Epilogue
Two weeks later
Los Angeles, CA
After New Year’s in Vegas, Cole swept me off for a ridiculous vacation in Fiji. Apparently he had to combat the cold of Tahoe with some fun in the sun on the other side of the world, where we stayed in an overwater bure—literally a bungalow on stilts in the ocean—with a glass floor. I never dreamed I’d be able to have this kind of life. We had so much sex and frolicked in the ocean and hung out just the two of us. It was paradise.
But paradise was over. He had to get back into the studio to record a few things before his world tour kicked off, so we were at his palatial home in LA.
And his parents were coming over for dinner!
Cue me, trying not to have a panic attack.
Somehow this was more nerve-wracking than the paps stalking us from the airport to his home. Or lying in wait every single time we left the house. Apparently the story of Cole Jackson finding love was not losing steam. Every day some new article or post would pop up, each more ridiculous than the last. I’d been labeled a hack after Cole posted some of my art on his social media, a brunette—apparently my blonde dye job was badly done according to one celebrity stylist (I’ve been blonde all my life, thank you very much)—and a gold digger.
So far, it had been easy to let it all roll off my back. After the brunette scandal, I stopped reading the news. I wasn’t giving those idiots any of my mental bandwidth. Cole and I were still deliriously happy. They didn’t know what was going on.
But that wasn’t true tonight.
Tonight, Cole’s parents were coming over and since Cole was close with them, they knew exactly what was going on. Their opinion of me mattered the most.
Cue panic attack.
“Do we have enough on the charcuterie board?” I surveyed the board on Cole’s gleaming countertop. “I think we need more meat. Wait, your mom isn’t a vegan or anything, is she? You’d tell me that, right? Or allergies? Should we do two main courses? Just in case they don’t like my pork chops. Why’d I do pork chops? What was I thinking? Is it too late to switch to something else? What do we have in the fridge?”
I ran over to the fridge and was battling with the stupid door suction issue when Cole grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face him.
“You gotta breathe, baby. I’m worried you’re going to hyperventilate and pass out.” He gave me an encouraging look. “Breathe with me. In…and out. In—”
“Cole! I don’t have time for this. They’re going to be here any minute, and I put pork chops in. What was I thinking?” The last might’ve come out in a wail.
“December, it’s okay.” Cole’s arms came around me and held me tightly against his hard body. “They’re going to love you. Hell, my mom already loves you. She’s thrilled we’re living together and planning the wedding already. And my dad is easy going. He just wants me to be happy. Which you make me, every single day. ‘Cause I love you.”
Some of the tension leached out of my body. But let’s be real. I was still nervous. I loved that Cole was trying to get me to calm down, but there’d be no calming down until this night was over. Cole loved his parents, and I wanted—needed—them to like me too.
He sighed heavily. “Okay. I was going to do this after they left, but I think it’s the only thing that will calm you down.”
Cole stepped away and started to get down on his knees in front of me.
“Oh my god, Cole! We don’t have time for sex right n—what are you doing?!” I squealed as he pulled a ring box out of his pocket and held up a ginormous elongated cushion cut diamond engagement ring on a simple gold band. “Wow.”
“December. Bailey. James. You stole my heart when I found you making snow angels in my driveway covered in cherry tomatoes and oat milk. Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
“Cole. I-It’s just…isn’t it too soon? It’s only been like a month.”
He shook his head. “When you know, you know. And I knew the minute I met you. You’re funny, sweet, and so fucking gorgeous. Sometimes I can’t believe that I’m the lucky son of a bitch who gets to call you mine. So what do you say? Ready to start our forever after?”
“Cole.” I stepped up to him, wrapped my arms around him, and kissed him hard. I heard a clatter behind me then his arms came around me as our kiss deepened. We were panting and tearing at each other’s clothes when a doorbell pealed through the house.
I groaned, resting my forehead against his. “Why is it always a doorbell?” I peppered a few kisses across his face. “Who is it, and how soon can you get them to go away? I thought that was what your gate was for.”
“The gate doesn’t keep them out when they have the code.” He grinned at me, raising his eyebrows. “It’s my parents. Here to meet you. Remember?”
“Oh no! The pork chops! What are we going to make them instead?”
Cole laughed. “The pork chops will be fine. But the more pressing issue is the fact that I can’t see where your engagement ring went.”
“What?” I shrieked.
“Yeah. There’s a chance it bounced under the fridge.”
“Cole! We have to find it!”
“You don’t gotta tell me that. I know how much I spent on it. It’d really suck to lose it before you even got to wear it.”
We both got down on our hands and knees, searching the pristine floor for a huge freaking engagement ring. Cole found it in the crease near the stove. He polished it quickly on his shirt before sliding it onto my ring finger.
“I love you so much,” I whispered before kissing him again.
“Love you too, sugarplum.”
I rolled my eyes at his ridiculous pet name, but secretly loved the reminder of when and how we’d met. Our love story.
The doorbell pealed through the house again.
“What do you say? You ready to meet my crazy family?” Cole asked with a grin.
“You’re cute.” I patted his cheek, my new diamond ring sparkling in the light. “Compared to my family, yours is going to be a cakewalk.”
The End