Epilogue
JULES
Three and a half months later…
“You ready, Babe?” Lincoln looks at me with the biggest grin as his hand settles at the small of my back.
I shake out my clammy hands. “Ready.”
He pulls open the door and the room erupts into cheers and loud applause. I burst into instant tears, laughing.
“What do you think?” He leans down whispering by my ear and looking damn proud of himself.
I laugh some more. “I’ve never seen so much pink in my life.”
From the balloons to the light fixtures to the massive pillows arranged on the floors. There are baby pinks. Hot pinks. Mauve pinks. Bubble gum pinks.
And the best part? Everyone in here is wearing designs from my T-shirt collection.
With the help of my friends, Lincoln is throwing a big pop up shop to celebrate the official re-branding of Troublemaker T-shirts online store. He rented out an empty storefront on Sunflower Boulevard for the special occasion.
It’s a slumber party vibe going on, and everyone I love has turned up to celebrate me with loud music and free appetizers.
My tears won’t stop falling. Because all my life, I walked around with armor on, feeling like I had to defend myself against the world. But these days? These days, I truly know what it feels like to be safe, to be loved.
Laney and Tammy are helping customers as they dig through the clothing racks, searching for the right size. Monica and Patty are handling the food table. There’s a bouncy house across the room and Cameron is jumping around with some of the kids from his school.
I move through the crowd, greeting everyone, shocked that all these people showed up.
…For me.
It truly feels like all of Fairy Bush is here.
I see my mom and Alba operating the cash registers. With an arm around my shoulder, Lincoln leads me in that direction.
“Isn’t this amazing?!” Alba shrieks as she comes and throws herself at me.
“Amazing!” I say, wiping at my tears with my fingertips.
I see Cynthia walking up to where my mom is standing behind the cash register. Her arms are full of merchandise.
“You’re buying all these?” My mom asks Cynthia, her eyes wide with shock.
The woman shrugs. “I can’t pick just one, so I’m taking them all.”
“Well, set them down right here and let me ring you up.” Mom grins at me, making an excited face. She’s proud of me. I can see it. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. “Come on, Julissa. Don’t just stand there. Let’s get down to work.”
Chuckling, Lincoln presses a kiss to the side of my head. Then we go around behind the counter.
I take over one cash register. My mother handles the other. Alba and Lincoln take over folding and bagging the purchases of all my customers.
About a half an hour or so into the event, I hear a huge commotion happening at the door. I see Oliver and Rocco flanking both sides of the entrance like nightclub bouncers, denying entry to the two blondes who seem hellbent on getting inside.
“She is my sister!” Hilary shouts with a stomp of her foot. “I deserve to get inside. Let me in!”
Lincoln’s brothers don’t budge.
Cousin Gina waddles into the mix, rubbing her ballooning pregnancy bump. I can’t hear everything she’s saying but I catch bits and pieces.
“…Going to be a single mother now…Stupid DNA test said he’s not the father…He was outta there the minute the results came in…Great-Grandma refuses to give me my damn trust fund money…” She wipes crocodile tears from her eyes, pouting at the towering Raines men, trying to earn their sympathy.
Oliver and Rocco just shake their heads in unison. Entry denied.
I stifle a laugh. It’s good to see that my brothers-in-law have my back. It’s good to truly feel like part of a family. Finally. This sense of safety I feel since becoming a part of Lincoln’s world, it’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced.
Oliver and Rocco eventually get rid of my half-sister and cousin. My attention stays fixed on handling the overflowing orders at the cash register.
Then, out of the corner of my eyes, something grabs my attention. I turn back to the door, and my jaw drops open as I see who just stepped inside.
“Great-Grandma…” I husk out as Josephine ambles through the door with her walking stick. Humphrey is on her heels. No sign of Martha today.
I drop everything and weave my way over to greet her.
“You…you came…” I murmur, on the verge of tears again.
I’ve left her tons of voice messages over the past few months. I’ve sent her letters. I’ve had packages delivered to her door. She never responded, and I thought I’d lost her forever. But now, she’s here.
Her gaze flits around the room, bouncing from corner to corner. She nods approvingly. “This is quite impressive.”
“Thank you, Great-Grandma,” I choke out. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
She shrugs her shoulder. “You went to great lengths to make this happen. I wouldn’t miss it.”
“I thought you hated me…” I confess quietly, unable to stop the words from falling out.
Her head shakes from left to right. “I was quite angry with you for a while. But now that I’ve had time to think, I’m nothing but proud of you, Julissa Mei. I’m nothing but proud of you.”
I’m blubbering, the tears coming faster than I can wipe them away. She takes me into a hug and I only cry harder.
“I’m really sorry that I lied…” I murmur against her frail shoulder.
She strokes the back of my head. “I forgive you, dear. We all make mistakes when we’re young. But I trust that you’ve learned from yours. I’d like to move forward, if that’s okay with you.”
I nod, straightening up and wiping my tears.
“Good,” Great-Grandma huffs. “Now, stop crying and help me find a gift for Martha’s birthday.” She shuffles forward, lifting a T-shirt off of the first rack she approaches. “Get that lettuce watered, bitch,” she reads out loud. Her eyes widen in horror as she holds up the shirt.
I quickly snatch it away from her and guide her to the other corner of the room. “Maybe we can find something over there,” I tell her as Lincoln laughs from behind my back.
By the end of the evening most of the designs are sold out and I’ve even taken preorders for the next batch I’ll make available in my online shop. And in my mind, I begin toying with the idea of opening a physical store location. But I’m not quite ready to take that on just yet.
After everyone is gone, Lincoln and I are bone-tired, sitting on the floor, leaned against empty merchandise boxes, legs stretched out in front of us.
I hear a tiny voice at the back of my head. Good going, girl. You did so good. Looks like my guardian angel is finally on my side. That feels good.
“That was a massive success,” Lincoln says to me. He uncaps his ginger ale and takes a long sip.
I’m still in disbelief. “I can’t believe we sold out.” I glance around at the mostly empty racks. “That’s crazy…” I take the plastic bottle from my husband and gulp greedily.
“How is it crazy? Don’t you know you deserve all the success in the world?” He brushes a lock of hair from my face.
“Yes. I guess…” I pause. “I just remember back in the day, when I wouldn’t have a sale for weeks. And now…this. Sold out. It’s like every part of my life got better when you walked into it.”
He just smiles. “For better or for better. That’s what I promised you, Jules. I will do everything in my power to deliver on that promise. Every day for the rest of my life.” He leans in and gently kisses my temple.
“Yeah, for better or for better,” I echo.
Then he cups my cheek. “But if the ‘worse’ part ever happens, you can count on me to be here, too.”
I smile, my heart swelling with a happiness I never knew was possible.
“For better, for worse, for all of it—I’m not going anywhere, Lincoln Raines. I’m yours. Forever.”
Thank you so much for reading Something Convenient!