“Well, too bad for you,” Eliza said, not sounding sad at all. “More for the rest of us, then.”
Charlie said, “What about you, Will? You okay with Ada and me? It doesn’t matter if you’re not, but now’s the time to say something.”
Will had slunk back in the chair again so his head rested on the back. He’d already closed his eyes, but he managed a drowsy, “Ada, no matter what happens, you’re not allowed to quit. And Charlie, don’t be an asshole.”
Charlie laughed. “You know, if I marry her, she’ll be tied to the bar forever.”
Eliza and I shared a bug-eyed look, but Will just stuck his pointer finger in the air, kept his eyes closed, and mumbled, “That’s a great idea. Do that.”
The rest of the night was all celebration and laughter and fun. Jonah followed through with great champagne, and he and Eliza hung out at the bar while Charlie and I managed everything, and Will and Eloise slept in the office.
Hours later, after Charlie and I had closed everything down and turned off the lights, I grabbed his hand and led him back to the loft. My heart was so big and so full and so bursting with happiness, I hardly recognized it.
Was this really my life?
Had I really filled it with people I love and a man I adored and a job I was passionate about? Had I really healed from past pain and forgiven Charlie and learned how to be a better, more whole version of myself?
Did this great big smile really belong to me?
Charlie pulled me into his arms the second the loft door closed behind us. We stood there hugging each other while moonlight spilled in through the tall windows and the refrigerator hummed hello.
“I love you, Ada Kelly,” he said against my mouth.
And even now, after I’d said it so many times, I still marveled in the promise of, “I love you too, Charlie English. Forever.”
epilogue
Six Months Later...
“She’s fucking beautiful.”The high praise came from Will. And he was not talking about his new bride of three months or his wiggly daughter who was home with Grandma tonight. Nor was he talking about his engaged sister who was set to be married in nine months. Nor was he talking about me—although I deserved most of the credit.
Or at leastsomeof the credit.
No, Will had set his eyes on the brand-new, second location of Craft Cocktails and Beer. He’d been busy lately with his new baby, recent wedding, honeymoon, and travel commitments as Lola tried to breastfeed a growing human, help Will grow the Durham bar empire he was set on, and help her family run their very successful, very time-consuming multimillion-dollar business.
Eliza too had been off planning her wedding, helping Jonah grow his liquor rep business, and trying to hide that she was in the early stages of pregnancy. But the girl couldn’t keep water down at this point, so I wasn’t sure who she was trying to hide it from.
Charlie and I had been left to do most of the grunt work. And managed to keep the original location thriving. Not that we minded the autonomy or workload. Maybe the other couples could have handled both responsibilities by themselves, but I doubted they would have been as seamless and efficient as we were.
It was a teensy bit ironic that Charlie was now the hardest working Craft sibling of the three. He woke up early, he got to work, and he did the damn thing. Every single day. Even when the bar was closed, Charlie still hustled to make it as successful as possible.
I mean, did he have me to thank for his success? Maybe not. Maybe he’d already been doing the work on his own. But I would never tell him that.
Besides, we were better together. Which was so natural and obvious yet somehow still surprising too.
Like a gift I got to open every single day.
He linked our hands together and tugged me toward the bar. Tonight, we were opening the second location doors for the first time and hosting an intimate gathering. The real soft opening was slated for next weekend, but this evening, we were gathering our closest friends and breaking in the taps, opening the good booze, and celebrating success, friendship, and the love of family.
“Isn’t she?” I said to Will as I slid onto a barstool while Charlie moved to his favorite spot—behind the bar.
“She’s fucking expensive too,” Charlie grumbled. “She better make a lot of money.”
“She will. Of course she will. She’s got us behind the wheel, doesn’t she?” Eliza sat down next to me, her face tinged green beneath her expertly applied makeup that did nothing to hide how sick she felt. “Can I just have a tonic with lime?” she rasped doing her best not to gag. “I think I’m coming down with something.”
Jonah took a seat on the other side of her doing his best not to hide the fact that he was totally freaking out about the pregnancy. He was the one who wanted a baby close in age to Will and Lola’s little girl—Eliza had told me. But parenthood was no joke. And poor Jonah didn’t know what to do with Eliza. Especially since she was apparently insisting on keeping it a secret.
“Good thing what you have isn’t contagious,” I murmured beneath my breath.
