Epilogue
EPILOGUE
ONE MONTH LATER
Laney
“The view is gorgeous,” I said, snapping pictures.
We were at a lake cabin in Upstate New York along with the whole gang.
It had been Isabelle’s idea, and it was just brilliant.
The end-of-summer air was crispy but not yet chilly.
The view over the lake with mountains in the background just seemed out of this world, especially because the sun was setting and the sky was a rich color between yellow and orange.
“We should do this more often,” Cole said.
“I’m gonna tell the rest of the group that the bonfire’s ready,” Ryker said, heading inside. He’d proclaimed himself the bonfire master, and I had to admit, he was quite good at it.
I had a bag full of marshmallows ready to be roasted next to me.
I loved this place. The wooden A-frame cabin was large enough for all of us, and the bonfire space even had benches all around it.
I looked over my shoulder when I heard footsteps.
Ian and Dylan were approaching us. I was so glad they’d come too.
Isabelle was always more cheerful when she was surrounded by all her siblings, and Ian and Dylan were a lot of fun.
Except now they weren’t flashing their fun sides at all. They were silent—almost broody. Cole gave them a curt nod when they sat on the small bench next to ours. Wait a second… what was going on?
“Guys, everything okay?” I asked no one in particular.
“Sure,” Dylan said.
I looked between them, slowly getting suspicious. “Did you give Cole a hard time?”
“No, just had a serious chat,” Ian answered.
Oh, no .
“What? Why now? We’ve been going out for months.”
“We thought you two were just having fun. Now that you’re serious, things have changed. He has to know that we’ve got your back,” Dylan explained.
Cole laughed. “You made that crystal clear.”
I groaned, hiding my face in my palms. “I can’t believe this.”
I felt Cole put an arm around my waist, pulling me against him. “I can. I was expecting this. Actually, I’d expected this since we first started dating. Thought they were just letting me off the hook. Now I find out they just thought you were having fun with me.”
“You’re the one who kept saying you’re a bachelor for life. I just took that at face value,” Dylan said. I lowered my hands.
“Oh, Dylan, I miss the days when you were more romantic and optimistic. What happened to you?” It had been a rhetorical question, but I knew I’d made a mistake the second I finished talking. Dylan’s expression darkened.
“My girlfriend dumped me. Never walking down that road again.”
I felt deeply for Dylan. He’d been like a brother to me growing up. I’d known his girlfriend. I’d liked her a lot. Why she’d decided to break his heart was a mystery to me, and I knew it was going to take a while until he’d piece it back together.
Turning to Cole, I said, “I’ll make up for this.”
“You don’t have to, but I’ll never say no to that.”
Ah, of course he didn’t. He certainly knew how to grab an opportunity when he saw one.
We were in the process of moving in together, which meant such opportunities were very frequent.
We hadn’t set a date for the wedding yet, but we were going to soon.
Not too long ago, I couldn’t even imagine rebuilding my life, and now fuzzy feelings bubbled up inside me every single time I thought about our wedding day.
It was going to be huge, and I couldn’t wait for it.
I scooted closer to him on the bench. He threw a cozy fleece blanket over my legs and covered himself too.
We’d brought them out just in case it got even chillier out here, but so far it was pleasantly warm.
One second later, I realized that Cole hadn’t put the blanket on because he thought I was cold.
He’d needed it so no one could see the possessive way he gripped my thigh.
Footsteps sounded behind us again. Hunter, Josie, Isabelle, Heather, and Ryker gathered around the bonfire. I loved being around this group, no matter what we did. I always had a smile on my face when we were all together.
Isabelle and Josie giggled, looking at the bonfire and at the huge bag of marshmallows. Sitting down, Isabelle looked at Ian and Dylan.
“Oh crap, you two gave Cole shit, didn’t you?”
Dylan blinked. “How can you tell?”
“Well, you’re my brothers, and I’m a therapist. I’d be more worried if I couldn’t tell.”
We all burst out laughing,
“Hey, do you think we can convince these two to move to New York too?” Isabelle asked Josie in a conspiratorial voice.
Josie narrowed her eyes. “Well, we could bribe them with all the perks New York has to offer. Or with a potential niece or nephew.”
Isabelle’s eyes widened as she glanced at her sister’s belly.
“What?” Ian asked.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Dylan added.
“No, no. I’m not pregnant. Sorry for the false alarm. But Hunter and I have been talking, and I feel like I’ve finally reached a good place where I don’t have to work every minute I’m awake, so I’d have time for a little nugget.”
Isabelle hugged her sister tightly.
“Hell, yeah! I don’t even have time to breathe right now, but wait until I have a nephew on my hands.”
Hunter kissed his wife’s forehead. “Judging how Jonas is faring, I think our baby will have more family than he needs.”
“There is no such thing as too much family,” Tess said.
Ryker was nudging Heather with his arm, wiggling his eyebrows.
Heather laughed. “Okay, I guess this is the perfect moment to announce it. I am pregnant. We wanted to tell you all this weekend.”
There was a chorus of congratulations right before Tess, Isabelle, and Josie hugged Heather tightly. The guys shook hands with Ryker. After we sat back down, Cole squeezed my hand under the blanket. I squeezed it right back, smiling.
“One shot was all it took,” Ryker said proudly.
Tess groaned. “Brother, that goes in the too-much-information category.”
“Sorry, you’re right.” Judging by his grin, he wasn’t one bit sorry.
“You said you were thinking about it a few months ago. How is that one shot?” asked Cole.
Ryker’s grin widened. “There’s been a gap between thinking and actively trying.”
“Congratulations. Let’s drink to that,” Tess exclaimed, clapping her hands. Her eyes were misty but also warm with emotions. “Oh, that’s why you insisted we buy champagne,” she told Heather.
“Yes! I mean, of course, it’s for you lot, not for me, but I thought we’d all enjoy it.”
Ryker went inside, returning with an iced bottle and plastic cups, because that was all we had. But we were all so excited that we’d have just shared the bottle otherwise.
“To the new generation,” Ryker said.
“And relaxing weekends with family,” Hunter added.
Tess held her glass a notch higher. “And to all of us remaining singletons finding our matches.”
Ian and Dylan vehemently shook their heads.
“Well, between tours, online sessions, and actual sessions, I don’t even have time to miss dating, and I never thought I’d say that,” Isabelle said. “But as soon as things settle down, I’m back in the game.”
Tess winked at her. “Girl, take it from someone who just went through a few rough years. Starting something takes a lot of time and energy, but it’s going to get better.”
“Definitely,” Josie promised.
“And you can always find time for dating,” Tess said brightly. “I always did. Mostly unsuccessfully, but who cares? You have to keep trying, right?”
“No,” said Dylan in such a serious tone that we all started laughing. Tess was so different from everyone I knew. She was open and optimistic, always wearing her heart on a sleeve.
As we all emptied our glasses and started roasting the marshmallows, I looked at the group intently.
Dylan still had some healing to do, and Ian was a confirmed bachelor.
I’d known that since we were kids, before I even knew the meaning of the word bachelor.
Isabelle was going to need a while until things settled.
But there was no doubt in my mind about who would be the next one to find her match. I just knew it would be Tess.