“Oh, sweetie, the only thing you can trust is romance, don’t you know that?” Drew says with a wink.
Hutch suddenly grabs my waist and dips me back. I giggle as I look up at him.
“I agree with that. We can definitely trust the romance,” he says as he presses his lips to mine. My friends’ hooting, hollering, and clapping disappear as I focus on Hutch. I never in a million years thought I’d be dating a cinnamon roll, ex-football-player softy with a penchant for wayward wild animals of the raccoon variety. But here I am, and I can’t imagine being any happier.
“Is this OK for the happily ever after?” he asks.
“Yeah, I think this will work,” I tease as I lean up and kiss my favorite main character of all time.
EPILOGUE
Hutch
I slide into my seat at happy hour and pull Jocelyn onto my lap. Al is already passing us our drinks as several neighbors make their way to the bar.
Tonight’s happy hour is different. It’s Jocelyn’s graduation party. We all just watched my girl get her graduate degree, and I couldn’t be prouder.
Aside from all our neighbors, her mom, dad, and sister are here, and so is my family. They just met a week ago out at the cottage. I installed a covered dining patio so we could enjoy the outdoors even more this summer.
I can hear our dads talking about a baseball game they both watched last week. And our moms are exchanging recipes. Even our siblings are here and chatting about a new band they all like. I smile as I look at Ally and Bryson. I’ve spoken with each of them separately. My brother took some time to come around and trust me again. He was hurt, just as I was. But we’re mending the fences of our relationship, slowly but steadily.
For now, we’ve decided to stay in my apartment. Maybe someday, we’ll move out, but until Jocelyn figures out what she wants to do, living here is perfect. She even gets together with her dad once a week for lunch. They are forging a new relationship. I know it will take time for them to work through everything, but they are off to a good start.
As for me, I’ve been going to therapy every week and working on my trauma from the accident. I feel closer to my family than I ever have. My siblings have even come over a few times for dinner. It’s not all perfect, but it’s way better than it’s been in years.
I’ve been working on trying to be more present with my football friends as well. I made a promise to see Farley play for his new team next season, and for now, I’m feeling like I can keep that promise. With Jocelyn at my side, I feel stronger and more settled for the first time in a long time.
“No flower mystery solving tonight?” Jocelyn teases as I grab my beer.
“You know what? I don’t think I’m going to look anymore,” I announce.
She gives me a curious look. “At all?”
“Oh, come on. We just installed those new motion cameras,” Kasen groans. “That shit is expensive.”
“Mr. Kasen!” Ava scolds as she points to the swear jar.
Kasen sighs and drops five dollars in it.
“Fine, maybe I’ll look occasionally. I just don’t feel the need to do it every day,” I clarify.
Kasen nods as if satisfied.
Bray shifts Ava on his lap as Carly walks over to him, a frown on her face.
“What’s up?” he asks.
“Hey, sweetie, Miss Jocelyn’s mom wants you to try her new peanut butter bars,” she says as she points to a table of food.
Ava grins and runs over to it, chatting with every adult who showers her with attention.
“What’s wrong?” Bray asks, a look of concern etching his features.
“Ava’s summer camp just got cancelled,” she says. Carly teaches, but in the summer she works at a local tutoring center to earn extra money.
Bray places his hand on hers. “I can help. I’ll just make sure I have night shift,” he says.
She frowns. “You have to sleep,” she says.
