Chapter 36
CHAPTER 36
ONE MONTH LATER
“This thing is huge,” Haleigh mumbled, staring up at Whitney’s parents’ estate.
“Why, thank you.” Jack preened beside her.
She whacked his arm. “There are, you know, rare occurrences when I’m not referring to your friend in your pants.” She waved ahead of them. “Look at this place.”
The house was three stories, and easily as big as one of those English manors from all the Jane Austen books. Made of gray stone with dark roofing and shutters, every bedroom seemed to have its own balcony, and every window its own flower box. A fountain sat in the middle of the sprawling driveway beyond the wrought-iron gate, and beside the black French doors at the entrance, old carriage lights glowed softly in the dimming evening.
As Jack and Haleigh stepped inside, people in fancy dresses and suits spilled in and out of rooms around them.
The ballroom (Whit’s description, not Haleigh’s) spread out along the back of the house, large enough to contain a dance floor, about ten tables, and a full buffet.
“Are you sure they’re not getting married today?” Jack whispered in Haleigh’s ear. She shivered at the touch of his lips to her skin. Hopefully that feeling never faded. When she was eighty, she wanted Jack’s touch to still shoot electricity to every part of her body.
“Like Joey would give up the chance to have two big parties.”
They found Haleigh’s family sitting at a table toward the front of the ballroom. Haleigh’s mom didn’t let Jack sit down before sweeping him off toward the dance floor.
Her sister pulled up a chair beside Haleigh. “It finally happened, huh?”
“Mom making Jack dance? You know that’s going to continue all night.”
Joey’s mouth pursed.
Haleigh rolled her eyes. “Fine. Yes. You all were right all along. I finally made a good decision with Jack.”
Joey crossed her arms. “Why do you do that?”
“What?”
“Cut yourself down.”
Haleigh’s shoulders tightened. “I’m just saying what everyone’s thinking.”
“Except no one’s thinking that but you.”
For someone so brilliant, Joey was more oblivious than Haleigh thought. “Everyone compares us. You,” she pointed at her sister, “golden child. Me,” Haleigh aimed her finger at herself, “mess. Or no, what did you used to call me? Disaster Girl?”
Joey cringed. “Okay, I was kind of a jerk when I was a kid. But who do you think compares us? Mom doesn’t. Pépère doesn’t. I certainly don’t.”
“Then why are you always on my case about getting a job? About who I date?”
Joey shook her head. “You’re my little sister. I worry about you. And, yes, some of your choices aren’t the same I would make—”
Haleigh waved a hand. “Comparison.”
“Let me finish.” Joey folded a napkin on the table in front of her. “You’ve proven me wrong these last few months. Even before you got this new job, you made things work. You never leaned on Mom. And look at this…” She nodded her head toward the dance floor.
Jack was staring over at them, his eyes clinging to Haleigh like she was the only person in the room.
“That man loves you.”
“I love him too.” Haleigh still sounded defensive.
Joey sighed. “I’m trying very badly to tell you that I’m proud of you. Help me out here.”
Haleigh laughed. “Thank you.” Though she’d never admit it to Joey, she was probably the person in the world Haleigh most wanted to hear that from. Something almost triumphant filled her chest.
Haleigh had never stopped marching to her own beat, and it had finally worked out. She woke up every morning excited to head to Sundae’s Sanctuary. She might not be editing books, but she got to see a lot of dogs, and she still did work for some of her writing clients on the weekends.
And she never ended up having to find that apartment: she already had a home with Jack.
To make sure she couldn’t say no, he’d added three more bookcases to the dining room (though he did make her promise that she wouldn’t blow all her new full-time money trying to fill them).
She’d grabbed the five books that he’d bought her after oystergate with Bradley Cooper (not that one) and set them on the top shelf. On the next one, she’d made a home for Marshmallow the narwhal.
“All in good time,” she’d told Jack before pinning him to one of those bookcases and kissing him breathless.
