Epilogue
Wow, just wow. She’s even more beautiful than I’ve ever seen her.
Never in my life did I expect to sit through a dance recital. But I am one proud boyfriend.
Not only am I sitting in the audience with Tabby’s family, my family is here too. Plus, Jamie.
Man, I’m no longer sick to my stomach at the idea of my best friend hating my girlfriend’s guts. It’s so amazingly cool that Jamie is here to support Tabitha. It’s just mind-boggling that Jamie has been sitting in this row, holding hands with my brother.
I still can’t believe, right before Jamie moved out of our house, how I caught her with my brother.
Ugh. I can’t even discuss it.
Although, weirdly, I’ve gotten used to it. I just can’t believe how well they kept it a secret from me. But, then again, I was pretty obsessed with Tabitha. And that hasn’t changed one bit.
A lot happened in the week Jamie stayed with my family while her aunt was away. Topping the list was the fact we discovered her father’s identity. My best friend had never appeared more shell-shocked.
Man, that story is a doozy, but it’s definitely her story to tell.
I guess I’m grateful my brother was there for her to lean on.
Oof. There goes another vortex in my stomach.
Okay, maybe I’m still getting used to them being a couple.
It sure helps that Tabby likes them together.
At the garden party she and her mother organized, she helped me become more calm about the whole situation.
Seriously, holding this girl’s hand through the ridiculousness of this life is a godsend.
Before I can get to her, Tabitha’s family are hugging her and congratulating her on her performance.
I especially love seeing Tabby and her mom.
Tabby has thanked me for the positive turnaround with her relationship with her mother.
But it’s not me, it’s all her. As soon as Tabitha walked away from witch-like friends, her attitude improved.
She no longer had her mom on edge, and the two could talk and get excited over the little things, like Tabby getting ready to go on a date with me.
Freddy gives Tabitha a one-armed hug, glued to his phone.
Whilst I’ve been coming to terms with my brother’s love life, Tabby’s been theorizing on what Freddy is hiding.
It’s definitely about a girl. You can just tell.
But which girl… That’s the hardest part to uncover.
Our only clue is, she’s someone out of the ordinary.
I let my family move in closer to Tabitha before me.
I know as soon as I get Tabby in my arms, I’m never letting her go.
To be honest, I kinda want my crew as far away from us when that happens.
I still get embarrassed at the thought of my family seeing me with my girlfriend.
But I’m working on it. At first, the idea of them being at the recital was a firm no from me.
But I could tell Tabby was into it. And if anything is a given in life, I’m gonna make sure my girl gets whatever she wants.
“Hey baby,” I say, when it’s finally my turn to get closer to her. “You were incredible.”
She looks downright adorable in her stage makeup. Covered in glitter and gold flecks of paint. “Thanks, Kai. I was so nervous.”
I wrap my arms around her. “It didn’t show. You looked confident.”
“Thank you. Penny gave me a pep talk before we went on. Between you and her, I made it through.”
“It’s so cool you and Penelope have each other’s backs.” I kiss her cheek and then fish inside the pocket of my jeans. I made sure I wore the pair with no rips. “I got you something.”
She sucks in a breath, wonderment sparkling in her eyes. “You did?”
I hand her the small felt box, and her cute smile has me turning into mush.
When she opens the box, I’m quick to say, “I know, picking out jewelry is your thing, so I hope this is okay. If you want to return it, it’s cool, I just…”
“It’s perfection.” She gasps, looking at the dainty silver bracelet with flower pendants.
“It reminded me of you. The girl who smells of flowers,” I say softly. “I saw it, and it needed to be on your wrist.”
“I absolutely love it. Will you put it on me?”
“Sure.”
Who knew latching a bracelet around my girlfriend’s wrist would be the part that makes me the most nervous?
One, I don’t want to break it. I spent a lot of my grandparents’ birthday money on it.
Two, I don’t want to do anything to hurt her. I notice the finger she injured on our mini hiking adventure. She only lost the top half of the nail, so wasn't as bad as her dad predicted. For the past few weeks, she's covered it up with press-on fingernails to match the rest of her beloved manicure.
I'll never do anything to jeopardize her welfare again. I'd give up my car first.
Finally, I clasp the bracelet together, letting it fall into place on her wrist. “Is that okay?”
“It’s amazing. Thank you, I love it.” She lifts on her tippy toes, pressing a perfect kiss on my lips. “And I love you, too.”
My hands press on her hips and hold her in place against me. “I love you too, Tabby. You’ve got me. Every piece of me.”
She smiles at the new jewelry clinging to her wrist. “And I’m so glad I now get to wear a piece of your love. I’m never taking it off, babe. Never ever.”
***
THE END
Thank you for reading.