Epilogue
July, Two Years Later
Igasp when I feel the baby kick under my hand, my eyes shooting up to look at Jackson. He chuckles at me, shaking his head. I had already felt the baby kick three times today, but every time I felt that little foot, I get just as excited as I was the first time.
“Okay, leave the poor thing alone,” Jackson says as he guides me away from Julie.
“But I love feeling her little feet!” I whine, my arms outstretched toward Julie’s belly, attempting to get one last feel.
Julie clasps her hands over her round bump, rubbing a thumb back and forth. “I promise when she’s born you can hog her all you want.”
“It’s a deal,” I say with a megawatt smile.
Jackson and I move to our seats, watching Marie try to get everyone to quiet down so she can announce the rules of the baby shower game we’re about to play.
Julie and Britt are having a daughter in a month, and we’re all over the moon with excitement.
Jackson grabs my hand under the table, bringing it up and setting our intertwined fingers on the table.
It’s been two years, and I still get giddy over the fact that I can hold his hand without worrying about who’s around to see.
Once I finished up the house, I put it on the market. I sold it to a family that could create their own happy memories inside it and make it a home.
Jackson no longer owns a portion of Delvecchios’ Restaurant. He had a long talk with his family about selling his side of the partnership to Rami. Everyone was ready to let it go—it was no longer the same with Phil gone, anyways. Sophie even graciously let us keep our Polaroids.
Jackson and I decided to move out to California to be closer to Julie and Britt now that they’re having a baby, and we’ve been here for almost a year now.
I enrolled in college earlier this year, and I’m studying education. While I’m in school I’ll be helping out with Julie’s baby between shifts at the coffee shop Britt owns. She and Jackson are currently in the process of signing a business agreement to make him part-owner.
Before we moved out here, Jackson came with me to North Carolina to stay with Wren and Mia, who is now an angsty teenager. Even though I’m no longer nannying Mia, the Wilsons were true to their promise that we would stay family. They’re planning to fly out here for Christmas.
We somehow convinced Marie to move out to California with us, and now almost all the Delvecchios are residents of California.
Sam, his wife, and the kids will never leave New York and the east coast; they’re New Yorkers through and through.
They’re here today though, sitting across the table from us.
I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. I’m surrounded by people who didn’t have to love me and choose me, but did anyways. They protect me, they make me feel important, and they’re constantly reminding me how happy they are to have me back in their life.
Jackson and I don’t run from our problems anymore—we face them head-on, and with the truth.
He’s still sober, and I gave up drinking, too.
When he starts to feel like he’s struggling again, he still plays the drums or talks to me about how he’s feeling.
Usually with my head in his lap as I stare up at him, rubbing my thumb against the freckle on his collarbone as he does the same to my hip bone.
“Ready?” I hear Jackson ask from beside me.
I look down at the game; it’s some generic baby shower game where you have to unscramble words.
“Start!” Julie yells out to the room.
I rush to get through it, finishing the last word—“baby bottle”—and holding up my paper.
Britt comes over to grab the paper from me, checking to see if all the answers are right. When she confirms they are, she asks me to stand to get my prize.
“Good job, honey,” Marie says, squeezing my arm as I peruse the array of gift baskets.
“Thanks, Mom.” That’s another thing I’ll never get tired of.
“Ah, I figured my smart little sister-in-law would win,” Julie says with a sneaky smile.
“Future sister-in-law,” I remind her.
She swats a hand at me. “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.”
I look over at Jackson, and he smiles at me before giving me a wink.
I roll my eyes at him, placing the gift basket I picked out in front of Nico and Sammy so they can rummage through it.
“Thanks, Aunt Addie!” Nico says with a gap-toothed smile. I press a kiss to his head then ruffle Sammy’s hair before sitting back down next to Jackson.
He grabs my left hand again, kissing my finger exactly where an engagement ring will one day go.
I smile back at him, so wide that my eyes crinkle.
I have a feeling I’ll become a fiancée tonight. And sometime in the near future, I’ll officially become a Delvecchio.
THE END