When the music transitioned into another slow song, Haleigh crossed the dance floor to rescue Jack from her mom. “Can I cut in?” she asked.
Kissing her cheek, her mom placed Jack’s hand in hers.
Haleigh let her eyes take him in. He was wearing a charcoal suit cut perfectly to his body, and a navy-blue tie that matched her dress. “You look pretty good,” she said as she stepped into his arms.
“That’s only because you’re here.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead.
She let him lead her across the floor for a few minutes, content to feel his solid body close to hers, his clean scent filling her nose, his warmth wrapping around her. She’d been dreading this party for so long, but suddenly there was nowhere else she wanted to be.
Beside them, Stanton and Ryan rocked side to side, the two of them laughing raucously as they stepped all over each other’s feet. They’d scored (Stanton’s words, not Haleigh’s) a last-minute invite to the party after Stanton insisted on styling Joey and Whitney for their wedding. Now Haleigh’s old roommate and her older sister were practically best friends.
Stanton’s eyes narrowed at Haleigh. “Your room misses you,” he declared.
“I know you’ve already turned it into a closet.”
Stanton gasped at Ryan. “You Benedict Arnold.”
Ryan shrugged. “She deserved to know the truth.”
“Okay, I miss you,” Stanton admitted, sighing dramatically.
“I talk to you every night.”
“It’s not enough. I need weekly Haleigh time. In person. Over pancakes and waffles.”
Haleigh shook her head, but secretly she was thrilled. She’d missed him too. And their regular breakfasts. “Consider it done.”
Stanton blew her a kiss, and then he and Ryan twirled away in the direction of the bar.
“We might need to let them move in too,” Haleigh joked. She rested her head on Jack’s shoulder.
“He’s not taking the second-floor apartment. I cannot have that man as a tenant.” Jack was smiling, both of them well aware that Stanton’s tastes were far too upscale for Jack’s modest duplex.
His hands ran lightly down Haleigh’s bare back, coaxing another set of shivers through her. This man could play her body like a fiddle.
“You know, though, I have been thinking about this whole living together thing.”
“I’m not giving you back your half of the closet,” Haleigh spat out.
He burst out laughing. “I lost that battle the first time you stayed over.” He shook his head. “Though if you could ask Stanton to stop giving you free clothes…”
“Shut your mouth. You know how I feel about free stuff.”
Haleigh raised her finger to his lips and traced his smile. She loved how often she’d seen it these days. How many times it had flashed just for her.
Jack had taken that time off from work. Two full weeks. And he’d started more intensive therapy. He still wasn’t ready for meds, but whatever he was doing seemed to be helping. By the time his vacation was up, he’d been ready to return to the office. Haleigh had peered into his face and searched hard, but there was no panic there. No ghost of the deadness in his face she’d seen a month ago.
“I think we’re missing something,” Jack went on.
“Another dog? There’s this adorable puppy named Porkchop that just came into the shelter—”
“That sounds like a snack for Twinkie,” he quipped.
“What then?”
He put his hand in his pocket and pulled something out. When he opened his palm, there was Marshmallow.
On the end of his horn was a diamond ring.
Haleigh stopped dancing. She stopped thinking. She stopped moving. All she could do was stare at him.
“I’m not going to get down on one knee, because Joey will murder me if I try to steal her thunder.” He took a deep breath, released it slowly. “I know we’ve only officially been together a few months, but Haleigh, you’ve been my partner in every way that matters for most of my life. I want you to keep being my partner for the rest of it.”
Tears burned at her eyes. “Even if I kick your ass at video games? Even if sometimes I’m messy? Even if I want more books than we’ll ever have room for?”
“Because of all those things.”
Haleigh didn’t care about the tears streaking her makeup, or how many people stopped to stare at them as she screeched.
Throwing her arms around Jack’s neck, she kissed him with everything she had.
She didn’t pull away as she answered him, speaking that one word against his lips.