Epilogue #2
I’m not sure how to interpret the look that crosses her face, but she doesn’t look pissed. Jules moves to step forward, but I grab her wrist and hold her in place. I know Jules would never let a man talk to her that way, and Audrey is strong yet looks . . . interested?
“You can get my number from Lauren,” she says. “We’re leaving.”
“I’ll call you tonight. Make sure you answer your phone.”
A scoff bursts out of Audrey. “Oh, like you did all those times I called you when you moved to Vancouver?”
“Audrey . . .” Drew says, his voice placating.
“Don’t ‘Audrey’ me. I will answer my phone if I can. And if not, I’ll call you back. That’s what people normally do when someone’s left them a message. Or twenty.” Now she sounds pissed off, and she spins on her heel and heads toward the front door with Jules hot on her heels.
“Who was that, Mommy?” Graham asks when they make it to the front door.
“He’s no one,” Audrey replies right before the door shuts behind them.
My eyes meet Drew’s and he’s visibly upset. The way he looked at Audrey when he heard Graham’s age, and then Audrey’s comment about leaving him twenty messages and him not returning any of them . . . I’m trying not to jump to any conclusions, and failing.
“You want to help me carry the s’mores supplies out, please?” I ask Drew.
He shakes his head like he’s trying to clear his thoughts. “Yeah, sure.”
We head to the kitchen island where two large platters with graham crackers, chocolate bars, and marshmallows sit.
“So, how do you know Audrey?” Drew asks as he picks up a platter.
I hold up my left hand so he can see my engagement ring. “Future sister-in-law.”
“Wait . . . Audrey is . . .” he says, and I watch him work this out, “Jameson’s sister?”
“You didn’t know that?” I ask.
“I had no idea.”
“Weren’t you already working with Jameson when you were playing hockey in college, with plans of him becoming your agent after you were drafted?” That’s how it usually works with college players.
“Yeah, but I didn’t know Audrey was his sister.”
“Did she know Jameson was going to be your agent?”
“I don’t know. I can’t remember if I ever mentioned it specifically, but it was definitely public knowledge.”
“How did you and Audrey know each other, again?” I ask as we walk outside.
“She tutored me.”
I already knew this and admittedly was being nosey and hoping for a bit more information. But also, they clearly have things they need to talk about first, so it’s probably a good thing that neither of them are blabbing to me.
Drew and I set the platters down on the table nearest the fire pit, and then I give him Audrey’s number before he heads over toward Colt and Jameson. Jameson’s eyes meet mine across the yard, and he looks concerned about whatever he sees.
In a few quick strides, he’s by my side. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I don’t want to say too much about the conversation I just witnessed, because if there truly is anything going on between Drew and Audrey, then Audrey should be the one to tell him.
“You sure? You look . . . I don’t even know . . . which is what’s concerning.”
“I’m fine,” I say, looking up at him, “really.”
“Okay. But please tell me Drew wasn’t just asking for your number?”
I laugh at the idea of giving my number to anyone. “No, he was asking for Audrey’s. Apparently they knew each other in college, but haven’t seen each other since—until tonight.”
“Yeah, I guess their time at Boston University would have overlapped,” he says. “Small world.”
Yeah, I think, especially for such a huge school.
“You going to start this fire?” I ask.
“It’ll be hard to make s’mores if I don’t.” He kisses my forehead before turning to grab the lighter.
Once the fire is going, people begin gathering around.
We’re passing out sticks for roasting, and kids are holding their toasted marshmallows out to me so I can sandwich them between graham crackers and chocolate.
When I glance over at Jameson, who is now holding both Ivy and Iris so they won’t get too close to the fire, the smile on his face takes me by surprise.
This man who never wanted to settle down, who didn’t want kids, ended up being the dad my girls deserve.
He’s also the partner I need him to be—supportive, protective, and loving.
He passes Iris off to one of our neighbors, a fifteen-year-old girl who’s babysat for us a couple times, and gives Ivy to our babysitter’s mom.
Then he walks over, wrapping his free arm around me, and his lips are at my ear whispering, “How long until we can put the kids to bed and kick everyone out? I need you naked and on your back, or on top of me, or on all fours, or all of the above.”
“Patience,” I whisper back to him. “I’ll make it worth the wait.”
I glance at him in time to see his eyebrows shoot up. “I like the sound of that.”
“You’ll like the feel of it even better,” I tease.
“I’m sure I will,” he says, then leans closer and nips my earlobe, in full view of our friends, family, and neighbors.
“You two are sickeningly adorable,” Paige says from my other side, and I can feel the flush creeping up my neck.
“Sorry, not sorry,” I say.
Paige gives me a genuine smile. “Good, you shouldn’t be sorry. You have what we all want, and you should be proud of the work you and Jameson have done to get here.”
“I am,” I tell her as he squeezes me closer, letting me know that he’s proud of us too. “Also, I think we’ve nailed down a date and a location for the wedding.”
“Oh yeah?” she says. “Do tell.”
“Mid-June, and the reception will be at the building on State Street that overlooks the Customs House clock tower and the harbor.” Paige had gone with me the first time I visited, and Jameson and I just went back last weekend.
“I think that’s the best choice,” she says.
I’d briefly considered having the wedding at Blackstone Mountain because both Jackson and Sierra’s weddings there were amazing.
But I attended both with Josh, and the idea of getting married somewhere I’d stayed with him felt wrong—even though Jameson and I have been up there multiple times making new memories with my friends.
“Me too,” I tell her. “And really, I can’t wait.”
“We could just elope,” Jameson mutters from my side.
He’d floated that idea this past summer when we were in the Caribbean for Jackson and Sierra’s babymoon, where we also found out that Petra was expecting.
He’d argued that we were already engaged, and if we came back from our trip already married, we wouldn’t have the stress of the wedding.
“Pretty sure our sisters would kill us,” I tell him, “since I already asked them to be bridesmaids.”
“And pretty much everyone is dying to see you get married,” Paige tells him with a laugh.
“Because no one thought it would ever happen?” he clarifies.
“Because apparently you insisted it would never happen,” Paige says.
“Yeah well, I was young and stupid then. But, I would still be holding true to that, if it hadn’t been for Lauren.”
With that, I snuggle into his side, thinking how I’ll never stop being grateful for where we ended up, no matter how long it took us to get here.
The End