Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
The last time there were this many Donovans together, it was for a wedding. But it was kind of fun how so many of them were here just for the fun of it. Sloane was walking arm in arm with Will around the festival on Saturday, and it seemed like everywhere she looked, there were family members.
Over on line for the Ferris wheel were her cousin Arianna and her husband, Will. They had laughed about falling in love with men with the same name, and they each teased how their Will was the better one. They were standing with their three kids laughing and smiling and Sloane wouldn’t be surprised if they were going to announce they were expecting baby number four soon.
Over by the merry-go-round was her cousin Liam, his wife Tessa, and their two kids. Aunt Kate and Uncle Shane were in line with them, along with her cousin Jamie, his wife Fallon, and their four kids. Sloane still couldn’t believe her goofy cousin was such a family man, but she loved seeing it.
“Hey, is that Ryker and Ryleigh over by the face painting booth?” Will asked.
It took a moment to find where he was pointing to, but when she saw it, she laughed. “Actually, I think Ryker is the one doing the painting! How cool is that?”
“Very. But he’s a tattoo artist, so it just makes sense that he’d put his skills to work.”
“I guess, but he didn’t have to do it here. He’s got a thriving business back in Laurel Bay and they travel practically all over the world to a lot of tattoo conventions. But if I know Jade, she convinced them to come.”
“Do they have kids?” Will asked.
“Nope. With all the traveling they do, Ryleigh said they wanted to wait before starting a family. Plus, she said they get to be the fun aunt and uncle to all their nieces and nephews, so she gets her baby fix in. That’s why I think it was clever for Jade to ask them to help with the face painting.”
“Speaking of Jade, she mentioned that she wanted us to swing by the Books my mom has Calvin over at the petting zoo—which was a last-minute addition to the festival—and Levi is walking around talking to all the local vendors.” She motioned for them to come in closer. “Don’t tell anyone yet, but…he’s thinking of running for mayor! Isn’t that exciting?”
“Holy cow! Yes! Wow!” Sloane said as she hugged Jade. “I can’t believe he’s going in that direction!”
“It wasn’t something he was actively considering, but so many people have pointed out all the good he’s been doing for the area. I don’t think he’s looking to go into…you know…big-time politics, but he’s already so involved in all the local stuff that it just seems like the next step. Plus, we’re such a small town so it’s not like it’s going to take over all his time.”
“Still, it’s pretty cool,” Will said. “And our lips are sealed.” He made the zipping motion over his lips just to prove his point.
“Are you guys having fun?” Jade asked. “We weren’t sure we were going to see you today after the dramatic—and incredibly romantic—exit you made last night.”
Sloane felt herself blush. “It was a great night, but now was my chance to finally experience a full day at a Sweetbriar Ridge festival without running and leaving in the middle of it.”
“You were just here for Meet in the Streets…”
“And while that was a fantastic event,” Will chimed in, “it was a one-day thing. Sloane needs to experience a full-blown town festival. And this one is a favorite! I mean, the haunted house, the hayrides…”
Sloane rested a hand on his chest and looked him straight in the eye. “I cannot listen to you list every festival detail again. Plus, Jade’s one of the coordinators. She knows what’s here.”
He pouted dramatically and then sighed. “Okay, fine. I won’t talk about it. Jeez.”
“Seriously, Jade, if ever you need to do a PSA on the festivals, hire Will. He knows everything about them.”
“I will definitely keep that in mind,” she said, smiling. “Did you see that your dad and The Ridge have a booth set up here?”
“What? Seriously?”
She nodded. “Just in case anyone didn’t know they existed, they wanted to have a booth.”
“They’re not selling beer, are they?” Will asked. “Because I could totally go for one right now.”
“No,” she replied. “No beer. It was too short notice to get them a liquor license, but they’re selling food and soft drinks, and handing out swag with their logo and information on it. They’ve had lines all day!”
“Good for them! I still can’t believe they all opened a bar! My Uncle Shane has the family pub down in North Carolina and it’s been in our family for generations, but I never thought another Donovan would open one.”
“It’s been great for all of them, especially my father-in-law. Poor Ronan’s been kind of depressed since he had his health scare a few years ago. He spent a lot of years working at your uncle’s pub and felt a little lost when he thought he needed to retire. Then he moved back here after reconciling with everyone and…” She sighed. “It’s been great having him around, but it was heartbreaking because he just didn’t know what to do with himself. He ran errands for Levi, he’d come and do dishes at the coffee shop, sweep up hair at Ash’s salon…now, he has a purpose.”
“I love that for him. I’m still surprised at how hands-on my dad is being. I had no idea he was even interested in that kind of business! Did you know he and my mom are looking to live here part time? They want to be snowbirds! What in the world, right?”
“It’s nice to have this kind of closeness with the family and seeing them all work together,” Jade replied. “And having Marcus, John, and Max involved too just makes it like…like the family is growing and the business is showing that.”
