"I will let you stay here, but there are going to be rules. I don't want to hear a word about you being an adult—consider those privileges revoked while you're under our roof," she snaps, my father, laying a hand over hers in quiet support.
"You will attend therapy. You will perform any household chores or yard work that I instruct you to do. You will go to church with me on Sundays. You will volunteer with me at the food pantry. You will shovel shit at theWilkins Stablesif needed. And you will do it with no complaints and a goddamn smile on your face.Do you understand me?"
"Yes, ma'am," I tell her respectfully, and she peers at me for a long moment before nodding. She stands and tosses her napkin onto the table.
"You're on dish duty," she calls over her shoulder as she walks to the kitchen. "Welcome home."
My dad is already up, laying a solid hand on my shoulder—not comfort, but not a threat.
"This is the start of your penance, Paul.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sophie
"So, what's going on here?"
Tonya asks, placing an unlit cigarette between her lips. She'd never light it inside the store, but it's a comfort thing for her. Thankfully, she's down to half a pack a day. Back during her heavy grieving months, she was burning through packs a day like it would cut her lifespan in half and get her back to Roxy sooner.
Grief is brutal, but losing a partner takes it to another level. I witnessed it firsthand with my mom and Tonya—the ways they coped when the pain was at its most intense, and then the ways they kept their love alive through routines and rituals shared with their partners. Mom and her meditation, the sunsets, the way she still speaks to my dad as if he's right next to her. Tonya and her sunrise joyrides on her bike —just like the ones she used to take, tearing down the backroads with her wife clinging to her happily.
That's important—finding healthy ways to feel closer to them and to keep going. Not moving on—you'll never really move on—but you do have to keep moving forward.
Her blunt question freezes me because IknowTonya and I understand what she's really asking. I clear my throat and finish tucking the last chair under the table. This book club meeting had been particularly exciting, with some life-changing news and joyful updates from the group.
Ever After Alwayshas never been just about the books. It's also about the people, where we could discuss life, celebrate our wins, and carry each other through our losses.
And today? Today, we celebrated somebigwins—
Bailey isfinallyengaged and is bouncing off the walls to plan her dream wedding extravaganza—pink everything, of course.
Atticus and Jane, if the hand-holding today is any indicator, seem to be steadily moving towardsomething.
Parker got promoted to Store Manager atGuitar City,long overdue.
April sold a custom blanket online for a couple of hundred bucks, a big contribution to her culinary school dreams.
Tonya's latest client was featured onInk Society'ssocial media page, and now she's got more bookings than she knows what to do with.
And Sophie and I...
My eyes can't help but find her—my sweet girl.My heart races every time I remind myself that she's mine. She’s crouched by the Romance section, giggling softly and playing with Plot. The gray beast is swatting at the feather toy in her hand, eyes focused and ears twitching. The sound of her laugh is like the gentle sound of rain on a quiet afternoon, so peaceful and soothing.
She's got the blue hat on today, the one with the daisy stitched on it by April, and she looks adorable and cozy in her matching blue college sweatshirt, a pair of black leggings, and those boots.
To me, it looks like she'shome.
Does she feel it, too? I hope to God she does.
"Yeah, that's what I mean," Tonya smirks, her tone knowing, watching me with narrowed eyes. "Look at thathead-over-ass-in-lovelook on your face."
"I'm no—"
"Yeah, you are. So, shut up."
Yeah, I am. So, I do.
I'm steadily falling in love with Sophie.
