19. Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Nineteen
Elijah
The big day was finally upon us. The polls for the emergency election of a new Town Supervisor were set to close any minute. I'd get a phone call within the hour to announce the results. Beads of sweat collected on my brow as I paced back and forth in the smaller of my parents’ two restaurants housed in the Inn. They were prepared to flood the venue with food from the kitchen regardless of the outcome. We'd either be celebrating or eating our feelings. My stomach insisted it could handle neither option.
Support was abundant. My immediate family, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, all of my friends, plus Will’s, were crowded into the quaint little bistro location. The air was abuzz with conversation and laughter. The most confusing part was all the congratulations. No one was congratulating me about the election—they were offering their support for my new relationship status. The rumors had already taken the story around town three times and back. Now that Will had made such a public spectacle of our relationship, the attention increased tenfold.
As if he could sense me thinking about him, the boyfriend in question popped up from a nearby table to search the crowd for me. He'd done it half a dozen times so far in the half hour we’d been here. It melted my heart every time. Once our eyes locked across the distance, his face broke out in a brilliant smile before he settled back in his seat to resume the conversation he was having with his best friend. My heart melted a little more as I watched him scoop up baby Grayson for a cuddle. I refused to acknowledge the feelings that sight stirred in my chest. One day.
Lionel pulled me from all my introspection with another unprompted hug. He had been exceptionally needy for affection in recent days and part of me wondered if the relationship between Will and I was the source of his insecurity.
“Li, what’s wrong?” I let him nestle against my side before looping my arms around his shoulders.
“Nothing. Can't a friend hug his bestie without the third degree?” His huffy tone had me stifling a laugh.
“Try again. You forget I know you just as well as you know me.”
He sighed dramatically and rested his head against my shoulder. “Someone is opening a new gift shop across the street from me. With flowers. I can't handle the competition. Just the thought of it is giving me hives.”
“Oh, shit. Lemme see.” I pried us apart and grabbed his wrist to push his sleeve up. As expected, the skin was red and inflamed and looked downright painful. “Promise me you’ll see Doc?”
“Yes, Dad.” Lionel rolled his eyes and tugged his arm away. He hated the fuss just as much as he needed it. “I'm just stressed. Enough about me!”
“Enough about all of it. I'm so ready for tonight to be over.” I grabbed his hand and loosely held it in mine. “I want to eat, drink, and finally move on from this, regardless of the outcome.”
Lionel checked his watch and grinned. “Not long now!”
“Don't remind me,” I groaned.
“Hello there, you two.” Will slid into our bubble and gathered us both under the umbrella of his muscled arms. He’d won a gazillion boyfriend points for his easy acceptance of Lionel’s need for physical affection and constant reassurance. In fact, he eagerly shared hugs and forehead kisses with my former boyfriend turned best friend. I'd secretly worried about how he would feel about our exceptionally close relationship. Evidently, my fears were unfounded once he and I had worked all the kinks out.
Right before I could open my mouth to greet him, the jangle of my cell phone ringer cut through the noise and made my pulse skyrocket. This was it. This was the pivotal moment. My body froze and I stood there with my mouth agape.
“Answer it!” Will grabbed my shoulder with a shake. “EJ, answer the phone!”
The crowd around us shifted closer, growing so silent I could hear a pin drop aside from the persistent ring of the phone. Will’s grip on my shoulder kickstarted me into motion and I nearly fumbled the phone as I scrambled to pull it from my pocket. With shaking hands, I connected the call and brought the phone to my ear.
“H-Hello?”
“Good evening! Is this Elijah Thompson?”
“Sp-speaking.” I swallowed around the lump in my throat.
“This is Dina Ricks, Town Clerk. Please allow me to be the first to congratulate you on your victory!”
“Huh?” My blinks became exaggerated as I tried to parse her words through the sludge my brain had become.
“Mr. Thompson? You’ve won the election. You're the new Town Supervisor of Windhaven.”
“I won?” I might have succeeded in securing the election, but I definitely wasn't winning any awards for being quick-witted.
“You won.” Dina’s patience was admirable.
“I won!” Clarity came rushing back as I shouted the words before dissolving into near-manic laughter. “Oh my God, I won!”
All around me, friends and family alike burst into raucous cheering. The noise was deafening as they swarmed closer, jostling to be the first in line to celebrate my victory. Thank God my boyfriend was there to create a defensive wall with his bulk.
“Congratulations again, Mr. Thompson. Enjoy your evening.” Dina’s voice carried the tone of her smile before the call disconnected. I barely managed to pocket my phone before the people who’d come to support me breached the barrier of my boyfriend's arms. From there, it all became a glorious blur. I couldn't stop laughing, smiling, crying. There were more hugs and handshakes than I could keep track of. My mother was crying. My friends were chanting. My entire extended family was buzzing like a hive of bees. And through it all, Will’s hand on my lower back kept me tethered through the maelstrom of excitement.
“Congrats, baby,” he whispered, smooth and seductive in my ear. “I knew you had it in the bag.”
I leaned back, trusting his body to be there to support my weight. Arms slid around my waist and held me secure. “Thank you, Will. Thank you for everything.”
“It's been a wild ride, but we made it.” His cheek pressed to mine as he hugged me from behind.
“All because of a couple routine traffic stops.” I laughed and blanketed his arms with mine.
“Nothing else would get through to you. I had to get creative.”
“I, for one, am exceptionally glad you did.” With a wiggle, I turned to face him. “Kiss me, Sheriff Doherty.”
“Gladly, Supervisor Thompson.”
And kiss we did. A second round of cheering erupted around us as we locked lips and became a tangle of limbs in the middle of a sea of people. People who had never once stopped supporting me through all my life. Every good time, every success, every failure was part of the patchwork of my life and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate this latest victory—supported by my friends, family, and my boyfriend ten years in the making. Never had I ever been so excited to start a new chapter of my life.