"Are your brothers coming?" Ayla asked Hudson for the hundredth time.
"They wouldn't miss it."
"I can't wait to show them my favorite books," Ayla said, slipping into her jacket.
Hudson held mine for me, and when he slid it over my shoulders, he dropped a kiss just below my ear. He enjoyed finding ways to sneak a kiss or a touch when Ayla wasn't watching.
Affection from a partner was new for me, and I loved it.
In the truck, Hudson put on a popular song, and Ayla sang the lyrics from the backseat. "I still can't believe that we're together. That everything worked out. When Bill put that picture on the projector?—"
"You thought we were done."
He looked over at me. "There was no way you'd ever forgive me."
"You had good intentions though. Who would have thought that Bill would go to those lengths to hurt me?"
He leaned over and took my hand, threading our fingers together. "I'm forever grateful to have you in my life."
I squeezed his hand. "Me too."
He parked in the lot behind the Mistletoe Inn, and we walked together toward the bookstore. There were balloons tied to the sign that hung over the sidewalk, and a band played on the corner where the patio would be installed.
We paused for a second to listen before Ayla urged us to go inside. Her eyes lit up when she saw Morgan and Maverick.
"Come on." She grabbed their hands and tugged them toward the children's section.
I exchanged an amused smile with Hudson. His brothers had become really important to Ayla. She wasn't used to having a lot of male role models around, and now she had them.
There were hearts hanging from the ceiling and posters with messages of love on the walls.
A vendor was handing out mocktails with a mix of chocolate and strawberry flavors. I sipped mine, content to walk around the store.
Reina was serving mini cupcakes by the front counter, and Meg, hot chocolate in to-go cups.
We paused at the Valentine's Day display of panties and blind dates with a book. I snapped a picture and captioned it before posting to the shop's social-media pages. Then I tagged Belle.
"I'm so glad you came." Clara approached us and hugged me.
"We're excited to be here," I said as she pulled away.
"I was worried you'd want to hide away?—"
I shook my head. "I'm not going to let Bill affect my life. What he did is on him."
Clara grinned. "You go, girl. He's not worth a second of your time."
Belle came over to us. "I'm so glad you’re here. It wouldn't be an event without you guys."
"We support each other. No matter what," I said to them.
We tried to get together on Wednesdays to talk, commiserate, and troubleshoot any business and personal issues. It had become a sacred time for me.
Eve approached, and my stomach sunk.
I'd hoped to avoid dealing with Bill or the lease tonight. The party was supposed to be about Belle and her success.
Eve looked at me. "Can we talk for a minute?"
