I decide to find out for myself, pulling out my phone to text Parker.
Me: Did you guys have anything to do with this or is Santa behind it?
He responds instantly.
Parker: Glad you’re all home safe. Em and I helped as much as we could, but Dad was the mastermind. Didn’t want something there to add any stress to Brady’s space. It’s no biggie. Just family helping family.
These people really do love with everything they’ve got. I send Parker a very heartfelt thank you and relay the message to my brother, who is still silent.
“You okay?” I ask.
Brady’s voice is rough. “I’m good. Just realizing what I’ve got.”
Chase seems to know what he’s talking about more than me. “Turns out you didn’t need your Dad to get it done after all.”
Oh. No wonder he’s having a moment. “No, I didn’t.”
Tempting fate, I say, “Brady, I’m not sure you remember it, but he was downright nasty any time we tried to get his helpto do something. Even when he asked us to help him, it ended with him yelling. Alan didn’t even need your acknowledgement to do something for you that required tremendous effort. You’re perfect the way you are in this family. I am too. We’re better off, as hard as it can be to see it that way sometimes.”
He takes a deep, steadying breath. “We ended up where we should be, that’s for sure. I’ve got my little brother, my best friend, and a more valuable family than I thought was possible.”
“No ghosts of our past are here to bother us anymore,” I add.
Brady knocks his shoulder into mine. “Here’s to that, Eas.”
Chase and I don’t exactly rush leaving my brother’s house, but eventually, he kicks us out, insisting that he’s looking forward to his alone time. I find myself arm in arm with my love, walking up to our home for the first time in a long time. Him being the most extra human being on the planet, unlocks the door, swoops me up into his arms, and carries me over the threshold like we’re newlyweds.
I do not hate that image, come to think of it.
“Put me down, you weirdo,” I insist breathlessly between laughs.
“Not happening.” Internally, I preen. I’m so in love with him I don’t know how I’ll ever tell him enough. “I hope you don’t have anything planned because we’re not getting out of bed for days.”
“Oh. Definitely don’t put me down then. Carry on.”
He laughs, warm and free in my ear. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
After, when we’re so tangled together that we could pass for one person and I’m tracing the tattoos on his chest, he comes to a realization. “Have we even dated? We went and did the tourist stuff that one day when we went to the pop-up Blake gave us tickets to. Have we ever, like, actually gotten dressed up and gone out like normal people?”
I snigger before dissolving into full laughter. “Holy shit. We had near-death experiences before a proper first date.”
Chase gapes, like the realization has fried his brain. It probably has. “I—Wait. Can we fix that? Wanna go out with me?”
“Sure, my love. Let’s go out like normal people. We won’t even know what to do with ourselves and it’ll be great.”
Finally, he laughs too. “Any regrets about falling in love entirely backwards?”
I press my lips to his. “Not a single one. We can retrace our steps. We’ve got the time now.”
“Absolutely we do.”
All the time in the world, and I don’t plan on wasting a second of it.
EPILOGUE
CHASE- SIX MONTHS LATER
Ifind him sprawled out in the backyard on a blanket, working on his tan lines and some new sketch. My heart gives a heavy thump at the sight. Soaked in sunshine, the way he’s meant to be. His hair gleams and glitters, the bare skin of his back decorated by a scattering of freckles that I could trace with my eyes closed.
