31. Epilogue
Epilogue
Abby
T he new carpet under my feet is a welcome presence after all the snow we received yesterday. Thankfully, the snowstorm showed up a day early otherwise, we would have been moving during a blizzard. But trudging through the snow today is another struggle. I wiggle my toes into the plush fibers beneath me as Dallas places our new set of keys on the counter.
He smiles wide as he wanders over. A hand on each hip pulls me close, and he lowers his lips to meet mine. It’s a sensation I thought I would get used to, these kisses, but they never get any less breathtaking. And I always wish they’d last longer when he pulls away.
He kisses my forehead before peering down at me, our bodies still pressed together.
“We get this whole townhouse to ourselves,” I beam, looking around the open living room and kitchen space.
“The whole thing,” he repeats, breaking apart from me when Logan walks in.
“Where do you want your enormous collection of books, Abby?” Logan asks with a slight strain to his voice, carrying a box with him.
“Uh, maybe stick it against that wall.” I point to the one near the stairs to the right of the door. My new job at the library hasn’t helped with my ever-growing list of books to buy and read. Dallas has gotten into the habit of asking what the new book of the day is when I get home from work because I always find another one to add to my Tbr. And with it being the middle of fall semester of my senior year, I don't exactly have a lot of free time to read for fun. But I will certainly keep collecting.
Meredith carries two suitcases in and asks, “Bedroom?”
“Yeah, let me show you which one.” I take one of the cases from her and lead her up the stairs to the room on the left. It’s the bigger of the two with a bathroom in between. “Stick it in the closet for now,” I say, setting mine down.
“So, are you excited to finally be moving in?” Meredith asks, leaning against the wall.
“Very. But this better be the last move for a while. I’m so tired.”
“I don’t think you’ll be going anywhere anytime soon unless one of you gets a job that requires you to move. Because that man,” she points through the open door toward the stairs, “isn’t going anywhere without you. I know that. He knows that. Everyone else here who’s helping you move today knows that. I hope you have figured that out by now, too.”
I can’t help but smile, because I know it’s true. These last four months since the court case ended have been utter bliss. I wasn’t sure how easily things would come after I walked out of those courthouse doors, but everything felt so much lighter, so much easier. I suppose this is due to not having to worry about Sam showing up out of nowhere, which has taken a whole other weight off my shoulders. It feels like the worst of, well, everything, is over.
Even Dallas has been carrying himself in a better light. I know his job at the hospital has been a big part of that. He comes home happier than I’d ever seen him come home from Landry’s.
As horrifying as the situation was the last time I stepped foot in there, I’m thankful Aubrey hasn’t tried to contact Dallas. He did block her on everything, so she would have to find a loophole like Sam did if she was really that invested. But so far, things have been quiet.
“You had therapy yesterday, right? How’s that going?” Meredith asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“I’m still getting used to it. I’ve only had a few sessions, so I’m still getting to know her, but she’s nice and letting me take things at my pace for now.”
Meredith smiles so hard that the corners of her eyes wrinkle as she starts closing the gap between us. “That’s amazing. I’m so happy for you, Abby.” She pulls me into a hug, and despite how tight it is, I feel myself relax as I wrap my arms around her.
When she pulls away, she asks, “Did you say you were getting lunch with your mom today?”
“Lunch, dinner, depends on when we finish unloading everything. I’d at least like to have a bed set up to sleep in tonight before we leave.”
“You’ve seen her since court, though, right?”
I start my way out of the room and back down the stairs. “Yeah, once. I met with her for coffee a few weeks after to talk about everything. And we’ve had a few phone calls since, too. It’s … weird, talking to her like this after so long of things being strained. And with Thanksgiving coming up in a couple of weeks, I want to be on better terms with her before we go over there for a whole holiday dinner.”
Meredith practically bounces off the bottom step when Rose walks in, carrying a plant in each hand. She bounds over to her to get a kiss before returning to me. “I would expect it to be a little awkward after everything. You have some lost time to make up for and a lot to talk about.”
I nod, thinking about just how much we still haven’t covered, how much still sits undiscussed between us. Our relationship does feel better than it did after Dad died, but I’m not sure it will ever be what it was before.
Dallas and Logan walk in, carrying the mattress. They skirt around the corner to bring it upstairs. Cameron and Will follow them in with boxes labeled “Kitchen” and drop them near the fridge. In the short time that Meredith and I were upstairs, a pile of boxes in the living room, two parts of the new sectional couch, and two wooden chairs that sit in the open space of the dining room have been brought in.
“You guys are fast,” I say as Dallas and Logan return.
“It’s fucking cold out,” Logan says with a chuckle. “I don’t want to be out there any longer than necessary.”
“I have to agree with Logan,” Cameron says, folding her arms. “Next time you choose to move after a blizzard, I’ll be busy that day.”
Logan points to her and raises his brows at me as if to say he agrees with her.
Dallas pats him on the shoulder. “You’re moving, too, remember? The lease for the old apartment is up in two days. It’s a little late to ask for a third extension. We were supposed to be out of there two months ago. It’s getting expensive.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Logan rolls his eyes.
As everyone finishes carrying boxes and furniture in, the townhouse grows more and more packed. Most of it will end up in cabinets and closets, but I’m almost shocked that even after Dallas and Logan split their things up from the apartment, we still ended up with this much stuff.
The new coffee table is the last thing to get brought in, and once everyone settles around the kitchen island, Cameron pulls something out of the fridge with a red bow tied to the top.
“A house-warming gift,” she says, handing me a bottle of champagne.
Dallas smiles as she pulls me into a hug, and I won’t deny her the embrace. This is a relationship I’ve been proud to have sorted out, too. She and I are almost like best friends now. We call each other at least once a week to chat about everything under the sun. And it’s not awkward or forced. It came easily.
Once everyone leaves after we spend an extra half an hour chatting, it’s just Dallas and me left in the house. Our house. Our home.
The apartment with Sam felt like my house. Staying with Logan and Dallas eventually felt like my house as well. But this. This feels different. It’s not a place I joined in on. It’s not a place I felt forced into or like I didn’t have another option. It’s somewhere Dallas and I can finally create for ourselves. We can make it into whatever we want. Do whatever we want, whenever we want, because there’s no one watching my every move. No one to tell me what I can and can’t do. No one to report to like a child. I can just exist. In whatever way I want. With the man that I want more than anything in the world.
“How much time do we have before we go meet up with your mom?” Dallas asks, casing me in between his arms, pressing my back against the counter. The look on his face begs for some alone time, and I want nothing more than to give it to him.
“We have as much time as we need,” I grin and hook my fingers through his belt loops, pulling him closer.
He raises a devious eyebrow. “That’s dangerous.” And then he lifts me up to sit on the counter so that our eyes are level. But he’s not looking at my eyes. His gaze is on my lips, and everything below them.
Warmth pools between my legs at that look in his eyes and at what I desperately want to come next.
“We have a bed that needs christening.” He’s kissing down my neck now with lips so light it almost tickles.
I thread my fingers into his hair as he squeezes my thighs. “Oh, we have plenty of spaces in this house that need christening.”
He nuzzles his face into my neck, kissing behind my ear, and his voice is warm when he speaks. “Where would you like to start?”