Chapter 50
CHAPTER FIFTY
NATE
We all sit around the large table, all laughing and joking about our past and the dreams of our futures and I have never felt more at peace then I do now. Sitting here with my beautiful wife and our family.
Both The Mills’.
The Kings.
The Hayes’.
The Archibalds.
The Rutherfords.
And us, The Spencers.
I glance at my wife who is talking quietly with Sage, and I feel like the richest man alive. Sure, it's great to have money in the bank but nothing feels better than having this.
What I have, what we have.
I tap the side of my whiskey glass with the handle of my knife and silence the table.
“I would stand up, but I don't have it in me,” I laugh, holding my hand against my rib as the winding pain shoots through me, James giving me a saddened look but I spread my lips into a wide, toothy grin reassuring her that I am okay. It had been a month since I was shot, and as each day went on, I was feeling like myself again. James still worried about me, but I had to reassure her that I was okay.
“I just wanted to take a moment to firstly, congratulate Amora on her sold-out gallery,” and the table erupts in applause.
“Even though Titus and Xavier bought most of the paintings,” Keaton coughs after slipping that in and we all laugh.
“No, but seriously, well done tonight, Amora, you crushed it,” we lift our glasses and toast to her, the woman of the hour, the artist who pieced my best friend back together and painted them the most beautiful future.
“Secondly, to my wife,” I glance at her and scoop her hand in mine. “I would be nothing without you,” and I hear a fews ahhh s and a couple of get a grip and I know it's Keaton that instigated that one.
Always is.
“Thank you for being so caring, and kind and never leaving my side, even when things got a little messy,” I blink through my glassy eyes.
She tilts her head and leans into me, kissing me on the cheek and lingering for just a moment.
“Thirdly...” I pause and inhale heavily, “we have some news.”
And all eyes are on us.
“Are you expecting?” Reese gets all excited, eyes alight with the stars and I shake my head, then give James a look just to confirm and she nods, lifting her glass of champagne.
“Oh damn,” she sighs, and I laugh, giving my wife the look and I see the way her eyes begin to sparkle with the unshed tears.
“We're moving next week...” I hold my breath, and I see the devastation that slips onto their faces and my fucking chest caves. “James and I have decided it's time for us to get a fresh start... to live the happily ever after we both need.” I swallow, shit, this was so much harder than I expected.
“We brought a little farmhouse in Blossom Cove, just on the outskirts of Montana, tucked behind a little town called Lovelock Bay,” James continues for me and I am so grateful because the tears are lining my lower lid and I know as soon as I blink, the tears are going to fall. “I am opening a horse rescue place, for the retired show horses... and,” she looks at me and captures my heart with her fucking baby blues, “we're looking to adopt too, opening our home to a child, or children that need us. We want to be able to give them a life we never had,” her hand envelopes inside mine and my heart stutters in my chest.
I finally break my gaze from hers and look around the table, the girls are sobbing but I can't work out if they're happy tears or not and the guys look just as devastated.
“But you can all come and visit... I mean we will have enough room, plus we have a guest house or two.”
“Little farm house,” Keaton scoffs, turning his glistening eyes away and I can't help but smile.
“It was time for us to leave, and well, now feels like the perfect time,” my voice drifts across the table and I see a few of our friends nod.
“We get it,” Titus pipes up, his voice deep and rough as he swings his arm around the back of Amora's chair. “We too have some news...” and I pause, waiting with bated breath. “We're also moving away, but at the end of the month,” he looks down at Amora and then at Xavier and Xavier gives him a small smile and a knowing nod. “As you know my dream has been to move away to my own ranch, same as Amora, we want Twyla and...” his smile grows across his lips as he lowers his hand down to Amora's stomach, “and this little one to grow up away from the city, breathing in the fresh air, running around, getting muddy and just being a kid,” he tilts his head as he looks at Reese and Killian.
“We're bringing Celeste up here... what's wrong with the city?” and we can all hear the hurt in Reese’s voice.
“There is nothing wrong,” Amora slips in, “the city works for some people, and for others...” their gazes meet ours, “we need a little more.”
The silence is loud, and my chest feels kind of heavy.
“We're moving to Lovelock Bay,” Titus slips in and my ears prick.
“What are the chances?” I laugh, my smile widening and it seems we will have a familiar face near us after all.
Soft chatter blankets the table for a moment, and I inhale heavily.
“As much as this is sad news, it's also good news, it's to new beginnings, new adventures and well... a new life for a few of us,” I reach for my whiskey glass and hold it up. “So here is to us, the friends who turned into family. The ones who never turned us away when we needed them the most and to the family that healed the trauma that was etched into each and every one of us... here's to you, the ones I get to call family... I love you all,” and we all raise our glasses and toast our final toast.
“To family,” we chime.
“To family,” I mutter as I bring the glass to my lips and take a mouthful as I let my eyes settle on each and every one of them sitting there, they'll always hold a place in my heart, they'll always have a place at our table.
They will always be my family.
Blood may be thicker than water, but that's not the case for everyone.
I chose my family.
Built them brick by fucking brick.
And I have never been prouder to call a group of people my home than the ones that are sitting in front of me now.
It's always been them.
It will always be them.