knew you’d get it. They’d be stupid not to hire you.”
“Honestly, I think they’re crazy for giving me the position, but I said yes. I start in two weeks. Can you believe it?”
“Yes, because you’re you. Somehow, Chase Haywood always comes out on top.”
“That’s Coach Haywood now.”
“Hmmm…I like that. Coach.” I’m already figuring out what I can buy him that says coach on it to help cement his position.
“You know what this means, right?”
No idea. I’m thinking about whether it’d be weird to call him coach in bed. It might screw it up for him when he’s with the kids.
“I need more book recommendations.”
“I’ve got you covered.” There’s already a bunch on the nightstand in the bedroom; I just haven’t shown them to him yet.
“Now, didn’t we have plans for today?”
“Right. Time to make this place permanently ours. Do you think Aunt May would approve?”
That one I know the answer to. “She’d love you.
I told her all about you when I used to come here.
She even knew about my crush on you.” She could’ve told me to get over it or not to spend my time on such frivolous things, but she always listened carefully and called him a nice boy.
“I wish I could tell her it all worked out. You, the town, the house. All of it.”
“I bet she knows,” he whispers. “It’s why she gave you this place. The gift wasn’t the house; it was the opportunity.”
“When did you get so smart?” I start toward the bedroom to change into my comfy clothes.
“I think about the time someone made me the head coach.” Chase follows close behind me.
“Don’t let that go to your head before your first day.”
“Pretty sure that’s the only time it’ll go to my head.
Twenty teens are going to put me in my place pretty quick.
” He leans against the door frame. It’s the perfect picture, him standing there in his little shorts.
I can’t wait to see it every day. Maybe multiple times a day.
Having a boyfriend who gets to wear that kind of stuff on a daily basis is a definite benefit.
“True, but you’ll always have me. And Nick.”
“Sounds good to me.”