Chapter Twenty-Two
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Lanie
Present Day
T he laughter was easy. Familiar. The kind that started deep in my chest and spilled out before I thought to stop it. I hadn’t realized how much I missed it until now. Eliza had invited us all out tonight, pulling together the whole bridal party so everyone could reconnect.
It had been a week since I had last seen Mark. Today we’d met at Eliza and Julian’s door, nearly kissing but settling for a hug. We had agreed to take things slow. Friends first.
He had called a few times during the week—just casual check-ins—but hearing his voice had made me feel more grounded than I’d expected. Now, seeing him again, that same warmth settled in my chest.
The Ruby Moose was exactly as I remembered—outdated furnishings, historic photos of the area hung beside group photos of more recent local sports teams. It was packed with people but cozy in the way only a hometown bar could be.
Julian was already holding court at our usual table, telling a wildly exaggerated story about a disastrous snowboarding trip, while Eliza snort-laughed into her drink at every twist in the tale. Around us, the bar buzzed with conversation. Other familiar faces from town sat at the bar, exchanging greetings and catching up after years apart.
“I swear,” Julian said, shaking his head, “Mark tried to stop, but he went flying down the slope like some kind of out-of-control lumberjack—”
I instinctively bit my lip, already bracing for the punchline.
Mark caught my reaction and chuckled, shaking his head as if to say, don’t encourage him . But I did—because of course Julian’s version of events was always more entertaining.
Mark sighed, his smirk barely contained. “Okay, first of all,” Mark cut in, “I was in complete control.”
Julian grinned. “Oh? So you meant to take out three snowboarders and a ski instructor?”
I leaned closer, my shoulder brushing against Mark’s. “Please tell me there’s video.”
“There is,” Eliza confirmed, holding up her phone. “And I’m happy to relive it any time.”
“I’ve gotten better,” Mark grumbled as the table erupted into laughter. He didn’t look the least bit embarrassed and I loved that about him.
A voice from behind us chimed in. “Nothing will ever top the canoe disaster, though.”
I turned to see Sam Reed, an old friend from high school, sliding into an empty chair.
He grinned as he clapped Mark on the back. “You remember that one, don’t you?”
My eyes lit up. “Oh, no. I don’t think I do. Please, Sam, do tell.”
Julian cackled. “Oh, this one’s legendary. Mark and I thought we could beat the river current—”
“ You said we could beat the river current,” Mark corrected.
I lifted a brow at Mark. “But you believed him?”
Mark sighed dramatically. “I was young. Impressionable. Clearly, I needed better influences.”
At the exact same moment, they both turned their heads toward Eliza. She sputtered into her drink. “Hey! Leave me out of this.”
Their synchronized reaction had the whole table laughing, but I caught the glint of amusement in Mark’s eyes. His gaze lingered a second longer than necessary and my heart started thudding wildly.
Sam interjected, “Didn’t you end up under the canoe for a while?”
Mark shook his head, amused. “At least I held on to it.”
I laughed, my head tilting back, the sound warm and unguarded. “I’m sorry I missed that.”
“We can recreate it for you,” Julian offered, deadpan. “He’s never gotten better at canoeing.”
“You’re such an ass,” Mark shot back, but he was grinning.
“You know,” Sam said, taking a sip of his beer, “it really is great to have you back, Lanie. Feels like old times.” A murmur of agreement circled the table.
Mark and Sam exchanged a look that took me by surprise. For just a moment Mark looked... territorial. I might have imagined it but was convinced I hadn’t when Sam left the table.
For a moment, the conversation lulled, and I felt the warmth of it settling around me. Looking back, I remembered Mark always being protective of me. I smiled, softer this time. “It’s good to be back.”
Mark leaned closer and might have kissed me had Julian not clapped and said, “Alright, since we’re all feeling nostalgic, it’s time for a round of Sketch It.”
I straightened in surprise, then forced myself to focus on what Julian had said. “You still play that?”
“Are you kidding?” Eliza said. “You were the reigning champ. We need to see if you’ve still got it.”
Mark and I exchanged a smile that started off cautious, then spread across both of our faces. We’re back.
A pad of paper and markers were passed around, and soon the game was in full swing.
My first drawing—a perfectly detailed sketch of a moose wearing sunglasses—was guessed in seconds. Then a fire truck. A pirate. A cat playing the piano. Each time, everyone shouted the answer immediately.
Eliza nudged me. “See? You are so talented. I remember when you used to sketch out entire sets for the school plays.”
I hesitated, my marker hovering over the paper. “I haven’t really done much of that in a while.”
“Well, you should,” Eliza said firmly. “Clearly you’ve still got it.”
Meanwhile, Mark was a disaster. His drawing of what was supposed to be a dog was mistaken for a lumpy potato. His attempt at a rocket ship got confused for a carrot. By the third round, the entire table was in tears laughing. “This is rigged,” Mark grumbled, holding up his latest masterpiece, which looked more like a blob than anything recognizable.
I studied it for two seconds before saying, “It’s a tractor.”
The table went silent.
Mark raised an eyebrow. “How did you—?”
I smirked, tapping my temple. “I speak fluent Mark.”
Julian burst out laughing. “Unbelievable. The man can’t draw, but somehow Lanie gets it.”
Mark didn’t take his eyes off me. “Or maybe she just knows me.”
The words hung in the air for half a second too long. Long enough to make my stomach flip and for everyone to make little uncomfortable sounds before we all started laughing.
All awkwardness was gone. I wasn’t someone who used to live here, I was home.
I reached for Mark’s hand tentatively.
He laced his fingers through mine without hesitation.