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And my mom and her sister are having the best time living together. Mom doesn’t want to date and she’s still getting on her feet, but she’s finally free of a life that kept her down for way too long. It’s a different kind of happily ever after, but it’s the kind that has her smiling so much, the wrinkles around her eyes are more pronounced. But as she tells me all the time, she’s earned them. Every laugh line was hard fought.
It's everything I could have hoped she'd have. My aunt even found her a job at the local library coordinating the different activity groups that use the meeting rooms there. She helps them come up with events and makes sure there aren't any scheduling conflicts and even sits in on the weekly knitting group meeting. My mom doesn't knit, but she says those ladies know all the gossip that goes on in the town, so it's an easy way to get her bearings.
"You just like gossip," I teased her when she told me. "You want everybody's latest news."
"I love gossip," my mom admitted, her eyes shining as she joked. "I should have been more of a gossip before."
"You'll have to put in extra work and catch up," I joked.
Glasses raise in cheers at the table as Griffin’s mom tells everyone to dig in. My mother sits across from me at the table, her eyebrows raised in excitement as she tells something to Griffin’s mom in a hushed voice and the two of them laugh. They’ve become such good friends. Between us, we have three towns to catch each other up on. I don't think anybody's going to miss out on good old-fashioned gossip at this meal.
I twirl my fork, not paying attention to my dinner, but trying to get caught up in the story my mom's telling to Griffin's mom, who laughs her way through it.
Griffin gently nudges me with his elbow. "Hey."
"Hey," I say back, matching his down-low tone. He's got a forkful of potatoes, and he's grinning at me. "Is everything okay?" I ask when he doesn’t say anything else.
"I don't know, is it? You haven't started eating."
A smile pulls my lips up. "I'm just taking it all in." And that’s the truth. There’s no pretending anymore with us.
Griffin puts his fork down, and my face gets red as he looks me up and down, taking his time to apparently memorize my dark green velvet dress.
"You're staring," I whisper. "If you keep doing that, you're going to get caught." My cheeks heat from the rise of my blush. This man still gets to me. He always will. I love him more than I knew I was capable of loving.
"Then the entire town would know how much I like staring at you."
I let out a laugh at his joke, the entire town already knows that. "Is that all you like?" I give him a look. "Staring at me?"
"And touching you," he says, running his fingers along the outside of my arm, causing goosebumps in the wake of his touch. My smile widens as he adds, "And kissing you. I wouldn't mind?—"
"Hey!"
He cuts himself off, laughing.
I tell him, "You can't be dirty at the dinner table." All flushed and flustered, I tuck my hair behind my ear and peek up at our mothers, neither of them seem to be watching. Thank goodness.
"You shouldn't look so hot at the table, then,” he says. Shrugging, he adds, “I can't be blamed."
I pick up my fork again, the smile stuck on my face. I couldn't stop it if I tried. I'm too happy. I remember back to before that first kiss and murmur the nostalgia, "You used to look at me the same way in the bar."
"I used to feel the same way about you in the bar."
"I used to feel the same way too," I admit, although he already knows. I think our souls loved each other before we ever kissed. But when our lips touched, it lit everything on fire that made us what we are. He was always my person. Always. I've told him that many times before, but Griffin grins. He never gets tired of hearing it.
"So," he says, after we've both been quiet for a few minutes, concentrating on our food. It’s freaking delicious. His mother knows how to express her love in constant texts and warm food. "Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?"
"Of course I did. You shouldn't have gotten me so many presents. You're going to make everybody else jealous."
"Like who, Mags? I happen to know Brody got Bridget and Braden a truck full of gifts. I bet it was more toys than they have at the North Pole."
"Just…" I say with a shrug. "You spoil me." I knew Griffin wanted some machine for his gym, so I got him that. He’s hard to buy for in general, and that piece of equipment was pricey, but I saved up half the year and surprised him with it. I thought I would be the one to overspend on Christmas, but oh, no, Griffin went all out. Sometimes I still think I don’t deserve him, but I promise to love him through everything forever and ever and he says that’s more than enough. It’s all he wants. I can give him that. I can love this man until the day I die. I think even if he left me, I’d still have done that. He’s my soulmate. I didn’t believe in them or true love until I met him. But he made me believe and he says I made him believe in it, too.
"I gave you what you deserved. But...there is one more thing."
"Griffin!" I scold. "You can't give me anything else. You already gave me too much. I'm going to spend the rest of the year trying to find ways to make up for it."
"How about this," he says. "How about instead, you spend the rest of the year being my fiancé?"
