Chapter 27
May, post-graduation
Audrey
I stood in the center of the quad, staring at the library and nursing buildings. Central State had been good to me. I didn’t get the college experience shown in movies or TV shows, but I had one unique and good to me. I was set to take my NCLEX-RN exams in a few months and had applied to the traveling nursing agency. With our clinicals in the ICU, I focused on that space to specialize in. It had the chaos and fires that I thrived in. Once I heard back from the agency, I’d have to see if the states I could live in would take my license. Not all of them participated in the Nurse Licensure Compact. Theo would head to training camps this summer in Minnesota, where he’d either make the Acorns full roster or play in their farm system in Iowa.
Wherever he ended up, I’d go. Smiling, I enjoyed the feel of the sun on my skin, warming me up. If it weren’t for this place, I wouldn’t have met Theo. I wouldn’t have fallen in love with him and his family, and I certainly wouldn’t have fixed my relationship with Quentin.
Speaking of my brother…
“Congrats, Audrey.” He held a huge bouquet of flowers, all yellow and purple, and handed them to me with a bag. “It’s a new pair of scrubs, only there are hockey pucks on them.”
“Couldn’t wait for me to open it?” I snorted. “Thank you. This is kind.”
“You’re done with this place. That’s wild to think about. And you’re going to be traveling with Sanders. We haven’t been that far apart before, Auds.” His mouth was turned down in a frown, and his eyes were sad.
“You’re totally going to miss me.” I punched his shoulder and got him to laugh. We’d hung out often after our showdown last fall. We actually liked each other. We were into similar things, and I even got to know his friends. “We can FaceTime once a week, and you know you can always visit.”
“Do you know where you’re going to live yet?” He scratched his head. “There’s an extra spot in the hockey house that’s always open.”
“No, thank you.” I’d rather eat glass. I kept that comment to myself but appreciated the offer. It was genuine, which was so different than how we used to be. “We found an apartment in St. Paul to rent for the summer. I still don’t have my license to practice there yet, so I might be here just to work. His dad offered Theo’s room at the house, which might be nice.”
“His family is awesome.”
That was the other amazing part about this past year. Quentin had sort of been adopted into the Sanders household, where he had come over to join Theo and I for dinners. Daniel thought he was hilarious, which went straight to his head. I also liked the idea of Em, Daniel, and Penny having an extra set of hands around if needed. Em would be attending Central State next year, living on campus, so she was close if Daniel or Penny needed her, but she deserved to have fun, not be a parent. Not like Theo and I had to deal with.
That was the one thing I wasn’t excited about: leaving the Sanders kids. Leaving them felt like missing a part of my heart, but Quentin promised to check in on them. Plus, Theo’s mom was almost ready to come home. She showed vast improvement and had really grown during therapy.
She was even planning on flying out to visit us this summer. I couldn’t wait.
“I’m gonna miss this place. Dad would’ve loved coming here.” I sighed, and Quentin pulled me into a half hug. It was the anniversary of his death this week, and it seemed so fitting. Like life had gone full circle. I was a shell of a person when that had happened, and now I had so much more joy.
“He’d be so proud of you. I am. I’m really fucking proud of you.” Quentin cleared his throat and released me. Emotions were still hard for him, for us, but we were getting better. Still awkward though.
I never asked about our mom, but Quentin hinted she was going to therapy to work through some things. That made me proud of her, but it didn’t change the fact my life was so much better without contact from her. One day, if she worked on herself, we could talk, but that was ways away. My family had tripled this year with Theo and his family, and with Quentin back as my friend, I was good.
The guilt of letting my dad down ate at me from time to time, but Theo always talked me through the feelings and agreed cutting people off could be the right choice.
“Thank you. I do think Dad would be proud right now, but I’m proud of both of us.” The sun disappeared behind the clouds just as my phone buzzed.
Theo: Where ya at, babe? Thought we were leaving in ten minutes?
Audrey: Meet you at the car in five.
“We’re heading out now.” My own throat closed up, the weight of saying goodbye hitting me harder than I expected. My future was with Theo, but this was my brother. The person who’d been in my life the most.
