“Can you believe we used to–”
I can’t help the smile that seems to be perma-plastered on my face. I make my way across the dance floor, stopping to say hi and begrudgingly accept praise from my classmates as I approach the food table.
“Have you seen Abby?” I ask Aaron–who knocked the catering out of the park, by the way.
“She was looking for you, I think,” he says, swapping fresh platters of hors d’oeuvres and mini desserts for the empty ones.
“There you are!”
I spin around and nearly get knocked to the floor by the wild mane of red curls that are clearly on a mission.
“I was just coming to find you,” I say, grasping her arm and regaining my footing after side-stepping less than gracefully to avoid a collision. “Do you know what time it is?”
“Time for you to get a watch!” Aaron yells from behind us, a bellow of laughter bursting from him as he slaps his knee gleefully at his own joke.
“You have got to give him a kid as soon as possible so he at least has an excuse for the dad jokes,” I tease.
“Yeah, okay,” Abby says, rolling her eyes. “Give it a few years,then we’ll talk.”
“More importantly,” she continues, her expression suddenly full of intense focus. “It’s time for you to go work your magic.”
My stomach swoops with nerves, and I swallow roughly. I have one final surprise in store for the night–but this one isn’t for the whole class. It’s for the boy I loved then, and the man I desperately want to love now.
“Okay,” I nod. “Can you hold down the fort? Find Tori if there are any emergencies.”
“There won’t be, now go on and get,” she says, shoving me toward the door that leads to the gardens. I laugh, but before I can exit, she grabs my wrist.
“You’re going to be fine,” she whispers in my ear, pulling me in for a hug. “There aren’t two people in this world more destined to be together than you two.”
Emotion rises in my throat, threatening to spill over when she fixes me with a stern look. “Don’t tell my husband I said that.”
I mime zipping my lips, walking backward toward the exit with my eyes still locked on hers.
“And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”
“That isn’t a very long list, my sweet ginger angel!” I yell over my shoulder, pushing the door open and stepping out into the cool evening air. I pause for a moment, closingmy eyes and inhaling a shaky breath before I square my shoulders and walk determinedly toward the rose gardens.
I reach the entrance, an arrow pointing to the right hanging beneath a sign that saysMemory Lane.Glancing quickly around, I slip past the easel blocking the left side, aDo Not Entersign propped up on it. Originally, memory lane was supposed to be a full circle through the gardens, but I’ve commandeered the entire western half of the loop for one more Ellie Turner grand gesture.
I just hope to God it works.
Chapter 53
Griffin
Age 29, The Reunion
Imeant what I said to Eleanor. I’ll never stop loving or wanting her–and I’ll be whatever she wants me to be. Things are different now, though.
After our conversation, I realized that no matter what she wants, I’ll be okay. Loving her has been the most painful, joyful, soul-draining, life-giving,wonderfulthing, and I wouldn’t change a second of it. Because when I picture the two kids who met 14 years ago and the two adults who sat across from each other a few days ago, everything feels worth it. All of it was worth it to see that beautiful, radiant, sunshine girl look so sure of herself, to know that she found what she was looking for, and found herself.
Just like she always wanted.
So I’m okay with whatever comes. I’m just happy to have been a part of it.
But for the first time in years, instead of actively avoiding her, I’m actuallyhopingto run into her, which naturally means that I haven’t seen her once tonight. It doesn’thelp that David has been weirdly plastered to my side all night, dragging me into conversation after conversation with classmates I barely remember, and making me redo his 360 video seven times.
“I haven’t seen Jack in a while,” I yell over the music. “I’m going to go find him.”
