Epilogue
Kingston
Three years later…
“Yeah, our parties were way better than this,” I say, sipping a beer as Camden sits on my lap in the crowded frat house. No one even blinks at him sitting on my lap. No one really has since I started going to parties with him on campus.
We’re allowed to be us, this couple that’s so damn in love that even three years later, we can’t keep our hands off each other. Although Kensley has changed a little in the past three years. We’ve gone back a couple of times.
Every time, I’ve had my hand firmly in his, daring anyone to say a goddamn word, with his permission, of course.
And no one really blinked. Or no one that I cared about or saw did, anyway.
Oakley and some of the guys were at the local café when we walked in, hand in hand, on our first trip back.
And though they seemed surprised, they also seemed really happy for us.
That’s the thing about small towns. Most of the people aren’t bad, they’re just unaware sometimes. They live in their little safe bubble, and it’s only when something new is introduced, popping that bubble, you get to find out what kind of people they really are.
There will always be good and bad everywhere you go, but I’m glad our friends turned out to be pretty damn good. They keep in touch and tease us about being city boys now as often as they can.
“Aw, do you miss the empty fields?” Camden teases, grabbing my face and smacking a kiss to my cheek.
“Hell, yeah. And the bonfires.”
He looks slightly worried now, and I have no idea why. He’ll tell me though. “Do you miss Kensley?”
Ah. I shake my head at my boyfriend—who I’m hoping will be my fiancé soon, and then my husband as soon as he’s done with school. “Sometimes. But I don’t want to move back there. I like it here.”
He smiles now, and I see his anxiety slip away. “Yeah, we’re due for a visit soon. LeAnn moved back there last month. I wouldn’t mind seeing her.”
Yeah. LeAnn moved in with Mr. Simms. Like moved in, moved in.
They live together. Talk about the town gossip.
I’m sure they’re salivating over that. But she’s happy.
She sounded really happy on the phone when she told us about it.
Said he finally pulled his head out of his ass and told her he loves her back.
All in time. I swear, everything works out the way it’s supposed to.
“Yeah. But please tell me you don’t want to actually move back there too,” I say with a grin because yeah, that’s not happening.
“Fuck, no.”
“Good. Because I happen to like that little piece of land with our names on it.” I actually really love it.
It’s ten acres that’s about twenty minutes from campus where we’re having a house built.
He hated that I wouldn’t let him put any money down for the down payment, but he’s investing in his education now.
That’s part of our future. And I have a great-paying job at the moment.
Still, I wanted both of our names on it, and they are. Because it’s ours.
I think about my grandpa, lying there, dying, and his last words to me. Making me promise to have fun. Maybe I took it a little too much to heart, but I still believe he was right. That we have to have fun while we’re here. And go after what we want.
I wasn’t having fun in Kensley, knowing the man I loved was here without me, probably not having fun either because he missed me.
And that was all it took. I saw my grandpa’s face and heard his soft laughter, telling me to go for it. And I did. I didn’t really have to think too much about it because I knew if I was missing any details, Camden would remind me.
He’s the logical one who I was meant to show he also has a fun side. And I’m the fun one who he shows I need to think about some things and go after what I want.
He makes me want to be better. To do better. Everything is better with him.
And I’ll make damn sure the rest of my life is totally full of him.
My best friend. My whole world.
THE END