Chapter 40
CRAZY STUPID VIRAL
Cricket
Heath’s parents are the best.
The best best.
And I completely get why he’s worried that he’s not good enough, even though he absolutely is.
“You must’ve been so hurt,” Vivian—his mom—is saying to me as we watch Heath and his dad, whose name truly is Thor, setting up the bounce house for Lav’s party. “The internet doesn’t deserve you.”
“It brought me here, so I can’t complain too much,” I tell her.
“Yes, you can, and you should. The end doesn’t always justify the means, and the internet’s means were terrible.”
“Mabel says half the comments were probably from bots.”
“Bots didn’t invent themselves. People invented them. People did this to people. But I’m so glad you found your way here.”
She’s not hugging me, but I feel hugs all the same.
Hugs and warmth and light.
Sympathy instead of judgment.
Support, just like I get from Heath and all of the ladies here.
“Heath said you were hiking Central America? That must’ve been fascinating. I’d love to see pictures.”
She shares pictures of their adventures and asks to see videos of my favorite lifestyle pieces from my old life, then asks about the grapes and the winery between visits from Lav, who’s dashing between us and the men with more energy than I’ve ever seen.
She insists I take a trip around the bounce house to make sure it’s clear of dragons.
Vivian joins us too, slashing and kicking and battling the imaginary dragons.
Heath keeps looking our way and smiling.
His parents are staying in the apartment beneath his house, so I’m staying in his bedroom while they’re here.
Lav’s taking the change in stride.
And I don’t want to move back into the apartment when Vivian and Thor leave for their next adventure. Based on Heath’s reaction to having me in his bed, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want me to either.
Everything is so good.
So good.
Kids start arriving, and the next hour and a half passes in a blur of children’s shrieks and a shaking bounce house and balloon animal-making—Heath and me—and balloon animal-popping—the kids.
And his parents.
All of the ladies from the main house are here too, including Pip, who’s wearing booty shorts and a skimpy tube top, which is still the biggest clothing I’ve seen her in outside of her nightgown.
With so many of us helping run the party, there’s plenty of time for socializing too.
Heath introduces me as his girlfriend to several of Lav’s classmates’ parents, including Jennifer, mom of Leland, who does, in fact, have three boyfriends, though the fourth wasn’t eaten by a shark.
Apparently Leland is the shark slayer to Lav’s dragon slayer.
“Can I ask you something?” Jennifer murmurs to me as we watch the kids run around.
“Of course,” I reply.
“Did you go viral a few months ago?”
I freeze.
“Oh my gosh, no judgment,” she adds hastily. “I just wanted to say you’re beautiful and what the trolls did to you was terrible, and if you ever want someone to talk to about it, well—you can’t have three boyfriends without getting a lot of comments, you know?”
I throw my arms around her and hug her.
Can’t help it.
She laughs against my shoulder. “Seriously, we should have coffee. There are a few other moms here that you’d love.”
“How is this place so fantastic?” I ask her.
“It attracts people like us.”
“It must.”
The idea that Heath would’ve moved—it’s unthinkable now.
Lav loves her friends.
She loves living here.
Even when Mabel slips to my side and tells me that there’s another new GrippaBeav video up, and also that one of those jerks from lunch the other day posted pictures of me and Heath and they’re getting a small amount of attention, it doesn’t ruin my day or take the wind out of my sails.
I have a new home and a new family and the most amazing boyfriend, who also has a kick-ass family.
Who cares what happens on the internet?
We sing happy birthday to Lav, the kids eat cake, and then she opens presents.
And it’s so normal.
Normal, and happy, and chaotic, and wonderful.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Heath murmurs as he slips to my side and presses a kiss to my forehead.
Vivian and Thor have been asked to assist with presents, so he’s off-duty.
For the moment.
“I love this new normal,” I murmur back.
“It kicks ass.”
Best part?
I don’t feel like the outsider.
I belong.
I truly, fully, absolutely belong. No lingering doubts. No worries.
Just this bone-deep knowledge that I’m where I’m meant to be, with the people I’m meant to be with.
After presents, Lav calls for me to come help her show her friends how to defend their bounce house castle against dragons— “And sharks!” Leland adds—and that’s exactly what I do.
I go fight dragons with my favorite little girl, laughing and shrieking and twirling and then helping a kid who pukes all over the bouncy house.
Heath’s smiling as he joins me and the little guy to give him a quick once-over while Mabel and Ginny order all of the kids out of the bouncy house.
“We’re so sorry,” the kid’s mom says as his dad angles in too. “We told him not to bounce after eating this much cake.”
Heath’s still smiling. “Not a kid birthday party if someone doesn’t puke. All good. We’ve got this.”
We do.
All of us.
Ginny and Dori are dashing out of the house with buckets and paper towels.
Mabel’s redirecting the kids to Thor, who also knows how to make balloon animals.
Other parents are picking up the pizza and cake.
Olivia and Samantha are moving Lav’s presents into the house.
Heath’s not doing it all on his own.
He’s taking help.
“I’m proud of you,” I murmur to him.
“I’m proud of—” he starts, but then he freezes as Lav starts screaming in the kind of terrified howl I’ve never heard come from her mouth.
“Stranger danger! Stranger danger! Stranger danger!”
My blood runs cold.
All of the color drains from Heath’s face, and then he’s in motion, striding toward the older woman marching around the house with a sheriff’s deputy at her side.
“Cricket. Get Lav and take her inside, and don’t open the door for anyone,” Heath orders.
Mabel’s already grabbing Lav and running for the house though, Ginny and Vivian both on her heels. “We’ve got her,” Mabel calls.
“Stranger danger,” Lav’s sobbing.
I don’t need anyone to tell me who this woman is.
“See?” she’s saying to the deputy as she points to me. “He’s cavorting with—with—with porn stars. She’s selling videos of her private parts on the internet. He’s subjecting children to porn stars!”
Did I say my blood was cold?
I meant it’s glacier water.
Heath’s biggest fear—that his in-laws will try to take Lav again—is coming true.
And it’s my fault.