Epilogue 1
Six months later
I twisted around in my seat to check the crockpot on the back floorboard. The lid was clamped on tightly, but I wanted to make sure it didn’t slide around too much.
“It’s fine,” Elijah said from the driver’s seat.
“I know. I was just checking.”
He chuckled beneath his breath, but I ignored it. We were on our way to Tanya and Jordan’s house for a pool party. It was finally warm enough to use the pool and my friends decided to celebrate by inviting everyone over.
It was the type of event we were having more often now that three of my friends were married.
Instead of meeting up for girl brunches or dinners, they would take turns hosting.
And even though Chelsea and Landen weren’t married yet, they had invited us over for dinner a couple of times in the past six months.
The guys might never be close friends like we were, but they got along well enough. They even hung out together without us from time to time.
“Hey, when are you going to move in with me?” Elijah asked.
He occasionally answered this question, and I’d always answered, “When I’m ready.”
Instead, this time, I said, “Whenever you ask me.”
It took a moment for my answer to process, but when it did, his head whipped toward me. “You’re gonna move in with me?”
“I don’t recall being asked,” I replied.
“I asked you months ago.”
I shot him some side eye. “I’m talking about right now.”
He laughed. “That’s how it is?”
I shrugged, studying my mint green nail polish.
Still chuckling, he asked, “Will you move in with me, Brown Eyes?”
I turned my head to look at him and saw that he was grinning at me, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement. “Yes, I will. We’re practically living together anyway.”
He lifted my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles. “I’d still like to make it official.”
“Then, consider it official.”
We arrived at Tanya’s house, and I led the way around the side, straight to the backyard.
She’d texted me earlier not to bother with the front door or the doorbell cam and to come right to the pool in the rear.
Her daughter, Millie, would be napping, and she said she would flip a table if someone woke her up.
Apparently, if Millie was unhappy, everyone would know about it because she would scream it at the top of her lungs, for a long, long, long time.
Tanya, Jordan, and Yancy were all gathered around the patio table, munching on a vegetable tray and drinking cocktails or beer. There was squealing and splashing nearby, and a quick glance revealed that Yancy’s daughter, Carolena, was playing with Charles in the pool.
Five minutes later, the crockpot of dip I brought was plugged into an extension cord and set up on the table and the bags of chips I brought were open next to it. I had a mojito in one hand and a carrot stick in the other.
We were all just about done with our drinks when Lucy and Chris showed up, swiftly followed by Chelsea and Landen.
Once everyone arrived, Jordan started the grill to make hot dogs and hamburgers, and I sat with my friends watching the men take turns tossing Carolena in the pool and “helping” Jordan grill.
“I’m moving in with Elijah,” I announced.
Everyone’s heads swiveled toward me, but no one looked surprised.
“What?” I asked, feeling defensive.
“You’re practically living together anyway,” Lucy pointed out.
“Yeah, but I still have my apartment.”
“When was the last time you slept there?” Yancy asked.
“Last week!”
“Alone?” Her brows rose as she questioned me.
I sighed and shook my head.
“When was the last time either of you slept alone in your own beds?” Chelsea asked.
“A couple of months ago,” I grumbled, picking up another carrot stick and taking a vicious bite out of it. “I just figured y’all would be more excited for me.”
Tanya smiled. “We are excited for you, Grier. You seem really happy.”
I made a face at her, which made everyone at the table laugh. Since my friends found out I’d been keeping my relationship with Eli a secret, I’d worked on being more open with them. That included things like pouting when they didn’t react the way I expected.
“Hey, Eli!” Chelsea called. “Your girlfriend is mad at us because we’re not excited for her because she’s moving in with you.”
All the men looked at us, then at Elijah. He shrugged and sauntered over, setting his beer on the table next to me.
“You want them to be excited for you, Brown Eyes?”
I heard Yancy whisper, “I love that he calls her that.”
The other girls hummed, “Uh-huh.”
“Yes,” I admitted. “Because I’m really excited.”
Elijah grinned down at me and reached into his pocket. My heart stopped when he pulled a little black velvet box out of his pocket and dropped to one knee. Sunlight gleamed on the diamond inside.
“When I said I wanted to make it official, this is what I wanted to do,” he said. “I don’t just want you to move in with me, Gigi. I want you to marry me.”
It took me two tries to say, “A girl likes to be asked.”
His smile grew even wider. “Will you please marry me, Brown Eyes? I promise that I will cherish every day I have with you and do my best to make sure you feel the same way about me.”
“Yes,” I answered, lifting a hand to wipe away the tear that dripped down my cheek.
My friends all squealed and shouted, clapping their hands, as Eli grabbed my left hand and slipped the ring on my finger. It fit perfectly. Using his hold on my hand, he pulled me to my feet and straight into his arms.
The kiss was short because we were being surrounded by our friends, all of them talking at once. Everyone was hugging everyone and smiling.
The group dispersed when Jordan and the other guys went back to take the food off the grill, Tanya went inside because the baby woke from her nap, and the other girls went inside to get the buns, condiments, and side dishes.
Elijah and I were alone at the table. He sat in a chair and had me perched in his lap.
“Do you think you’ll want a big wedding?” he asked.
I glanced down at his upturned face and shook my head. “I don’t really have anyone in my life except my friends and Davide and Nick. Are you okay with something small and simple?”
“Absolutely. Other than Marcus and his parents, I don’t really have anyone apart from your friends and Davide either. Are you sure you won’t be disappointed if we don’t do something formal?”
I picked up his hand, lacing our fingers together. “When I think about marrying you, I imagine having all our friends in our backyard for the ceremony, followed by a party a lot like this one, and then a honeymoon somewhere on the beach for at least a week. That’s all I want.”
“That sounds perfect,” he murmured. “And even better, it won’t take long to plan.”
“Why is that better?”
He cupped my face and pulled my lips down to his. “It means I can marry you before the summer is over.”
“Are you sure you want to do it that fast?” I asked when his mouth released mine.
“If I could marry you tomorrow, I would.”
I stared into his bright blue eyes as a warm glow filled my chest. “Then, I guess I’ll get it planned as quickly as possible.”
“Good.” He kissed me again. “I can’t wait to get you back home so we can celebrate.”
I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face. “Me either.”