Chapter 27
Austin
There was something different about Jeremy when he came back into the room with my mom. They’d been gone for a while, but they were bringing a lot back with them. Jeremy’s eyes were puffy, like he’d been upset or crying, I instantly went on high alert.
Mom must have noticed me go rigid. She quickly set the glasses on the table before sitting next to me on the couch placing a hand on my knee.
“Relax, I just had a nice talk with him. I think he had a positive realization. Nothing to get upset over.”
As much as I wanted to just take her word for it—it was my mother, and she’d never lied about things like that before—there was a different level of protectiveness there when it was in regard to Jeremy.
Maybe it was because I now knew what he’d been through and just wanted to keep him away from all the ugly in the world. He deserved light and love.
When I looked over at Jeremy again as he was fussing with the bucket and champagne, he gave me a watery smile thats when I knew I could relax. He’d let me know if something was wrong, or at least I had to trust that he would. This was how we grew as a couple.
He sat next to me after he was done, and I leaned in close to whisper in his ear. “Is everything okay?”
That smile was back, but even brighter this time. “More than okay. Thank you for checking on me.”
Everyone went back to talking about all sorts of random things until Leah noticed how close we were getting to midnight.
She excitedly jumped up pulling me with her.
She gave me one bottle of champagne as she took the other.
It didn’t matter how many times I opened one of these things, it always freaked me the fuck out.
Once the foil was removed, I held the bottle pointed away from everyone before carefully untwisting the muselet.
It wasn’t enough to dampen my anxiety. I wouldn’t fully relax until the cork was out, so I gripped it tightly and tugged, jumping as it popped from the bottle.
Everyone laughed at my theatrics, but this happened year after year. It never got better. One of these days I wouldn’t be such a chickenshit about it all.
The laughter didn’t stop because I swear that Leah waited until I was done to open her bottle. When I jumped once more, my heart slammed against my rib cage as I glared at my sister. She tossed me only a smirk as she began to fill glasses.
We had only ten minutes left until it hit midnight, and we all gathered around with our glasses. One of our family traditions was to say what one thing we hoped to accomplish in the new year was.
Leah wanted to reestablish her independence. Mom wanted to look into taking a paint and sip class. Dad wanted to slow down a lot more, and while he loved doing yard work, it was time to start looking into someone to help them out with that.
I waited with bated breath for Jeremy to speak.
He chewed his bottom lip while he thought about what he wanted to say.
His eyes were bright as they met mine from across the coffee table, a smile gracing his lips as he finally spoke up.
“This next year? I want to work on being less afraid. I’ve spent too much of my life too afraid to be who I really am, and thanks to this family, I know that I don’t need to worry about that anymore. ”
My eyes watered. While I wanted to jump across the table, wrap my arms around him and kiss the hell out of him, I still had to take my turn. We had only three minutes left until midnight, so I needed to hurry.
“This next year? I want to give as much love as I can. I spent the last few years being bitter about what I’d lost, but I don’t want to live like that anymore, especially now that I’ve gotten it back.”
Everyone let out a round of awes, both Jeremy and I got a few hugs from my parents and Leah. I was still itching to touch him. I rounded the table as twelve-o’clock ticked closer.
The countdown began, but I might as well not have heard anything. All I could focus on was the gorgeous red-headed man in front of me and the prospect of spending our lives together. This was our new beginning. Our new year. A new understanding.
As the clock hit twelve, my family cheered as Jeremy leaned down, his lips landing against mine. The world vanished around us, I carefully wrapped my arms around his neck so that I didn’t dump my drink down his back. This was the start of our forever.