“Best twenty dollars I ever spent.”
“Only twenty?” he pressed his hand to his heart. “Ouch. Guess my heyday really has passed.”
“I’ll never forget it.” I grinned up at him.
“I’m definitely shredding that as soon as you aren’t looking.”
“Don’t worry, I have more on the way,” I said. “It was hard to pick a favorite, so I just ordered as many as I could find.”
Eli’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, you think you’re funny or something?”
I squealed as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to the bed, pinning me beneath him. As I writhed beneath him, he demanded I cancel any further embarrassing orders. When I refused, he continued to tickle me until my sides ached from laughter.
When I was finally able to breathe again, and Eli looked down at me lovingly, I realized that us being together wasn’t everything I had hoped.
It was already more.
“Nice to see you again. Thought I’d never have the pleasure after you shattered my sister’s heart,” Piper said sweetly as she greeted us at the door.
Eli looked between the two of us, panicked. “I-uh...I?—”
“Relax, she’s joking,” I said, wrapping my arm around him and squeezing his waist. “Right, Piper?”
“Totally,” she said, not dropping her devilish smile.
I knew that she had completely forgiven Eli and was happy for the two of us. But I also knew she intended to givehim a hard time for as long as it continued to ruffle his feathers.
Not that long ago, a joke about him shattering my heart would have sent me spiraling. But now? Now it hardly registered. Even though we had only been back together for a week, everything felt right.
“Eli, welcome.” My mom came bursting out of the kitchen and greeted Eli with a warm hug. “It’s so wonderful to finally meet you.”
“You too,” Eli said, handing her the flowers he’d carefully picked out. “These are for you.”
“Beautiful,” she breathed them in. “Piper, please go put these in some water, and please be nicer to Eli.”
Piper rolled her eyes. “We’ll see.”
My mom gestured for us to sit down. “You have to tell me all about your movie. It sounds amazing.”
My heart filled with warmth as I watched Eli and my mom talk animatedly about his film. Eli took such pride in what he was doing, and my mom was so genuinely interested in getting to know him. Even Piper joined in the conversation after she came back into the room, unable to hide her interest.
My favorite people, all in the same room.
The roller coaster of emotions I had been on ever since I’d arrived on the set ofTough Lovehad finally evened out. From grief, to fear, to thinking I’d found my person, to having my heart broken, to realizing that Eli actually did love me. I wouldn’t miss the highs and lows, but I was eternally grateful they had pulled me from my apathetic state.
Eli easily took my hand in his before resuming his conversation with my mother.
I sat there, just taking it in. This life was all mine. It might not look how I had expected, but it meant everything to me.
And it was just getting started.
Epilogue
ELI
“To Eli,”Calla said.
“To Eli,” her mother and Piper echoed.