“You get everything packed okay?” Quentin and I both stared at different buildings and not each other. “How long of a drive is it?”
“About twelve hours. I found a podcast on the latest nursing?—”
“Boring.” He chuckled and pulled me into a bear hug. “I’m gonna fucking miss you. Damn. I wanted to hold it together.”
“I’m gonna miss you too.” My eyes stung, and I squeezed my brother, willing to make sure we stayed in contact. Families did long-distance all the time. “Be good, okay?”
“No promises.” He sniffed and ran a hand over his face. “Let me know when you get there, okay?”
I nodded. I glanced around the quad one more time, and a heavy lead weight grew in my feet. I was so excited about the future, my life with Theo. But leaving was shutting this chapter of my life, where I found myself again. I learned what I liked and didn’t and who I was without the grief of losing my dad. I discovered how to have healthy relationships with people and that hope was okay. My mouth trembled just as a familiar figure walked toward us from the parking lot. Theo.
My heart skipped a beat seeing him. His looks were the first things people saw. His chiseled jaw and dusty light hair, always styled and perfect. And his eyes. I was a sucker for his eyes. But it was his heart that captivated me. The way he cared for his family, for me. How he’d sacrifice himself to help those around him. I couldn’t believe that we’d found each other, and I made sure to show him how much I appreciated him every day.
He loved head scratches and bowls of cereal with color-changing spoons. He hated leftovers but was obsessed with flavored popcorn. Seeing his mom always upset him the day of, but his steps were lighter the rest of the week. His siblings made him laugh the most. But seeing him with his dad was the best. Having a relationship after heartbreak or betrayal was precious. We coached each other through it, me with Quentin and him with his dad. Love was still possible after hurt.
“There you are, woman.” He grinned as he neared, and my breath caught in my throat. The sun glinted off his blond hair, and his blue eyes glistened. “Hey, Q, you say goodbye?”
My brother nodded. “Drive safe. Take care of her.” He held out a hand, but Theo yanked him into a hug.
“Visit soon. There’s so much to do in the city. It’s gonna be unreal.” Theo slapped my brother on his back before he cupped my face and kissed me. It didn’t matter how many times we had kissed, every time I levitated just a little bit.
“Okay, chill, I’m right here.”
Theo laughed against my mouth and wrapped his arm around my waist, holding me tight against his chest. “Can’t help it.”
“Ugh. You guys are gross. I gotta head out before I have a meltdown, but let me know when you arrive in Minnesota, okay?”
I nodded and met Quentin’s eyes one more time. My own filled with tears, and I threw my arms around him for one more hug. “I love you, Q.”
“You too, sis.”
He passed me to Theo, who held my flowers and me, as I let a few tears fall. He kissed the top of my head, squeezing me tight. “Are you sure you want to move with me? You could stay here, and I can visit every weekend.”
“No. No.” I stood on my toes and gripped his chin. “I want to be where you are. We’ve discussed this. I’m just having more feelings than I anticipated.”
“Well, we know big feelings are okay to have.” He arched a brow. Penny went through some big feeling moments where she was terror, and it became our little catchphrase. Big feelings were hard. “We can leave whenever you’re ready. Take your time. I just want you with me. That’s all I need.”
“Are you nervous?” I whispered.
“About moving to another state with you? No, baby. Not even a little. I’m fucking excited. They have two incredible hospitals that are hiring, and I even talked to my agent about making a connection for you. They also have two public libraries we can visit. They also have a bunch of activities for the partners of the players, like there’s a picnic next week. I can’t wait to go to all of that with you. I’m pumped to play hockey, sure, but starting my life with you is more exciting.”
I swallowed down the ball of emotion. This man was everything. “You looked into the hospitals?”
“Of course, I did.” He chuckled. “We’re doing this together. You’re my home, Audrey. You’re my girl. Soon to be fiancée I believe.”
“Theo.” I blushed and swatted his chest. “Don’t just throw around that F word.”
“Why the hell not?” He tickled my side, making me yelp. His gaze softened, and he kissed me softly again. “Do you not want to be my wife someday?”
“I mean, sure, yes, of course.” I gulped. “What is going on? Are you—you proposing?”
His eyes gleamed. “Not yet, no.”
