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I roll my eyes and laugh. Sara has been inviting me and my brothers to hang out with her friends for forever. Every now and then, we’ll indulge her, but they’ve always been her friends, not ours. It’s never felt natural to hang out with them. I have a feeling with Cooper and Quinn just down the street from us, the invitations will double. If I include Natalie and Tucker into the mix, we won’t stand a chance of saying no.
Sam grins. “I’m always up for a party.” His hand squeezes my hip, and he shoots a wink at me, silently telling me he’s just teasing.
“Also, my best friends, Megan and Todd Montgomery, would be a great resource for you. They’re fostering right now, too, and have had a couple of placements. I know they’d be happy to answer any questions you might have.” Sara pulls out her phone to send me their contact information.
“That would be great. Thank you, sis.”
Talk turns to the New Year’s Eve fundraiser that Adam and Matthew are planning for their foundation. It’s turned into a massive event in Greensboro. After Adam was blasted in the press for something he didn’t do, the news outlets became even more obsessed with him than before. Everyone seemed to fall in love with his story, and the Fit For All foundation has never been more successful.
Every bigwig in the country wants to be seen supporting Adam and Matthew’s foundation, and because of that, they’ve decided to host a yearly benefit to capitalize on the extra attention. I’m quite proud of the way they’ve handled the whole thing. Adam has personally paid for the cost of the event to ensure that every cent they raise will go directly to the foundation. It was the only way Adam would agree to host the event in the first place. He’s always been very vocal about his distaste for the elaborate fundraisers people host.
“How much longer do we need to stay?” Sam whispers in my ear, making my skin pebble.
“Not too much longer.” I tilt my head toward where Noah is curled up on Tucker’s lap. “Nat and Tucker are minutes away from taking the boys home, which will set everyone else off to leave.”
And as if I spoke it into reality, Sam and I watch Natalie give Tucker the universal nod that says she’s ready to go home. We follow their lead and start to say our goodbyes. It takes over twenty minutes to get through everyone, but we finally make it out of the house.
Pulling into my driveway sends a wave of sadness over me. In just a couple of weeks, this will no longer be my house anymore. It’s a little hard to believe.
The change feels overwhelming at times, but then I remember that I’m finally getting the future I have always dreamed about. All I have to do is look at Sam and the worries fade into the background.
“It’s hard to believe we’ll be pulling into a different driveway in just a few short weeks,” Sam says as he looks up at my house from behind the wheel.
“I was just thinking about that. We’ve got a lot to do in a very short amount of time.”
He grabs my hand over the center console. “We’ll get it all done. I’m not worried.”
“I’m glad one of us isn’t,” I joke.
He leans in to kiss me. “I can’t wait to start our life together, Carter. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me. How I lived my life without you, I’ll never know.”
“It’s a good thing you won’t ever have to do it again.”
Sam laughs. “Good thing.”
Running my fingers through his blond locks, I bare my heart. “For a long time, I believed I needed to be someone else in order for anyone to choose me, to love me. And then I collided with a brick wall of man chest, and everything I thought I knew was wrong. Being loved by you is one of the best feelings in the entire world, and I will never take that for granted. I am so in love with you, Samuel Ellis, I think I might start glowing.”
“I love the way my new name sounds.” Sam grins, pressing his forehead against mine. “I love you, too, Carter Ellis. Forever.”
“Forever.”
THE END
