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epilogue
Jackson
“Happy New Year, Jackson.”
I grin down at where Abby is tucked against me and drop a kiss to her lips.
“Happy New Year, Abby.”
We both turn to look out over the lake, watching as the barge in the middle continues to shoot fireworks up into the air.
I’ve always loved fireworks. Ever since I was a kid, that whirring noise of anticipation then the explosion of light followed by the crackle as the flames in the sky fizzle into ash…it’s always been the only thing I liked about the holiday season.
Year after year, I had subpar Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year activities spent with people I knew but didn’t feel particularly close with. Fireworks always felt like the payoff. If I could just get through the holidays, I’d get a light show at the end.
This year might be the first time I feel like the fireworks are just a distraction from the main event.
I wasn’t expecting to find someone who makes me want more when I came on this short trip to Cedar Point, but Abby has done exactly that. Her positive energy, her loving spirit, her endless laughter… I can’t get enough of it.
Over the past week, ever since our talk in my bed on the night after Christmas, we’ve pretty much been inseparable, apart from work. Though even then, we were still seeking each other out. I popped into the bakery to see her at least once a day, and she’d tag along with me and Rusty to wherever we needed to go to complete some of our business-related tasks.
At first, Rusty seemed somewhat wary of how quickly we’d clung to each other like magnets, but it only took a few days for him to realize how good we are together.
Because we are. Shockingly so.
And I couldn’t be happier about it.
Which is why I’ve made a pretty big decision, though I haven’t told Abby yet. I’m just hoping she’s as happy about it as I am, because the wheels are already turning on this.
Once the fireworks are over, we head inside her new place, carrying in the two camping chairs we were using to sit in for a little while, as well as our beer bottles.
“Oh, hey, I just remembered,” I say, holding up her set of keys. “Rusty told me I could give you your key back now that I’ve made my copy.”
Abby glances back at me, a puzzled expression on her face. “Huh?”
“Now that I’ve used your key to make my copy,” I repeat, waiting for her to understand what I’m saying.
“Why do you need a copy?”
“Wouldn’t you want a key to your house?”
Her head tilts to the side. “But I have a key to my house. Do you need a key to my house?”
“It’s my house too.”
She stares at me for a moment longer, and then I see her face fall. For a split second, I worry I’ve made the wrong choice, worry I’ve misread her and she’s wanting something more casual.
“Shut up.”
I just watch her as she steps closer to me.
“I need you to explain yourself. Right now.”
I nibble on my lip for a second before I just spit it out. “I’m moving into the guestroom at Rusty’s,” I tell her. “To be a full-time owner with him for the brewery.”
“Are you serious?”
I nod.