“Why do you look mischievous?” I sucked in a breath, and my skin prickled with awareness, like someone stared at me. “What’s going on?”
“You should look in the bag.” He held out the gift my brother gave me.
“The bag from Quentin?” I tilted my head. My head spun. Was this heatstroke? Had I drunk water? How warm was it outside? Throwing around words like fiancée and wife and not yet. “Theo. Theo.” I breathed hard, my pulse erratic. “I-I-I don’t understand.”
“You will soon.” He winked. The bastard winked and jutted his chin toward the bag. “Look in it, please.”
With shaky hands, I pulled out the scrubs my brother referenced. Then, there was a small box at the bottom of the bag. Oh my. My eyes about bugged out of my face. We had never talked about marriage. I mean, we did in the middle of the night after having sex, but like, that was a fever dream.
Hell, last week, we talked about wanting kids someday. Someday, like ten years from now. Not. Now.
“What… Theo.”
“Audrey Hawthorne, sweetheart.” He got down on one knee and set the flowers and the scrubs on the ground. He opened the box and pulled out a vintage ring, one with a beautiful pink diamond. I gasped, my mind forgetting how to function. Breathing was supposed to be easy, but each pull of oxygen took effort.
He’s proposing to me.
“You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You are my best friend, my fucking rock, the most brilliant and sexy and kind woman I’ve ever known. I love you, will always love you, and don’t want to wait another second before putting my ring on you. We’re about to start the next chapter of our lives, and I need you in it. Please be my wife. Be my other half in every way. I’ll promise to take care of you and make you laugh. We can take our time picking a date, but I really just want to be yours, forever.”
I blinked back tears as I stared at the gorgeous man kneeling before me. “How did the b-box show up in the bag?”
He laughed. “That’s your thought right now?”
I nodded.
“You never make it easy, and I love it.” He kissed the back of my hand. “How do you think? I asked your brother for permission to marry you, and he said yes.”
Fuck. I cried fully now. Big, fat, juicy tears. “Oh.”
“Mm, that oh better be oh, yes, I’ll marry you because my knee is hurting right now, and I should probably get up.”
Like he always did, he made me laugh and pulled me out of my head. I grabbed his hands and lifted him up, not that I did much. But he pretended to let me, and I ran my hands over his shoulders, then his strong chest. “You don’t think we’re too young?”
“I honestly don’t fucking care.” He cupped my face, dragging his thumbs over my jawline. “I know what I want, and that’s you baby.”
Nodding, I kissed him hard. “Yes, okay, yes, let’s get married. Holy shit.”
Laughing, he picked me up and swung me around. Peppering me with kisses on my neck, I freaking floated. Engaged? Me? Unreal.
“Okay, I need to put the ring on you now.” He set me down and slid the ring on my fourth finger. His eyes watered as he stared at it. “My mom gave me that ring to give to you.”
“What?” I gasped, the weight of it feeling a thousand pounds. “This is her ring?”
Theo nodded. “Yes. And it looks perfect on you.” He kissed my finger and stared at me with so much love my heart skipped a beat. He was perfect. My fiancé was perfect.
“I love you,” I whispered, hoping he knew all the unsaid things behind those words. “I can’t wait to do life with you. Let’s go.”
“Ah, so the thing is…” He gripped the back of his neck, and his cheeks pinkened at the top. “This was all kind of planned, and well, everyone is waiting for us behind that building.”
I whipped around, and sure enough, his dad, Em, Daniel, Penny, and Quentin all stood there with huge smiles.
“What did she say?” my idiot brother yelled.
“I said yes!” I held up my hand, and they all ran up to us, swarming us in a hug. I had never felt so content in my entire life. As they all took turns eyeing the ring, Theo just stared at me with a small smile on his lips.
I might’ve started college alone, unsure about my life, but now? I had a whole family, and I was about to marry the best man in my life. I couldn’t wait to start that chapter, but it’d have to wait until after our celebratory dinner. I didn’t mind. These were the people I loved most in the world.
Things happened for a reason, and I didn’t spend too much time thinking about how we got to this point, but I was gonna enjoy every second of it. Especially my future husband.
THE END