“I doubt any of us will ever be strangers,” Cameron replied. “But have a nice night, you two.”
“I’ll follow you so that I can lock up,” River said.
She walked them out, locked the door, and laughed as she turned around.
“What a night, huh?” she said with a shrug.
“Oh, babe… You act like it’s over.”
Kennedy bent down, picked up the flesh-colored dildo, and held it out.
“Kennedy!”
“Meet me in the back,” Kennedy told her in a sing-song voice, and River ran after her.
EPILOGUE
“I think it’s done,” she said.
“You said that, like, a month ago,” Lacey noted, handing Cameron a beer. “And you sure you want this before we have to go?”
“I can’t help that I finally feel like it’s really done on the night we have a premiere to go to. I want to celebrate.”
Lacey chuckled and asked, “Do you actually mean it this time?”
“Yes,” she replied and wrapped an arm around Lacey’s shoulders. “Any regrets on letting me do this?”
“None.” Lacey kissed her on the cheek. “I love it.”
A year ago, they had bought their house on the beach. It wasn’t the same house they’d stayed in that fateful weekend, but it was built in a pretty similar way, at least, with the exposed downstairs toward the water and the front entry upstairs. Cameron and Lacey had managed to find it through a celebrity friend who lived in the neighborhood and had assured them that it was safe and private, which had been Cameron’s main concern. After triple-checking that it would work for them, she and Lacey had bought the place together, but they hadn’t moved in right away, needing to buy furniture and make some changes first.
Cameron had relished the opportunity to choose paint colors alongside her girlfriend and then to paint the wallswith Lacey, too. After they’d finished painting everything they’d wanted to tackle before moving in, they’d had the furniture they’d picked out arrive, and they’d gone about determining where things should go. When that had been done, the game room stuff had been their next focus, and since this house had an extra room downstairs, she and Lacey had decided to make it a small theater. Getting that set up had taken a while because they’d needed to hook up all the technology, soundproof it, and get the furniture, but when they’d finally been able to sit down and enjoy a movie in that room for the first time, Cameron had known the extra effort had been worth it.
The last big thing they’d wanted to tackle had been the game room itself. Cameron had built a wet bar, which she’d never done before. Tiling had been complicated, but she had figured it out, and Lacey had been there to help when she’d needed it. They’d painted that space, too, and then added an air hockey table, a pool table, and a dart board among a wall of shelves where they’d placed board games and books, and a sofa, a chair, and a TV had gone in the other corner in case they ever wanted to sit down there or watch something while they played.
Cameron had told Lacey several times that the space had been done. She hadn’t needed anything else. But then, she’d realized that the wood stain of the shelves hadn’t quite matched the rest of the space how she’d wanted it to, so she’d stained the wood herself. She’d also wanted posters on the walls, so she’d bought those. Then, she’d wanted to add something to the wet bar. Today, though, she’d told Lacey to come downstairs because it was finally done, and she knew it would be good for at least a little while, so she wanted to celebrate.
“Are you happy?” Lacey asked as she wrapped her arms around Cameron’s middle, holding on to her.
“Very,” she said. “I’ve got my girl. We’ve got our dream home. We’re going to a premiere for our friend tonight. I’m very happy.”
Cameron kissed the top of Lacey’s head.
“Maybe I shouldn’t go,” Lacey suggested.
“What? Why wouldn’t you go?”
Lacey held up her hand in explanation.
“I don’t get it, babe,” Cameron told her.
“It’s Kennedy’s night. It’s taken two years for this movie to come out.”
“That’s pretty normal, Lace.”
“Sure, but it’s her night. I don’t want to pull focus.”
“The ring’s notthatbig,” Cameron said. “You wouldn’t let me get you the big one.”
