Epilogue #2
The two of them made it through getting ready and checking out of the hotel in a rush, piling into their rental car and heading over to Horrocks.
Audrey rested her hand on Hallie’s thigh as she drove, thinking about how excited she was to see everyone and how much she’d always loved Horrocks. It was a million times better when she went there with Hallie, though.
They weren’t even the last to arrive. Tracy, Isaac, and Luca were waiting for them by the door when they did, trudging through the wet snow that was already on the ground.
They pulled the two of them into a giant hug, unconcerned about who saw, and Audrey felt that deep sense of belonging again, that one that always glowed, sure and steady, inside of her around Hallie and the Fullers.
River was only seconds behind them, squealing excitedly as she ran at the two of them before hugging the other assembled Fullers.
She’d taken a taxi from campus—MSU, where she’d just enrolled and was loving life doing exactly what she wanted.
She’d even learned to completely embrace the single life.
And, finally, Wes and Imani joined them. They were coming straight from Ann Arbor for the Horrocks trip and the journey back up north later. A full house for the week—and even more of them for Christmas.
Last year—and Audrey still wasn’t quite sure how it had happened—Tracy had invited Zora and her family over for Christmas.
They’d readily accepted, piled onto the plane together, gotten a little shock at all the ice and snow, but had the best time in Michigan.
This year, it hadn’t even been in question whether the entire family would gather together again.
The whole thing had Audrey melting. She loved her life, she loved Hallie, and she loved their giant, chaotic family.
“Dirk sends his apologies,” Tracy said as they headed inside. “He couldn’t take a day off from the market, but he says he’ll be waiting for us all with hot chocolate and dinner tonight.”
“Tell me he’s not making tacos,” Isaac pleaded. “I love the man but he’s been doing some really weird things with them lately.”
Audrey laughed, pulling Hallie into her side as she did the same. They never made it to Horrocks without both feeling deeply sentimental. This was where they’d met. That balsamic vinegar was a huge part of their love story. And they both adored that.
They had both heard, at length, from Isaac and Luca about Dirk’s tacos. Audrey couldn’t say she wanted to try them.
“He’s making some kind of pasta bake,” Tracy assured them, rolling her eyes.
As far as Hallie and Audrey could tell, she was actually a fan of the tacos.
Which was probably part of why she and Dirk worked so well.
Also because, while they liked being in each other’s lives, they had no interest in living together or settling down.
Tracy insisted it wasn’t the life for her, and Audrey loved that on her behalf.
She loved being around someone who knew that lives and love could look a million different ways and that didn’t make them less significant.
But, now that Audrey had found Hallie, she adored living together, loved doing holidays together, loved every second of a life she’d spent years running away from for fear her family would wreck it.
Even they couldn’t hurt Hallie or what the two of them had.
“I’m getting taffy!” River called when they made it inside, gripping Luca’s hand.
Audrey and Hallie had taken over treating her to her giant bag of taffy as a Christmas gift because, while Audrey was now incredibly aware of her lack of happy memories around her biological family, she understood River’s memories were different, and that had been an important tradition.
Since starting at MSU, she was much closer to Horrocks and had taffy all the time, but it was tradition.
She’d also managed to sweep Luca along with the whole thing and he now bought a large bag to take to the fire station with him. The team loved it.
“Taz wants no butter popcorn flavor,” Luca told her, laughing as he allowed himself to be towed along, “and Charlotte wants all the butter popcorn flavor.”
“A woman after my own heart,” River said.
It was an amusing sight—tiny River dragging along a six-foot firefighter—but it was their family and Audrey wouldn’t have it any other way.
Wes shot Audrey a sly grin. “We’re off to grab preserves and then we’ll be hitting up the olive oils.”
Audrey shook her head in amusement. She knew he was telling her to get her moment of kissing Hallie over balsamic vinegar over and done with before he invaded the area with Imani, but those two were almost as bad as she and Hallie were, and she wouldn’t be rushed through loving Hallie for anyone.
Isaac split off to look at the flowers as Tracy patted them warmly on the shoulder. “Have fun, you two,” she said. She knew exactly how important this place was for the two of them. “And I look forward to seeing what your picks are this year.”
Hallie smiled up at Audrey, excitement flooding through her. They were always affectionate with each other, but, in these moments, and after sex, they were especially soft. She kept her arms around Audrey’s waist for as long as she could as they headed to the balsamic vinegars.
Audrey felt like a completely different person than the one who’d met Hallie here all those years ago.
Hallie was still every bit as radiant as she’d been when she’d sidled up alongside Audrey, but now, that radiance permeated every part of Audrey’s life and made everything a million times more wonderful.
“Okay, my love,” she said, pulling Hallie in to almost kiss her. “Where are we starting today?”
“Wherever you like,” Hallie said seductively.
Audrey flashed her a dark look. “Dangerous offer.”
Hallie laughed and pushed up to press a quick kiss to Audrey’s lips. “Not that dangerous when I’m more than happy to follow through.”
“That’s exactly why it’s dangerous.”
She pulled Audrey down so she could whisper in her ear. “I know you’d be a good girl and do as you were told.”
Audrey practically growled as her hands flexed on Hallie’s waist and her insides felt like they went up in flames. “Precisely why it’s a dangerous offer.”
“Ah, well. I suppose I’ll just have to wait until later.”
“Indeed.” Audrey shook her head, unable to deny that she was turned on.
The version of her that first met Hallie could never have imagined this.
She’d been stressed and anxious. Activated.
Her OCD in overdrive. And all she’d been concerned about was how contaminated everything felt.
Now, she was safe, calm, and happy to discuss having sex right there in the aisle.
They wouldn’t, of course, but that wasn’t the point.
The point was being well enough to even entertain the thought.
It was to taste balsamics while being able to acknowledge, tolerate, and move on from the fear that she was going to die.
Because her OCD did still pop up, but she was doing better now, more regulated.
Hallie had her back and she had Hallie’s back.
Whatever came up, they’d handle it together, and that was everything.
She led Hallie to the maple bourbon balsamic. “Let’s start here.”
Hallie’s eyes twinkled as she looked up into Audrey’s, desperately in love. “Feeling sentimental, my love?”
“With you? Always.”
Hallie fished a Polaroid camera out of her bag and positioned them in front of the barrel in question. As she held the camera up, she brushed her nose against Audrey’s. “I love you with my whole heart.”
“I love you too. More than anything in the world.”
Hallie snapped a photo, and Audrey reached to take the Polaroid, holding it safely while it developed.
“Even more than maple bourbon balsamic?” Hallie asked unnecessarily. She already knew the answer, but she loved to ask.
“Absolutely,” Audrey said, her lips mere breaths from Hallie’s. “I guess I was right when I told you this balsamic would change your life, huh?”
“Actually, you told me it would ruin me for all other balsamics. And, you were right, but I’m more interested in how you ruined me for any other version of love.”
“Well, you don’t need to worry about that, because I’ll be loving you like this for the rest of time.”
“Promise?”
“With my whole heart.”
And, as Audrey pressed her lips to Hallie’s for a longer kiss, Hallie snapped another photo. Every part of Audrey knew it would join the hundreds of other Polaroids that decorated their shared home—a home filled with love and memories and all the best parts of living. Just as it always would be.