“This family is definitely growing,” Sloane said with a laugh. “I’ve been walking around seeing everyone and it’s wild seeing all my cousins with their kids. The next generation of Donovans is here and they are outnumbering us wildly!”
“That is for sure.” Jade motioned them close again. “And it’s growing again,” she whispered, pointing to her belly.
“Oh my God!” Sloane cried, hugging her. “Does anyone else know?”
“Just the immediate family. I’m only eight weeks along, but we are super excited and I’m seriously praying for a girl this time. I love my boys, but I am outnumbered at home!”
In the distance, someone called out Jade’s name and she waved and promised to chat more with them later. “Start thinking of some fun reels you can do for the coffee shop!”
“Wow, that’s amazing news about the baby,” Will said as they walked away.
“That it is. Wow! They’re going to have three kids. I can’t even imagine what it’s going to be like for them with a new baby and Levi potentially running for mayor! Talk about insanity.”
“Some people thrive on that sort of thing, I guess. But then they also have a huge support network with your family and Jade’s. I’m sure they’re going to be in an all-hands-on-deck mode going into the new year.”
“Probably.” They walked around in companionable silence for a few minutes until they came to a couple of game booths.
“What’s your favorite stuffed animal?”
“What?”
He nodded toward the rows of stuffed animals.
“Will, you don’t have to win me anything. I’m having fun just walking around with you!”
“Nuh-uh. We are at a carnival, and I am going to win something for you. I never had the chance before, so I’m going to do it now. Come on. I’m really good at the ring toss, but I’m even better with those water guns that blow up balloons, so…what are we trying to win?”
It was a ridiculous conversation, but she thought the penguin was particularly cute.
“Whichever game the penguin’s at. He’s the cutest.”
Straightening, he pouted again. “I thought I was the cutest?”
Leaning in, she kissed him. “No, you’re the sexiest, now come on. Win me a penguin!”
“Let’s do it!” he said excitedly, throwing down money for game tokens. Grinning at her, he motioned toward the game. “I mean, I’m a freaking cowboy, baby! I am going to blow up all these balloons and not only win you a penguin, but a second penguin so he can have a friend!”
“Yay!” Clapping, she stood back and watched him get into position.
The first balloon didn’t fill.
Neither did the second.
By the fourth she was wondering if she needed to just call time of death on it so they could move on.
And other people could get a turn.
“Will…honey? Maybe we should…?”
“No! Fifth time’s a charm!” he declared loudly.
“O-kay…” she murmured, but still clapped to cheer him on.
It turned out that the eighth time was the charm, and it would have been cheaper for him to just buy her a stuffed penguin online instead of spending so much money on tokens. But when he faced her with it in his hands, he looked so proud of himself that she couldn’t help but be proud of him.
“You did it! Thank you! Oh, I love him so much!”
He tipped his hat at her. “You’re welcome.” When they were several feet away from the booth, he whispered, “Sorry it took so long. That little kid kept staring at me and was making me nervous.”
“Aww…you’re precious,” she told him, kissing his cheek. “And I appreciate you working so hard to win this for me.”
“What are you going to name him?”
“Hmm…good question.”
“I was thinking maybe you could name him after someone you know,” he suggested. “Maybe even someone you love.” He shrugged. “I’m just saying…”
“You don’t think it would be weird if I named him after my dad?” she teased.
“Your dad? What? No! I meant…”
Silencing him with a kiss, she pulled back and grinned. “Do you think we should name him Will?”
“Well…I worked really hard to win him.”
“Yes, you did,” she cooed. “But should he be Will or William?”
For a moment, he studied the penguin hard.
Like seriously way harder than anyone should study a stuffed animal.
“William. He should be William,” he stated. “It’s a good, strong name for a penguin.”
“Okay.” They started walking and she hugged William close.
“Did you have another name in mind?” he casually asked.
“Um…I was thinking Waddles, Snowball, Icicle, Flipper, Chilly, Ice Cube, Blizzard, Penguin Pete, Frosty, Snowy, Polar, Ice Pop, Tux, Pingo, Chill, Icy, Cool Breeze, Aqua, Tundra, Skipper, Pugsy…”
His eyes were comically wide.
“But…you know…I was just tossing those names around while you were playing the game. No biggie.”
“That’s an awful lot of names.”
“Okay, but…you were playing for a really long time, so I was thinking about it.”
“If you want to change his name…”
“Will?”
“Hmm?”
“His name is William. End of story. Now, can we go to the haunted house?”
“Are you sure? It’s very scary. Terrifying, actually.”
The house was straight ahead, and a group of kids—including Jade’s son, Silas—came out laughing hysterically.
“Terrifying? Really?”
“You can’t trust kids. They’re probably all just acting like it wasn’t a big deal so they look cool.”
