Page 110 of Meant to be Mine

And nothing else mattered.

36

KENSEY

Ifelt Tiana’s arms wrap around me before I even registered she was moving. The hug was tight, maternal in a way that made fresh tears spring to my eyes. I’d known Tiana for more than half my life. She’d attended a few of my high school events and sat right alongside my parents like it was normal. But this felt different. This felt like she was welcoming me into the family in an official capacity.

“I’m so happy for you both,” she whispered against my hair. “I’ve been hoping for this since you two were teenagers.”

I pulled back, wiping at my eyes. “Really?”

“Oh, yes, everyone knew. Everyone except you two, apparently.” She laughed, her hands cupping my face. “Drew looks at you like you hung the moon. He always has. I’m just glad he finally told you.”

“It took us both a while to understand these feelings.”

“I know you’ll be good to each other. You already have been for years.”

My own mother appeared next, practically shoving Tiana aside in her eagerness to get to me for round two. I found myself passed between the two women like a beloved object, both of them crying and laughing at the same time.

“My baby’s coming home,” Mom said, her voice thick with emotion. “You’re really staying?”

“I’m really staying.” Saying it out loud made it feel more real.

Dad pulled me away from Mom and wrapped me in one of his signature bear hugs. “I’m proud of you, sweetheart,” he murmured. “For following your heart.”

“Thanks, Dad.” I squeezed him back, breathing in his familiar aftershave.

When I finally extracted myself from my parents, I noticed Mom’s cast was covered in signatures I didn’t remember seeing before. I grabbed her arm, turning it to get a better look.

“Mom, who signed your cast?”

She grinned, clearly delighted I’d noticed. “Oh, you know, just some people I met today.” She pointed to a large, swooping signature near her wrist. “That’s Jack Montana. He does those action movies. Lovely man. And this one here is from that director friend of Tiana’s.”

“You’ve been collecting celebrity autographs on your cast?”

“It’s not every day you get the opportunity.” She looked completely unrepentant. “Besides, it makes the whole broken arm thing feel more worthwhile.”

I shook my head, laughing despite myself.

The crowd around us gradually dispersed as people returned to the event. But the core group—the LA Blackwells and their partners—gravitated toward one of the larger seating areas we’d set up near the food trucks. Someone had claimed an entire section of tables, pushing them together to create one long surface.

Drew kept his hand in mine as we walked over. Callum and Victoria had already settled in, along with Cleo. Hollis and Micah appeared moments later, arms loaded with plates of food from various trucks.

“Got tacos, got barbecue, got some kind of fancy grilled cheese situation,” Hollis announced, setting everything down in the center of the table. “It’s not what I would call healthy, but it’s a celebration.”

“I have drinks.” Micah deposited an assortment of bottles—craft beer, sparkling water, and what looked like more green smoothies. “Dig in, people. We earned this.”

Beau and Jeremy, Drew’s other brothers, joined us, squeezing in at the end of the table. The whole group was there, the siblings and their partners, all of us crammed together in the middle of the sidewalk sale we’d worked so hard to pull off.

I grabbed a taco and settled into the chair Drew had pulled out for me. He sat beside me, so close our thighs pressed together. His hand found mine again under the table, fingers lacing together like he couldn’t stand not touching me.

“So,” Callum said. “You’re really stepping down?”

“I am,” Drew confirmed. “Edith’s taking over. She’ll do a better job than I ever could. I’ll still be involved with the family business, just in a different capacity. Something I can do remotely when needed.”

Victoria leaned forward, her eyes bright with interest. “What does that mean for you two? Are you staying in LA or what?”

I glanced at Drew, then back at Victoria. “I’m staying. I’ll be looking for teaching positions here. There are some really good schools in the area.”