30. Chapter 30
Looking out through the balcony window, I feel like I’m walking on literal sunshine. I’m filled with so much joy and lightness from the past few days with Austin. He fits into my life—into my family—so perfectly that I can’t imagine it without him.
My mind floods with images of him from last night.
Holding one of my nephews in each arm on the dance floor, spinning them in circles until they were giggling with glee, so that my sister and brother-in-law could have the opportunity to dance together at the reception.
That made him doubly hot. All the brownie points.
And clearly I’m addicted to sweets.
It’s like my body is reactive to everything Austin does. Every glance. Every compliment. Every touch. Every time he stands up for me. Every kiss. All it does is make me want more.
What I really need is to not scare him away by saying too much too soon.
Like how I kind of, sort of told him I loved him.
It just slipped out when I was saying I had to protect him.
I’d be Bianca’s verbal punching bag as often as she wants because of how much I hate conflict.
But the second she came for Austin, this instinct to stand up for him took over.
I couldn’t help myself. He makes me do crazy things.
But I guess that’s what love does to a person. It makes you grow into who you were always meant to be.
But Austin didn’t tell me that he loved me back.
I shove away the thought. It’s ridiculous to expect that much from him so soon.
I know he cares deeply about me and sees a future with me.
Besides, I’ve waited three years to share my feelings for him.
Waiting a little longer for him to catch up in the feelings department will feel like nothing after that.
I finish packing up my large suitcase and zip it shut, but when I go to lift it, Austin places his hand to my lower back.
“Let me get that for you.” He shoots me a dimpled smile before pulling an iced coffee from behind his back. “Couldn’t miss out on another one of these on our last morning here.”
“Thanks.” I take a sip, savoring the coconut flavor one last time.
Austin gestures to my bags. “I’ll take these down to the front desk if you want to meet at the brunch?”
“Sounds good.” I stand and kiss him on the cheek. Once he leaves, I finish packing my backpack and take one last look at the room.
The bed where Austin held me while I slept.
The television we watched New Girl on.
The closet where he hung up my clothes for me without being asked.
The bathroom where he didn’t say anything about how I messily took up all the counter space with my makeup and skin care products.
The balcony where he kissed me under the stars last night after the wedding reception ended.
This room with its singular bed was the start of something new. I’m sad to leave this place behind, but I know Austin and I have all the time in the world to make plenty of memories together back in Louisville.
I shut the door behind me with a smile on my face and head to the farewell brunch located outside on the private veranda.
“I was starting to worry you left without saying goodbye.” Maddy swats my butt.
“You say that like we don’t live in the same city.”
“I know, but it’s different than seeing you every day.” She rubs her swollen belly. “Besides, my life’s about to get a whole lot crazier.”
“In the best way possible.” I lean down and whisper to her stomach, “Auntie Lyss loves you, little guy.”
“He’s going to love you, too.” Maddy smiles at someone over my shoulder. “But nowhere near as much as him.”
I glance back and spot Austin staring at me with a crooked grin like I’m the center of his world. My stomach swoops as I turn back to my sister. “I don’t know about that. It’s a little quick for him to be in love.”
She narrows her gaze. “What? Are you blind? That man is a goner. Like, if he’s a home run, the ball isn’t even in the park anymore.”
I let out a dry laugh. “I think you need to work on your baseball references.”
Maddy rolls her eyes. “Fine, it could use some work, but it’s still true.”
“Hey.” Austin steps up behind me, grabbing my waist and pulling me close. His arms wrap around me, and I melt into his touch like cheese on a hot griddle. He presses a kiss to my neck. “Did you already make a plate?”
“Not yet.”
“I’ll grab you one.” He steps back and turns to my sister. “Can I grab you anything, Mads?”
“I’m good, but thank you.”
His eyes find mine again, accompanied by that dopey grin, before he heads to the buffet tables.
When I glance back at my sister, she’s got one brow raised in her signature told-you-so look.
I sigh. “You don’t have to say it.”
She shakes her head. “I think he said it all.”