“Well, I think I’m up to it,” she told him. “And if I get too scared, I’ve got you and William to hold on to. I know you’re not going to let anything happen to me.”
“You got that right. Let’s go!”
A few minutes later, she was beginning to notice a theme.
Clearly, Will’s bravado was maybe a little bit of an act. He screamed way more than she did while they walked through the haunted house, and by the time they walked out, he looked pale, but confident.
“Good thing you were holding onto me,” she said, snuggling close. “That was very scary.”
“Don’t you ever worry, Sloane. I’ve got you.”
He might suck at carnival games and scare easily sometimes, but there wasn’t another man she wanted with her. “Yes, you do.”
They were dancing Sunday night at the Monster Mash Ball and having a great time. Looking into her eyes, Will was amazed. “I still can’t believe you pulled this off.”
“Still?” she laughed. “We’ve been talking about it for two days. You know how I did it.”
“Yeah, I know. But I can’t believe that I didn’t know! I’m always in the thick of everything. I was the one who organized getting Devin and MacKenzie back together. I had the entire town involved in that. I can’t believe no one let me in on it. Bunch of traitors.”
“Oh, stop. It was perfect. I’ll never forget the look on your face when I turned around in that booth.”
“It was the costume. It was better than my fantasies.”
She blushed. “You’re better than my fantasies.”
“I like the sound of that,” he murmured, his voice a bit husky against her ear. He was about to suggest they leave, but when he looked up, he spotted Devin and MacKenzie making their way over.
“Hey! You two all set for tomorrow?” MacKenzie asked.
“Absolutely,” Sloane replied. “It’s going to be wild, but I’m ready for it to finally be done.”
“And you’re sure you don’t mind?” Will asked, specifically looking at Devin.
“Everything’s already covered,” Devin confirmed. “Everyone’s more than happy to help. We’ve got the shop covered for the day, and I’ll be by in the morning to help you unload what you need to, and then I’ll go to work in the afternoon.”
“I kind of feel bad,” Will said. “I don’t want to put anyone out.”
Devin laughed. “If this means you’ll finally stop moping around, I’ll gladly be inconvenienced! And that sentiment is shared by pretty much everyone at the shop.”
“Ha, ha. Very funny.”
“Devin, seriously,” Sloane began, “Thank you for all your help. We couldn’t have coordinated all the helpers without you. My family’s helping too, but…”
“It takes a village. I get it. And you’re not just moving in; you’re having to move stuff out of Will’s house at the same time. There’s going to be a lot going on to get it all done the right way.”
“I know. It makes me nervous just thinking about it,” she said.
“Don’t be nervous,” Will assured her. “Even if it all doesn’t get done tomorrow, it’s going to get done. Don’t worry. We’ve got it under control.”
“Yes, we do. Welcome to Sweetbriar Ridge, Sloane,” Devin said before he spun MacKenzie in his arms as they danced away.
“That was wrong,” Will said, pulling Sloane close against him.
“What? What was wrong?”
“What he just said. It was wrong.”
She was thoroughly confused, which she told him.
Leaning down, Will kissed her—softly, then a little deeper. When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers.
“Welcome home, Sloane.”
And then she understood. Sighing happily, she hugged him tightly. “It’s good to finally be home.”
They danced a little while longer, and when they stepped off the dance floor, he heard her sigh again. “You okay?”
“What? Oh, yeah. I’m fine.”
“Sloane?”
“Hmm?”
“Come on. What were you just thinking?”
“I’m thinking that…nothing is ever going to compare to this weekend,” she said, but she was smiling. “I worked so hard to surprise you—which I totally did—and then there was this amazing festival and we were surrounded by friends and family the entire time! And tomorrow, everyone’s helping us finish the move and get settled and…like what’s going to happen come Tuesday? It’s going to be such a huge letdown to just wake up and have life be boring again.”
For a minute, he wasn’t sure if he should be offended or not. “Wow. Way to give up so easily,” he teased, nudging her shoulder. “Life will never get boring now that we’re together. We’re both too adventurous and playful to let that happen. Plus, you’re going to be starting a new career…”
“Um, pretty much the same career, new place,” she corrected.
“It’s new because it’s here and you’re going to be working with Levi, who is way cooler than your previous boss.”
“I suppose.”
“We’re going to be fixing up the house to make it work for us, and if it doesn’t, then we’ll find one that does!”
“Really? I didn’t expect you to have to sell your house, Will! That’s crazy!”
“My landlords are my parents, so this was always just going to be a starter home. Besides, I want a home that works for both of us. Not just me. And I want it to be a place that has both our stamps on it. You know my house is pretty basic, but your apartment back in Florida was full of life and color. I want that here.”
“Me too!” she said a little too quickly and then caught herself. “I mean…I love your house, but I was hoping you’d be okay with me adding a little more of my own touch to it.”
