Epilogue Gabe
“I knew forced proximity would do the trick!” Austen crowed from the other side of the booth in Kiss My Grits, the local diner.
Beside her, Clint gently took her coffee cup before her excited gesticulations could slosh over our collective breakfasts.
Austen wasn’t deterred in the least. “I told your grandmother it couldn’t fail. Not with y’all’s history.”
“What do you mean, you told my grandmother?” I demanded.
“And what do you mean ‘with our history’?” Felicity asked.
“Dorothy’s in my book club. We talked about it a while back. When the flood happened, I was the one who suggested she move you into Gabe’s place. Because there has always been something between you two. Y’all just couldn’t get out of your own way.”
Felicity stared at her. “But you acted so surprised when I talked to you about it!”
Austen grinned. “Sorry. Not sorry.”
Arm stretched along the back of their booth, Clint smiled at her. “You are a devious woman. I really like that about you.”
Austen turned that smile on at him, and the air fairly crackled between them. Something was definitely going on there. I hadn’t actually asked Clint about her since the wedding date. Hadn’t had much of an opportunity, what with making my dumbassery up to my girl.
“Well, it’s not like I can complain about the outcome,” Felicity admitted. “So thank you for being a sneaky bitch.”
Austen snagged her coffee cup again. “Cheers.”
I lifted my own coffee in toast. She’d helped make me the luckiest man in Huckleberry Creek. I could give her props for that.
Felicity had moved back in immediately, and we’d finished moving the last of the furniture she actually wanted to keep. Everything else had been sold, donated, or tossed. I’d put a fresh coat of paint everywhere that needed it, and Dorothy already had a new tenant lined up to move in next week. I guess she didn’t want to give Felicity an escape hatch in case I lost my mind again.
But I wouldn’t. I’d already started therapy, and while that would be a process, I knew it was worth it. Because she was worth everything.
“Refill, y’all?” Pepper DeLuca appeared at the edge of our table, coffeepot in hand.
“Please.” Austen shoved her mug toward her former sister-in-law. “And just as a heads up in case nobody else has told you, I didn’t want you to be blindsided, but Rhett’s finally back.”
The hand holding the coffee pot jolted, dribbling coffee down the side. “Crap. Sorry. Well, I’m glad he made it home. I’ll leave y’all to your breakfasts.”
Clint stared after her, his own mostly empty mug still held aloft. “Huh.”
We exchanged a look. Could be there was an opening if Rhett was actually going to hold with the pact and try to win her back.
“So, have you actually told your brother about you and Clint?” Felicity asked.
Well, that just proved my girl knew more about what was going on here than I did. I’d need to make her pay for that in very sexy ways later.
Austen winced “Turns out, someone else told him first. He… didn’t react how I expected.”
“Is that a good thing?” Felicity wanted to know.
That wince turned into a smile. “A very good thing.” She pulled Clint in for a kiss that was a shade too spicy for the diner at 8:30 on a weekday morning. “Now, let me out. I’ve gotta get on to the shop to open.”
Clint edged out of the booth. “Dinner later?”
“Absolutely.” She blew him another kiss, and we all stared after her as she flounced out of the restaurant.
“With her kissing you like that in public, I’m guessing you and Rhett must’ve squared about the whole thing,” I observed.
Clint shrugged and sat back down. “We sorted it. Turns out his biggest concern is that she’s happy. Which she is, and I intend to do everything in my power to keep her that way. In the meantime, did y’all get your invitation to Tate and Kellan’s engagement party?”
Felicity’s eyes sparked. “Was he also part of y’all’s pact?”
Clint arched a brow. “You told her about that?”
“Sure did. And yeah, we did.”
“I mean, maybe he really did work that fast, but I swear I’ve never heard Tate say anything about thinking of him as more than friends. Not that I’m as close to her as Austen is, but… it just seems fast, is all.”
Considering I was already wondering how long I needed to wait before giving her a ring, I was in no position to judge. I didn’t think I could hold off too long before locking this down. Maybe Kellan felt the same way.
“He seemed pretty motivated when he talked about it,” Clint mused. “But I agree, it does seem a mite fast.”
“Think we ought to round him up, get to the bottom of things?” I asked.
“Maybe.”
But before we could make any sort of plans, the diner door was jerked open. An all too familiar figure strode inside, directly toward our table.
“Uh-oh,” I muttered.
Kellan stopped beside Clint. “Move over, pal. I need y’all’s help.”
* * *
Be on the lookout for Clint and Austen’s story, The Not So Fake Wedding Date! As you might imagine, it runs concurrent to Gabe and Felicity’s story.
I've been in love with Austen MacAvoy since we were kids. But she's my best friend's little sister, which makes her completely off-limits.
Then came that night in the desert. Bullets flying, my Army unit pinned down. We made a pact—if we survived, we'd come home and woo the women we love.
Now I'm back, and Austen needs a fake boyfriend for her cousin's wedding. It's the perfect chance to honor my promise without betraying my best friend.
But pretending to be Austen's boyfriend is harder than I thought. Every touch, every kiss for show... it all feels too real. And the more time we spend together, the harder it is to remember this is just an act.
I made two promises—one to my brothers-in-arms and one to my best friend. Now, I might have to break one to keep the other.