“You’re as bad as Gwen,” I hiss, laughing when he gives me a cheeky grin. “But thank you. For everything.”
The opening chords of “Never Tear Us Apart” by INXS start playing. I could have sworn the DJ’s table was empty a minute ago, but she’s there now, and Jasper is walking away from her and toward me.
“I love this song,” I say, already swaying on the spot to the music.
“I know. You used to hum it sometimes, and now I think of you whenever I hear it.” He stops in front of me and holds out a hand. “In the spirit of do-overs, I wanted to dance with you before the others arrive. The last time we danced together was the beginning of the end in a way.” The skin around his eyes tightens as if the words pain him. “Now it can be a beginning.”
I take his hand, letting out a surprised squeal when he spins me before pulling me against him. If you were to ask Jasper to describe himself, I’m sure he’d use words like ‘dull’ and ‘predictable’. They wouldn’t be true, though; Marisol was right all those weeks ago about him being deeply layered. He’s surprised me in more ways than I can count, including our reunion tonight, and I can’t wait to see what other ways he’ll amaze and astound me in the future.
Neither of us says a word as we move to the music. Gwen and Evan are dancing a few feet away, speaking to each other softly. The song fades and transitions into “Stop” by the Spice Girls. The next thing I know, I’m being wrenched away from Jasper to dance with Gwen.
A cold gust of air rushes over my feet as the front door of the event hall opens and people start pouring in. I spy Marisol as she thrusts her coat at a beautiful dark-haired woman and comes running across the room. I expect her to fling herself into my arms, but she squeezes between Gwen and me just in time to do the dance moves from the music video for “Stop”. Gwen and I join her, laughing uncontrollably as we try to coax Evan and Jasper to join us. They shake their heads, stepping further away so they can watch in amusement from a safe distance.
Hours pass by in a blur. Years from now when I think of this night, I’ll think of side-splitting laughter, resurrected ’90s dance routines, slow dances with Jasper, bottomless glasses of wine (no more vodka shots for me), and plenty of toasts to love and friendship. Oh, and the thousand or so photos we’ll have between the shots the professional photographer took and the silly selfies on our phones.
Five weeks ago tonight, the evening ended in tears and a hangover, followed by days of wallowing. I haven’t forgotten that—I’m sure it’ll be in the back of my mind for a while as Jasper and I ease into a proper relationship—but I’m going in with my eyesandmy heart wide open. Am I leaving myself open to the potential for heartache? Sure, but that’s life. And from the way Jasper has barely left my side or taken his eyes off me all night, I’m feeling more hopeful than I have in a long time. Maybe ever.
At the end of a perfect night, we hug and kiss our friends goodbye, and Jasper whisks me away to his car.
“I have one more surprise for you,” he says.
As if knowing I need a few moments to collect my thoughts and savor the high from this evening, Jasper turns the radio on low and we drive in silence. I love that he knows these things about me. I sit up straighter in my seat when he turns onto my mom’s street a few minutes later.
“Mom said she and Emilio were out of town for the weekend,” I say. “Was that a story too? Was she secretly in on this and now we’re going to surprise her?”
I slump back in my seat as we approach my childhood home and I see it’s dark except for the timed light Mom leaves on whenever she’s away. My head jerks toward Jasper, who simply shakes his head and continues driving. He comes to a stop a moment later in front of his old childhood home.
“I noticed it sold a few weeks ago,” I say. “I wondered if you knew.”
He turns off the car and pulls the keys free from the ignition. After a moment of sorting through them, he holds one up. “Yes, it did sell. To me.”
“What?”
“Ibought the house,” Jasper says. “I decided I wanted to be in Bellevue again, whether you and I were together or not. When Hugh offered me the job at the Village, I put an offer in on the house. I picked up the keys earlier today, and I officially move in on December first.”
I’m too stunned to speak. Jasper gets out of the car and comes around to my side. By the time he opens the door, he’s already got his flashlight app on. That simple gesture makes my heart swell with love. I take his hand and let him lead me up the driveway to the house. He unlocks the front door and reaches in to flick on the light before ushering me inside.
“Welcome to my new old home,” he says.
I let out a breathless laugh. “I can’t believe you bought this place. How did you afford it? I know that’s super nosy, but Gwen said Evan was horrified by the price of real estate in Bellevue. And what about Hadley? She’s not moving here with you, is she?”
Jasper chuckles softly as he leads me further into the house. We enter the spacious living room, which is empty except for an oddly familiar looking couch.
“Is that my mom’s old couch?”
We come to a stop in the middle of the room, and Jasper turns to face me. “Which of your questions would you like me to answer first?”
I slap his chest lightly. “The most recent.”
“That is, indeed, your mom’s old couch. I went to talk to her when I came to Bellevue two weeks ago to sign some paperwork for the house and for Hugh. She was kind and gracious, although I could tell she was understandably not too pleased with me. When I told her I hoped to win you back in time, she essentially gave her blessing and said she hoped we could work things out.”
I cover my mouth with my hand, but the half-laugh, half-sob I was trying to contain spills out anyway. “So everyone I love was in on your plans.”
“Yes, everyone. The love and acceptance I was met with made me feel wonderful and yet also incredibly stupid knowing I almost threw away the best thing that ever happened to me.”
I point to myself wordlessly and he nods, leaning in to kiss my cheek.
“Yes, you. As for your other questions, Hadley has been slowly and secretly selling and donating most of her belongings, whittling it down to what she can travel with, plus a few sentimental things her family will be happy to hold on to for her. When she’s in Toronto, she’ll divide her time between Malcolm, Lina, and any of her friends who have spare rooms. As for how I was able to afford the house, the bank I was managing was sold and I was unhappy with the new administration. That’s why I decided to take some time off in October; I needed to figure out my next steps. Earlier this month, they told me they wanted to go in a new direction with their staff, and they offered me a generous severance package. I couldn’t take it fast enough.”