“Are you kidding? I was hoping you would!”
She hugged him again before they walked around a bit more. Things were winding down and he was a little eager to wrap things up and go home.
He had a feeling he was going to be feeling that way for a very long time.
“Ooh, look! My parents and Hailey are waving us over. Do you mind if we go and sit with them for a little while?”
“Not at all,” he replied easily. It was going to take a while to get used to dealing with such a large family since his was relatively small, but the Donovans were good people. As long as everyone treated his girl right, he was happy.
“Come sit with us!” Bridget said as she continued to wave them over. When they reached the table, she cupped Will’s face and kissed his cheek.
“Hey, Mrs. Donovan,” he said, not fully comfortable with all the PDAs.
“You call me Bridget,” she corrected. “And when you’re comfortable, you can call me mom.”
“Um…okay. Thanks.” His smile felt a little forced, but hopefully no one noticed.
“Will!” Kevin shouted, motioning for Will to come and sit by him. “How’s the garage expansion going? The contractor treating you and Devin right?”
“Everything’s going well, sir. Thank you for asking.”
Kevin’s smile was broad. “No need to be so formal! We’re all family now! I just heard my wife telling you to call her by her first name, and I expect you to do the same with me. None of this sir nonsense!”
“Thanks, Kevin,” he said slowly, still unsure if it felt natural. “So, how long are you staying in town for?”
“We’re flying back in the morning. I have some jobs going on that I need to check on. And, between you and me, my wife and I are eager to get home and have our house to ourselves again,” he said, laughing. “It was nice having Sloane staying with us for the last several weeks, but we’re ready to get things back to normal.” He glanced nervously across the table. “Don’t tell her I said that. I know she was stressed out about everything, and we were happy to help.”
“I know she appreciated it, but I’m really glad she’s finally here.”
“This was a big step for her,” her father said, his tone almost somber. “She’s an independent girl. Always has been. I think for a while she was so determined to be her own person that she did the opposite of everything Hailey or her brothers were doing. And when Hailey moved here to be with Max, she felt a little lost.”
They both looked across the table and saw Sloane holding Layla. She was smiling and making silly faces at the baby, making Will smile too.
“It’s a little sad,” Kevin said quietly. “Seeing your kids all grown up and realizing they don’t need you as much. But being a grandfather is a blessing on a whole other level. That’s one of the reasons we’re going to be moving here part time. Bridget doesn’t want to be so far away from Layla. We’ve got our grandson back in Florida and we adore him, but I think he and Ben would come here more often now that both the girls are here.” He grinned at Will. “You’re gonna need a bigger house if we all keep visiting, huh?”
“Well, we’re already considering it. My house is fairly small, so after we do some moving around tomorrow, we’ll see what we’re working with and figure out how soon we may need to move.”
“When you’re ready, you just let us know and we’ll come and help with the move.”
“Who’s moving?” Sloane asked, facing them now with Layla still in her arms.
“I told Will when the two of you are ready to move into a bigger house, we’ll all come and help.”
“Dad! Jeez, too soon! I just moved here and you’re already pressuring us to get a bigger house? What in the world?”
But Kevin took her question in stride. “Relax. I’m just thinking ahead. No one’s telling you to do anything now. Sheesh.” He stood up. “Now let me hold my little angel. When we come back in a few weeks, she’ll probably be twice as big and I want these tiny snuggles while I still have the chance.”
She reluctantly handed her niece over and immediately walked around the table to sit next to Will, resting her head on his shoulder.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I feel bad that they’re going to miss out on time with Layla, but I know Hailey’s a little frazzled with having everyone here. Once we get everything moved out of their garage and we’re settled, would it be okay if we invited her and Max for dinner one night?”
“Of course! And you don’t have to ask. It’s your house too, and you can invite anyone you want over.”
Picking her head up, she grinned. “Careful. There are a lot of Donovans who would love to come and visit. You never know who might show up for dinner.”
“And I’d still be okay with it.” But then he glanced around and did a quick headcount to see who was left. “When’s everyone heading home?”
Sloane shook her head as she laughed. “Don’t worry, everyone’s heading home in the morning.”
“Hey, guys,” Hailey said to the group. “It’s getting really chilly out and we’re going to head home. If anyone wants to come and hang out, you’re more than welcome, but I am all festival-ed out.”
“That’s our cue to leave too,” Sloane whispered for his ears only. “Let’s go home.”
“Those are three of the sweetest words you’ve ever said to me.” He gave her a quick kiss as they got to their feet.
“The sweetest, huh? I guess I’ll have to think of some sexy words for when we get home,” she said, nipping at his ear. “Take me home, Will.”
With her hand in his, he called out, “Have a good night, everyone! See you in the morning!” before the two of them burst out laughing and ran toward the parking lot.
Life would never be boring, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.