But if Austin’s looking at me like that, then what is holding him back from telling me that he loves me too?
I walk through the unlocked front door and drop my suitcases off to the side. “Honey, I’m home,” I shout and instantly hear footsteps pounding through our old Victorian house. My four best friends come running into the foyer, and I’m crushed in a group hug.
My shoulders sag in relief. I love vacations and the beach, but there’s something about that feeling of coming home—to a person or a place—that is unbeatable.
We move into the living room, and I fall onto the couch, tucking my legs under me. “I missed y’all. Catch me up on what I missed.”
Winston pads over and jumps up, landing with his front paws on my lap. I’m definitely going to have a bruise there later. I scratch his head and run my hands over his ears. “I missed you, too, boy.”
“Catch you up?” Mallory tilts her head. “Girl, catch us up.”
Shayna grabs a pillow and sets it on her lap. “Start from the beginning—and don’t leave out a single detail.”
“It’s girls’ night.” I look around. “Shouldn’t we dive into happies and crappies first?”
“Uh, not when you have boy tea to spill.” Kelsey pets Winston, who is now lying dutifully at her feet.
I look to Tess—my former baddies-before-baby-daddies member—for backup. She shrugs. “We’ve been waiting all week for this.”
“Two days,” I deadpan. “It’s only been two days since I told y’all we were a thing now.”
This statement earns me a collective eye roll.
“You’re out of your mind if you don’t know we’ve been waiting for this for much longer than that.” Mallory shoots me a look.
“Yeah, try three years.” Kelsey presses her lips into a thin line.
“And we had to find out over”—Mallory holds her hands out in a wait-for-it gesture—“text message that you two made out the night you met before he casually friend-zoned you. Like, are we even besties with all these secrets?” She gestures to Shayna.
“Shay loved my brother from the beginning and never told us.” She turns her pointed gaze back to me.
“And now you’ve been hiding this from us for years.
” She crosses her arms with a huff. “Does anyone else have anything they’d like to reveal? ”
I guess it’s now or never. “I used your toothbrush at a sleepover in tenth grade when I forgot mine at home.”
Her nose wrinkles and her mouth pulls down in disgust. “I really wish I didn’t know that.”
“You’re the one who asked.”
Mallory shudders before setting her attention on Tess. “Anything we should know about your love life?”
“Nope.” Tess smooths her hands along her jean shorts.
“I sometimes dream of the love story I was robbed of by my ex, but I can’t imagine anyone else intruding on what I have with Evie.
Dating would change things, and I like everything how it is.
I’m officially off the market. Even if Evie tries to find me a husband every time we’re out in public. ”
“See? No secrets.” Mallory nods, satisfied with the answer.
“Okay, we’ve waited long enough, Lyss,” Tess says. “Tell us everything about the trip.”
“About your man.” Shayna does a little shoulder shimmy.
I jump right into the story, telling them everything from what really happened the night we met to how I tried to go on dates to get over my feelings for Austin.
How I was terrified to invite him to the wedding and internally freaked out when I realized there was only one hotel room and bed.
The way Bianca and Bradley treated me throughout the wedding week.
How Austin stood up for me, and how I finally stood up to Bianca and Patrice.
Our make out in the ocean and how I thought he did it just for B-squared to see.
“He cleared it up and said his feelings for me were real—that he wanted us to be together—and I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time.
” I smile, thinking back on our conversation in the pool.
“Then yesterday, he was being all cute at the wedding. He carried me through the sand, because I was struggling in my heels, and we were slow dancing to ‘Lover’ and everything felt right.”
“But?” Tess asks, like she can sense it coming.
“I kind of let it slip that I love him.”
There’s a chorus of cheers and squeals.
Kelsey’s eyes light up. “What’s wrong with that?”
I stare out the window. “He didn’t say it back.”
“What was his response?” I look back just in time to watch Tess shoot me a pitying frown.
“Did he say something weird, like ‘thank you’?” Mallory asks.
“Or did he not respond at all?” Shayna’s voice wobbles, always the empath.
