She’d begged me to donate money to the sponsored shelter and wouldn’t stop tearing up until I’d made the call. I didn’t mind doing it; Relentless had done some charity work for national shelters in the past.
I just hate seeing my daughter cry and told myself when I got a dog in the future, it’d be one who needed a home.
The three of them settle into the living room, chatting up Will who’s trying to help Ollie out of Addy’s dress. Even though Ollie wanted it off, he wasn’t making it easy for Will, squirming too much for Will to slide it away from his legs.
Dylan and Ashton arrive next, Ashton’s stomach protruding from the pink sweater she’s wearing. Once the media got ahold of her pregnancy, they’d had a field day making comments about her weight gain. Ashton had mentioned that her stomach had been twice the size as most people’s during the first trimester, and it was no different now.
The two had been hoping for a little boy and made sure that they Skyped everybody at the same time to announce the gender of their baby as soon as they found out.
Little did we know that they’d also be announcing they weren’t having one baby, but two. Dylan Hilton was having twins.
Twin girls, no less.
That made Addy especially happy, but I saw the absolute terror in Dylan’s eyes. Not because he wasn’t happy, I knew both he and Ashton would have been happy no matter what they were having. I think he just realized all the ways he treated girls in the past, and knew he’d have to be the one to protect his little ones from here on out.
But everyone knew he’d be an amazing dad. They both would make great parents. Ash already rescheduled her tour, making sure that she didn’t do too much to jeopardize her health or their little girls.
Noah, Opal, and Kennedy arrive shortly after, joining the rest of the people crowding the living room. I shake Noah’s hand, kiss Opal’s cheek, and pull Kennedy into my side.
“Sorry I’m late,” she whispers, nuzzling her cheek into my shoulder.
My lips press against her head, smiling into her hair. “It’s all right. You only missed Addy dressing Will’s cat in a princess gown.”
She gasps, pulling away. “I always miss the good stuff.” Her bottom lip pokes out in the most adorable pout.
I wiggle my eyebrows at her. “I’d like to think you don’t miss the true good stuff.” I playfully flex my biceps, causing her to swat my arm and laugh.
We went on our first date the day after Christmas. Ever since, we’ve taken things slow. I started noticing things about her I hadn’t before. The way her eyes really do turn emerald when she’s happy, and how they darken into a golden brown if she is upset. How her brow twitches if she gets irritated over something, or how she worries her lip when she’s anxious.
Kennedy became exactly what I needed, and our dynamic barely changed. We’d just become more familiar with what the other needed, our perception changing in the moments they had to.
It was like giving Opal that letter opened a piece of me that could invite somebody else in. Hell, I’d almost thrown that letter away shortly after I wrote it, because I didn’t think it was worth sending.
But it was. It was what I needed. What we both needed. Closure.
Because I’d waited for Opal all those years to prove she could trust me, not for any other reason. I’d just tricked myself into believing it was for something else—for us. I made myself believe that we were infinite, eternal.
Maybe our friendship was, our history certainly would be one for the books, but us as a couple? We weren’t right for each other, we were just all the other knew from a very young age.
And now Opal is getting the ending she deserves—the family she’s always wanted. When Addison broke the news that Opal is expecting, I was genuinely happy for her. Noah seems over the moon about a baby, and Opal is glowing over their growing family. Knowing that she’s truly happy makes me happy, too.
Everybody is so caught up with catching up, Addy and Taylor playing in the corner, Kasey fussing over Opal’s and Ash’s stomachs, and Will holding a squirming Ollie, that we don’t hear Tessa come in.
“Shit,” Will curses, bolting up.
“Language,” Ian scolds, glancing at the girls.
Will flushes. “My bad.”
Tessa looks around. “What’s going on?”
Everyone makes room for Will as he walks over to her, Ollie finally settling in his arms as soon as he sees his human is back and stops just in front of her.
The room falls silent.
“Tessa,” Will whispers, reaching out for her hand. “There’s something that I’ve been meaning to ask you, and I figured the perfect time would be in front of our family.”
Tessa’s eyes grow big, like she knows what’s coming. I’m sure she does—the town has been buzzing about this inevitable engagement since the bet was placed last year. A lot of people lost out, expecting Will to propose over the holidays.
Will gets down on one knee and holds up Ollie. He yowls, causing the room to snicker.
“Um, you’re giving me a cat?” she doubts, voice shaky.
Will sighs. “Look at the collar, Tess.”
Her eyes drift to the black and yellow collar around his neck. “Aw! You got him a Batman one! And here I thought you’d get Superman like you always threatened.”
“That’s because Superman is way—” He stops himself. “You know what, that isn’t the point. Look at what’s attached to the collar.”
Tessa’s eyes search but seem to come up empty. “Um, babe? There’s nothing there.”
Will sucks in a breath, quickly searching Ollie.
I cringe, knowing it probably had to do with Addy dressing him up, which means there’s a ring around here somewhere.
Will stands up, placing the cat down and searching the floors frantically. He looks ten times more panicked than he did when he realized Ollie was missing.
“I’m sorry, man,” I apologize quickly, knowing it’s on me for not keeping a better eye on my daughter.
Everybody starts searching for the lost ring, even Tessa. If Will didn’t look like he was ready to pass out, I would have laughed. Leave a perfectly planned proposal to go wrong, causing a sweet sentiment to be left with people searching every inch of my house.
After about ten minutes, Tessa’s gasp fills the room. Everyone turns to her as she picks up a gold ring, staring at it with a hand covering her mouth.
I smile.
Will walks over to her, resting his forehead on hers. “I know the moment is kind of shot by now, but will you marry me?”
Tessa laughs. “Only if you agree to have a Batman themed wedding.”
Will groans, but nods. “Anything you want.”
He slides the ring on her finger, and everyone breaks out into cheers. Ian and I both clap his shoulder, congratulating him. Opal, Ash, Kennedy, and Kasey all examine the ring, breaking out into a fit of giggles.
Kasey nudges Kennedy. “You’re next,” she jokes.
Kennedy’s eyes meet mine. When she sees I’m not petrified of the idea, her expression softens.
“Maybe someday,” she agrees quietly.
I reach out and squeeze her hand.
Someday will come sooner than she thinks.
I’m going to make this short and sweet, because writing this book took everything out of me. In the best way possible, of course.
To my betas, my editor, my cover designer, my interior formatter, THANK YOU! Thank you for making my baby what it is—for bringing these characters to life.
Kellen! You have been my biggest supporter, and I cannot thank you enough for everything you do for me. You’re always there to listen to me rant about my stories, characters, and possible plots, and you’re an amazing beta reader! Without you, there would be no Noah and Opal baby! (DA BABY!)
My Fab Four ladies, you entertain me on the days that I truly need it! Thank you for making me laugh and accepting weirdness. You could have disowned me by now, but for some reason you keep me. Love
you!
Thank you to my readers for continuing to purchase, read, and review my books! Without you I wouldn’t be able to publish new novels. This is my dream job, and you guys let me live it daily.
Barbara C. Doyle grew up in small town USA where she still resides with her four-legged feline.
Her journey started at the young age of fourteen, and continued as she pursued a bachelors degree in English. She believes that the written word is best used as a mode to escape into a different reality, thus the birth of her novels.
When not writing new worlds, you can find her binge-watching Netflix, reading, attempting (and usually failing) to cook, and hanging out with her fur baby.
Facebook reader group: http://tinyurl.com/BarbarasBookNerds
Website:
Www.barbaracdoyle.com
The Choices We Make Page 30
