“Mom, over here!” I shout.
Through the throngs of people, I see Weston’s golden head bobbing through the crowd, guiding my mother toward me. Apparently he has no problem locating me. Like it’s a sixth senseof his, he beelines right for me, my mother’s arm linked through his.
“Here you are, Billie,” he tells my mom, kissing the top of my head. “Delivered you to your daughter, safe and sound”
My mom insisted on him calling her by her first name, and it’s beyond adorable how they get along. Hopefully his mom gets here soon and the women can hang out together during the celebration. They’ve been getting along so well, Mom seems to be adjusting to her new life faster than I did.
“This is quite something, isn’t it?” she says, eyes aglow with excitement I can’t remember seeing on her since I was a child. “That sister-in-law of yours really put on a heck of a celebration,” she says to West, and he smiles at her kindly.
“She sure does.”
He shoots me a meaningful wink.
Rory’s been working on us, trying to convince us to let her plan our wedding. We’re not even engaged, but that’s not stopping her from trying to start planning.
With the New Heights project winding down, she’ll mostly be practicing corporate law again, with the reduced workload on the commission front. Rory’s been very adamant that she will have time for an event of “this magnitude,” as she keeps saying.
If he asked, I’d marry him in the woods tomorrow, with just the fireflies and our family as the witnesses, but she says Weston’s waited so long to marry me that he deserves an affair to remember.
I argued that he’s only known me for five months, he hasn’t waited long at all by most people’s standards.
She said it’s been closer to twenty years he’s been waiting and that shut me right up.
Maybe once we’re back from our trip to Maine and Rhode Island she’ll finally get me. That’s if he proposes.
Lexi walks through the crowd near us, and I fail to get her attention too.
“Lex!” West has to yell so loud she can’t possibly miss it and her head jerks up.
We wave her over and she shuffles our way, with none of the verve I’m used to from her.
“You ready for the big day?” I ask, nudging her with my arm. “Heights Bites is going to be officially open!” Well, it’s been open since May, but this feels pretty epic. “Grandly open!” I amend.
Her face falls, what little color she had in it turning ashen.
I frown, but before I can ask her what’s wrong, she’s gone again, off through the crowd.
“She’ll be okay,” my mom says, and I’m inclined to trust her. After all, Lexi’s her boss now, and a much better one than she had at her last job.
A bell tolls and the crowd’s chatter falls to a hushed whisper.
“Thank you so much for coming to the grand reopening of Downtown Smoky Heights!” Rory’s amplified voice reaches us from a podium near the top of downtown, where a giant red ribbon is tied between the sides of the black metal archway that welcomes you to downtown.
The applause is deafening, because every single resident in this town knows none of this would be happening without Rory Weiss-Grady at the helm.
By her side is the mayor of the town, as well as most of the owners and proprietors of the downtown shops and establishments, almost all faces I recognize at this point.
Giant ropes hang down from each side of the street, connected to banners of green cloth, covering every single sign along both sides of the downtown strip.
Once they cut the ribbon, the representatives of all the downtown businesses will line up on their side of the street andpull, freeing the rope and revealing all the overhead signs at once.
Near Aurora, I spy Wyatt (holding our niece), Duke, even Wilder is up there. I look for Lexi, figuring that’s where she ran off to, but being so short I don’t have the best view back here. This place is packed.
After the roar of appreciation quiets down, Rory continues her speech about the project, what it means to the town, and to her specifically. Her words move me to tears, but then again, I have been a little bit emotional lately.
Placing a hand on my belly, I stand on my tiptoes, getting as close to Weston’s ear as I can. As aware of me as he always is, he leans down to hear what I have to say.
“I’m glad the next generation of Gradys is here for this day.”