I think back to the wedding reception, trying to get the details right. “I had just stood up for him to Bianca and said something about how I couldn’t hold back when she came for someone I love.”
Kelsey quirks a brow. “You go, girl.”
“That wasn’t how I’d planned on telling him.” I let out a dry laugh.
“What did he say?” Tess leans in closer, her dark hair moving around her in a gentle wave as she waits for the grand reveal.
I close my eyes, going back to the moment. “He cupped my face and asked me if I just said I loved him.”
“And?” Shayna squeals.
“Then Patrice interrupted us.”
They let out a collective groan.
“An interrupted love confession might even be worse than an interrupted kiss.” Shayna pouts.
Mallory laughs. “You watch too many romance movies.”
“Says the girl dating an actor,” Shayna deadpans.
Mallory tilts her head. “Touché.”
“What happened after Patrice interrupted?” Kelsey asks loud enough that Winston lifts his head up to make sure she’s okay before resting it back on her feet.
“He brought it back up after she walked away.”
Kelsey claps. “Yeah, he did.”
Tess turns to face me straight on. “He still didn’t say he loved you, though?” I shake my head. She leans over and rubs my arm. “What an idiot.”
“Yep. I told him he wasn’t supposed to hear that, and he said he was glad he did, and then he kissed my head.” I laugh. “Like, what is that even supposed to mean?”
“I think Tess already said it best.” Kelsey shrugs. “He’s an idiot.”
“Yes, that,” Shayna echoes. “But didn’t you mention recently he might get traded mid-season?”
I nod.
Mallory frowns. “What does that have to do with it?”
“Maybe he feels bad progressing too quickly, not knowing where his career will take him.” Shayna’s voice is soft, treading lightly.
“Think back to when Griffin was leaving to prepare for his next movie. No man in love wants to leave his woman behind. Austin might be feeling scared to tell you the full extent of his feelings without knowing where he’ll be living next week, let alone in a few months.
He knows Alyssa has a whole clientele here and probably doesn’t want to make her think he’s saying something just to get her to move with him. ”
I bite the inside of my cheek. I hadn’t thought of that. Well, I’ve considered the fact he might be moving to another state, but I hadn’t considered that it might make him hesitant about the commitment level he’s asking of me.
“Okay, your romance-movie knowledge is coming in handy. I apologize for ever making fun of it.” Mallory bows to her.
Shayna laughs at her antics. “I may not even be right, but the context clues are all pointing to that being the case.”
“We can’t forget how obvious his feelings were in the picture you sent us.” Tess grabs her phone and pulls up a photo before handing it to me.
I try to look at it objectively. I’m in my blue dress, smiling at the camera when my sister snapped the picture.
But Austin’s head is tilted as he looks down at me with an expression that brings tears to my eyes.
Even if he hasn’t voiced the words out loud, his face really does say it all.
A man doesn’t look at a woman like that unless he’s totally, completely, irrevocably in love.
“You’re right.” I sniff, seeing everything so clearly now. “But what if he gets traded to another team?”
Tess takes her phone back and double taps the screen, zooming in on Austin’s face. “That doesn’t look like the face of a man who will let a little distance keep him from the woman he loves. It looks like someone who will cherish you until the day he dies.”
“He reeks of romance.” Kelsey fans her face.
Mallory nods. “I could literally send that to Griffin to study and use in his next rom-com movie.”
“And even if he’s living across the country, y’all have maintained a friendship while he’s been on the road for games over the last three years.” Shayna smiles reassuringly.
She’s right. We already know how to communicate. We have what it takes to go the distance. Now I just need to find a way to show him I’m not scared of anything that’s to come as long as we get to tackle it together.
“Okay, then I should do something big for him tomorrow. A grand gesture to show him I’m all in. No matter what.”
“What’s tomorrow?” Mallory asks.
“Austin invited us all to his game. He said he’d give me a tour of the field beforehand too.”
Shayna taps her lips until her eyes light up. “I have the perfect idea.”
I wouldn’t expect anything less from our rom-com–loving bestie.