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“Chloe, here, in the place where I first felt hopeful that you’d see me as more, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Tears flowed down her face, and she dropped to her knees, joining me on the theater floor.
“Yes,” she shouted happily. “Yes, yes, yes!”
Epilogue – Chloe
I walked through my new kitchen, running a hand lovingly over the marble countertops as I took in the double oven, large freezer on the bottom refrigerator, and the cute, retro décor.
I absolutely loved my new kitchen.
At first, I thought Reardon was crazy when he suggested we just go for it, sell both of our houses and buy the big one they were building in the neighborhood. But, when he reasoned that we’d want something bigger eventually anyway, and if we packed up and moved both houses now, rather than one of us moving now, then moving again in a couple years, I had to admit he made sense.
I rested my hand on my large round belly, and promised our unborn son that Mommy and Daddy would get married before his first birthday. I’d always dreamed of having a simple, yet stylish wedding, but even more, I’d always dreamed of the dress. Call me vain, but I didn’t want to walk down the aisle big and pregnant. I wanted the time to plan, and get my pre-baby body back.
Reardon had agreed.
So, although we were technically living in sin, we were extremely happy and currently planning the wedding of our dreams, while prepping for the new addition to our family.
“Grill’s all set,” Reardon said, his arms coming around to cradle my belly as he pressed his lips to the base of my neck. “Once they start arriving, I’ll start cooking.”
“Okay, babe,” I replied, leaning back in to his arms. “I’m all prepped here too.”
We were having a housewarming party. Our first party together, and I was really excited. I couldn’t wait to have the whole family together under our roof. It felt like a rite of passage, validation that I was finally part of an honest-to-goodness family.
Not just me, Zoey, and Chris, which had been wonderful over the years, but st
ill not as amazing as having an extended family like the Lewis’s.
The doorbell rang and my house quickly filled with friends and family.
Chris, Gabe, Reardon, and Dillon were out on the patio, manning the grill and swapping manly stories.
The elder Lewis’, Robert, Jenny, Annabeth and Zeke, along with Serena, Jazzy, and Dillon’s parents, all sat in the sunken living room, laughing as they passed around little Evie.
Jazzy, Rena, and Laurel were all in the kitchen with Zoey and me. Jazzy and Rena were finishing up the twice-baked potatoes, while Zoey make buffalo chicken dip and I put the finishing touches on our mother’s version of a noodle casserole.
I was turning to open the spice cabinet when I noticed Laurel staring out the window. I followed her eyes to see Dillon bent over laughing at something Gabe had just said.
I moved closer and lowered my voice so no one else would hear.
“Have you talked to him?”
Laurel startled, then shook her head when she realized it was me.
“Well, he’s been helping you with the business plan, right? Maybe you could broach the subject…”
“He acts like I’m still in pigtails,” Laurel complained. “He’ll never see me as anything other than a little sister.”
“Maybe you need to show him that you aren’t a little girl anymore. Slap him in the face with it,” I suggested.
“How do you mean?” she asked, glancing quickly over her shoulder to make sure everyone was still far enough away.
“You always look great, classy,” I said, taking in her sweet shorts and tank set. “But to get his attention, you’re going to have to shake it up. Shake him up … Make sure the next time he sees you, he has no choice but to see the woman you’ve become.”
“I don’t know,” Laurel said, worrying her lip between her teeth.
“Just think about it,” I said, then grinned. “And call me if you decide to do it, I’d love to help sex you up.”
