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“At least.”
He pulls me into his wet arms, and I scream a little at the shock of the cold on me, then I laugh.
“Welcome home, baby.”
Fifteen
Ethan - Three Months Later
I stand under an arch of flowers in our backyard waiting for my bride. She’s been a little under the weather with morning sickness, so I hope she can make it through today. Will stands in front of me with the rings tied to a pillow. Before me are our family and friends, as well as most of my teammates and the coaching staff.
A string quartet plays while Jess walks up the aisle, a white carpet runner that we placed over the grass. Flower pots overflow all around the yard, and it's a perfect sunny day—not too hot for our guests.
Jess's mother is sitting in the front row, looking shell-shocked, which pleases me more than it should probably. Her eyes have been the size of saucers since she saw where her daughter lives now. She's been sucking up to both of us, and I think it's good for Jess to have her mom treat her decently for once, even if it is because she wants a handout. I'll gladly give her one if it gets her out of here.
My parents grin up at me, then turn to watch Jess. They've had a few months to get over the shock of finding out they have a grandson. They've been wonderful about the whole thing, very supportive of both Jess and I. They rushed to Arizona immediately to meet their grandson and have been spoiling him rotten ever since. They even offered to stay with him while we go on our honeymoon, but we're holding off until football season is over and Jess is feeling better. It's enough for now that we're making it official.
When she gets to the front of the aisle, I reach out with both hands and pull her in for a kiss. The minister chuckles and says, “We haven’t gotten to that part yet, Ethan. Although you two don’t seem to do things in order anyway.”
The crowd laughs, and we join them, then I press my forehead to hers and whisper, "You look beautiful. Are you ready for this?"
“I’ve been ready since the day I met you.”
“Good, because I’m never going to let you go. This is the start of our forever,” I say, keeping my voice low so only she can hear.
She smiles up at me. “Then let’s get started.”
Epilogue
Jess - Five Years Later
“Okay, guys, we made it!” I turn to the back rows of the rental SUV and smile at our three children. Will, who turned six last month, Henry, who’s five, and Becca, who is just about two.
The kids cheer, happy to be back in Cape Williams, where we spend the summers. We don't have to rent a cottage because we bought one a few years ago—a five-bedroom clapboard right on the ocean. Ethan's parents and brother meet us here every summer, and we see my family as well. Carla got married to a nice fireman named Joel, and they had two more boys, so Ben has two little brothers to play with. My mom finally met Mr. Right, as well, a widower who moved to town two years ago. He's certainly done something to her because she's a changed woman. She even apologized for being so harsh all those years.
Ethan reaches over and takes my hand and pulls it to his lips. “You happy to be home, Jess?”
“My home is wherever you and those three monkeys are,” I say, smiling up at him.
He puts my hand on his lap as we slowly pass through the town. It’s a hot, early summer day, and I can see the entire place is coming to life again. A new beginning filled with excitement.
That evening, after we've unpacked and gotten the kids to bed, we're snuggled up on our round outdoor daybed which sits on the covered veranda. We sip wine, listen to the surf come in, and talk about life, about the kids, about nothing and everything. We're still so in love, and I know that there's so much more to come for us. There will be some storms, yes, but we'll weather them together.
“Oh, Carla said she’d take the kids for a sleepover tomorrow night,” I say, setting down my empty wine glass on the side table.
"Carla's my favorite sister-in-law," Ethan says, nuzzling my ear.
"She's your only sister-in-law. Well, until Teddy and Andrea get married."
“She’ll still be my favorite. She likes having our kids over.”
I laugh a little, then say, “Oh! We should take a walk to the secret park tomorrow night.”
Ethan raises one eyebrow. “And what exactly would you want to do if we went there?”
“Oh, you know, fool around a little.”
“I don’t know. I think you’re going to have to show me what you had in mind.”
