“Yes, I do,” I interrupted, turning to face her fully. “Because I’ve spent years making decisions based on what I thought I should want instead of what actually made me happy, and I’m tired of letting fear make my choices for me.”
The room went completely quiet, and I was suddenly aware that I had the focused attention of four people who were deeply invested in whatever I was about to say.
“Holly,” I continued, taking her hands in mine, “I know this is complicated. I know we both have decisions to make about our careers and our futures. But I need you to know that you’re the reason I want to stay in Everdale Falls. You’re the reason I’m finally brave enough to choose happiness over security.”
“Declan,” Holly whispered, her eyes filling with tears again.
“I don’t care if you want to go back to Chicago,” I said, the words tumbling out faster than I could really think them through. “I’ll come with you. I’ll figure out how to practice law in Illinois, or I’ll find something else to do, or I’ll become a professional festival coordinator if that’s what it takes. Because losing you would be worse than losing any career.”
The silence that followed my declaration was broken by what sounded suspiciously like sniffling from the parental gallery, though when I glanced over, all four adults were trying to look like they definitely weren’t crying over romantic declarations in their living room.
“You’d move to Chicago,” Holly said slowly, like she was testing the concept for plausibility. “For me.”
“I’d move anywhere for you,” I said, realizing as I said it that it was completely true. “Because somewhere along the way,you stopped being Matt’s little sister or my festival coordination partner and became the person I can’t imagine living without.”
“Oh, Declan,” Holly said, and then she was kissing me, right there in front of both sets of parents, with the kind of desperate intensity that suggested she’d been waiting to hear those words for longer than either of us had realized.
When we finally broke apart, I was vaguely aware that our audience was beaming at us with obvious satisfaction, like they’d personally orchestrated our romantic revelation through the power of strategic parental interference.
“So,” Dad said cheerfully, “should we start planning the wedding, or are you two going to make us wait until after New Year’s?”
“Dad,” I said, though I was grinning as I said it, “maybe let us figure out which state we’re going to be living in first.”
“Details,” Mom said dismissively. “The important thing is that you’re finally admitting you’re perfect for each other.”
As both sets of parents launched into enthusiastic discussion of our romantic future, Holly and I looked at each other with mutual amazement at how quickly our private conversation had become a family celebration.
But as I watched her smile, I realized that maybe having an audience for life-altering declarations wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
Especially when the declaration was that I was ready to follow her anywhere, even if anywhere turned out to be Chicago.
Some love stories were worth rearranging your entire life for, even if that life rearrangement happened in front of your parents while they planned your hypothetical wedding.
Thirty-Two
HOLLY
Reciprocation
I was standingin Declan’s parents’ living room, having just been kissed senseless in front of both sets of our parents, trying to process the fact that the man I’d been falling in love with had just offered to move to Chicago for me while I’d been planning to cancel my interview to stay in Vermont for him.
“You’d really move to Chicago?” I asked, still trying to wrap my head around his declaration. “You’d give up New York, Vermont, and your family, and this community?”
“I’d give up anything for you,” Declan said simply, and the way he said it made my heart flutter like a caffeinated hummingbird. “Because none of it means anything if you’re not part of it.”
Around us, our parents were engaging in what appeared to be enthusiastic wedding planning disguised as casual conversation, but all I could focus on was Declan’s face and the realization that he’d just upended his entire life plan for me. The same way I’d been preparing to upend mine for him.
“Declan,” I said, trying to figure out how to explain the various ironies currently making my life feel like a romantic comedy written by someone with a highly developed sense of dramatic timing, “I have an interview for a great job in Chicago tomorrow. A video call.”
He blinked but didn’t say anything as he processed that.
“I’m not doing it,” I said, the words coming out in a rush of relief and certainty. “I was going to call them tomorrow morning and cancel. I’ve been trying to work up the courage to tell you that I don’t want to leave Everdale Falls. I don’t want to leave you.”
Declan stared at me like I’d just announced my intention to take up professional ice dancing or become a circus performer.
“You’re not going back to Chicago,” he repeated slowly, like he was testing the words for accuracy.
“I’m not going back to Chicago,” I confirmed. “I was going to tell you tonight that I want to stay here, with you, if you want that. And if you were going to go back to New York, I was going to tell you that I’d move there with you.”
