32. Epilogue
Epilogue
Molly
“How’d it go?” Preston asked, opening my door the second I put my car in park.
“Hi to you too,” I said, laughing as he leaned over, unbuckled me, and pulled me out of the car.
“There’s no time for formalities.” He tapped the tip of my nose. “I sent at least five texts asking how it went.”
I held up my phone and shook my head. “Seventeen.”
“Seventeen?” He pulled me against him, kissing my neck until I was a cackling puddle in his arms. “Seventeen texts you ignored.”
“Seventeen texts I smiled about while I raced home to you.” I grinned at Emmett as he stalked over to us. “And to you.”
Emmett wrapped his arms around both of us and I inhaled, slowly taking in the comforting sense of home I felt with both of them holding me.
“How was practice?” I asked when we pulled apart.
“Molly,” Preston warned, impatience radiating from him.
I glanced at Emmett, who slung his arm over Preston. “This guy is back.”
“Really?” Preston nodded, and I indulged in the crushing pride that overwhelmed me—and gave me another reason to delay my news. “I knew you could do it.”
Now that all our feelings for each other were out in the open and we were actually doing life together, I knew he would get his mojo back.
“No more distractions,” Preston chastised, around a small smile he couldn’t hide. “You’re killing me, Molls.”
“Do you just want to go to the next meeting with me?” I teased, kissing his chin.
“Absolutely.”
“Next meeting?” Emmett asked. “You’ll be writing more romance for Rose?”
“Not exactly,” I said, biting my lower lip.
“You want me to die a premature death. That’s the only explanation.” Preston shook his head, muttering.
I rolled my eyes. “There are a lot of explanations.” And just to mess with him a little longer, I walked over to Preston’s open car, smiling to myself when he nearly ran into me as I halted. “What’s with all the bags in the back?”
“We got stuff to make pizza,” Preston said.
“I thought it would be fun to have another pizza night. We had every intention of waiting for you, but then I remembered how zen he gets with pepperoni patterns.” Emmett shrugged, and I threw my head back, laughing at the ridiculousness of my life.
“You were so worried about my meeting with Lynn that you needed pepperoni to calm down?”
Preston’s mouth curved into a guilty smile, and he shrugged.
“Oh my gosh. Okay, you want to know how it went?”
“Clearly. Spill it, Molls,” he blurted.
“Lynn loved it.”
Emmett’s eyes widened, and he pulled me tighter into his arms, kissing the top of my head. “I knew she would.”
“Of course she did,” Preston said, snorting like it was so obvious he couldn’t believe I ever doubted myself.
But he had no idea the secret I was hiding.
I had kept it from them, wanting to make sure my manuscript was actually as good as I thought it was.
Sure, Juliet had read it and loved it. Preston and Emmett had read it aloud to each other and loved it—much to my utter humiliation as it was happening.
But those were three people who loved me.
Romance was still new to me. I needed Lynn’s stamp of approval before I got their hopes up.
With sweaty palms, but the assurance they would love me no matter what, I cleared my throat. “That’s not all—”
“I knew it,” he breathed. “Why are you doing this to me?”
My impatient Preston. I smiled, unable to contain the joy that teasing him brought me. He could wait. He was my older brother’s best friend. There were plenty of times he had the cool news, or the awesome new toy or skateboard trick, and I had to wait while he laid on the theatrics.
“Oh, I talked to Lucas on my way home. Ava’s taking Henry to the children’s museum next week if we all want to go. I think he’ll look adorable in those little aprons they have for the water play section—”
“Molly,” Preston warned.
“What? Don’t you like Ava?”
Henry had adjusted to his new nanny so well and we all loved her. She was already a part of the family, and my next mission was setting Lucas up with her, but he kept kiboshing my plans, saying that was a line he would not be crossing.
“We love Ava,” Preston said through gritted teeth.
“Do you want to go—”
“Of course we’re going to go. But this is starting to kill me, too, Rookie,” Emmett admitted, and I burst out laughing.
“So, you don’t want updates on what Juliet wants us to wear to her wedding” My best friend was getting married in a few short weeks and for the first time ever, I could confidently say I was beyond excited for her.
Emmett grumbled something that sounded menacing but made my entire body throb with anticipation.
“Molly,” Preston warned, his tone doing nothing to make me want to behave.
“Okay, fine. I can’t hold it in any longer,” I admitted, grinning so big my cheeks hurt. “Lynn loved it, and she loved my idea about publishing it under my own name.”
“Wait. So not for Rose?” Preston asked, his eyes huge as he put his arms out wide.
“Yep. My name will be on the cover.”
“This is the best surprise ever,” Preston said, pulling me into his arms and lifting me off the ground, bringing me to Emmett’s height.
“You’re incredible Molly,” he murmured, closing in on me so I was sandwiched between them. “Let’s go inside, though.”
“Why?” I asked, ready to moan as he slid his hand around the back of my neck.
“Because we want to show you exactly how proud we are of you, and the neighbors wouldn’t appreciate seeing how I celebrate the woman I love.”
My core tightened as his emerald eyes greedily roved over me. “Emmett! What about the pizza?”
“The pizza can wait.”
Preston slung me over his shoulder, my laughter ringing down the driveway, and then down the hallway as he hauled me inside.
Thank you so much for reading Pucking Hard!