Everyone was stuck in a neverending burst of giggles, and I felt that warm glow of belonging. These women. This family. It had all happened so fast, but it felt so real.
Blake made us all write marriage advice on cards for Delaney. Some were sweet (“Never go to bed angry”), some were practical (“Have separate bathrooms if possible”), and some were absolutely filthy (Blake’s contribution, naturally, which made Delaney turn bright red and the rest of us cry with laughter).
Around ten, my phone buzzed. I pulled it out, trying to be subtle, but Blake caught me.
“Is that Dex?” she asked with a knowing grin.
“Maybe.”
“What does he say?”
I showed her the message.
“You’re smiling at your phone like a teenager,” Mom observed, reading my expression with the accuracy only a mother could have.
“I am not.”
“You absolutely are,” Billie laughed. “It’s adorable.”
“Can we please go back to embarrassing Delaney instead of me?”
But Delaney was watching me with those soft, knowing eyes of hers. “You know, when Trace and I first got together, I was soscared. Everything felt too big, too fast, too complicated. I was a single mom, he was dealing with family drama, we had history that was messy. It felt impossible.”
“But you made it work,” I said.
“We did. But not because we had it all figured out. We made it work because we decided it was worth fighting for. That the love we had was more important than the obstacles in our way.” She paused. “Love doesn’t have to make sense, Leigh. It just has to be real. And if it’s real, you fight for it. No matter how complicated it gets.”
The table went quiet, everyone processing her words.
“That’s beautiful,” Reece said softly.
“And also very applicable to your current situation,” Blake added, because subtlety really wasn’t her thing.
“I don’t…” I started.
“Leigh.” Mom’s voice was gentle but firm. She took my hand, and I could see tears in her eyes. “Baby, I know you’re scared. I know you think you have to choose between your life in Blue Point Bay and Dex here. But maybe... maybe there’s another option you haven’t considered. Don’t spend your life wondering.”
I nodded, not trusting myself to talk but knowing it was time to make some hard decisions.
“Good.” Blake raised her ridiculous penis straw in a toast. “Now, can we please get back to getting Delaney drunk and making questionable decisions?”
“I second that motion,” Delaney laughed, but her eyes were still on me, warm and encouraging.
The rest of the night was lighter, easier. We played more games, told more stories, laughed until our stomachs hurt. Blake insisted on taking approximately four hundred photos, documenting every moment for posterity. We made Delaneywear a crown made of cocktail napkins. We sang off-key karaoke in the back room.
But Mom’s words kept echoing in my head.
Don’t spend your life wondering.
Around midnight, we piled into Ubers which thankfully Blake had planned ahead of time and arranged for designated drivers because she was chaos but she was also responsible chaos. I ended up in a car with Mom and Billie, while the others went in a separate vehicle.
“You okay?” Mom asked as we drove through the dark countryside back toward Willowbrook.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Everything you said tonight... you’re right. I know you’re right. But I don’t know what to do with it.”
“You don’t have to figure it out tonight,” Billie said from the front seat. “But you do have to figure it out soon. And whatever you decide, we’ll support you. All of us.”
“Even if I decide to go back to Blue Point Bay? To leave?”
