So I hadn’t. On Friday afternoon, I packed her some snacks and a thermos of hot chocolate. She at least let me drive her to the bus terminal, where we hugged and cried while people moved around us and buses came and went.
“I’ll never forget everything you’ve done for me, Hollie,” Jordy had said into my shoulder.
“Just remember you’ll always have a home here. Family isn’t always blood, and you’re my family. I’m only ever a phone call or a text away. And I promise to fly out for your graduation, if not sooner.”
With a quiet sob that was nearly my undoing, she’d wrenched away from me to grab her bag from the ground. The driver had already loaded her enormous suitcase on the bus. She surged forward to kiss my cheek and tell me she loved me, and then she hurried away, practically running the short distance to the bus without looking back.
“You thinking about Jordy?”
Pulling myself from my thoughts, I find Louisa standing in front of me. Spencer is now with Fergus, getting our bags out of the trunk. It only takes a minute since we’re each only bringing carry-on luggage. Spencer nods as he and Fergus head for the doors, giving Louisa and me a minute alone to say goodbye.
“Thinking about Jordy, thinking about Christmas, thinking about London.” I face Louisa and take both her hands in mine. “Thinking about how awful I feel that I’m going to miss your thirty-fifth birthday.”
“Don’t,” Louisa says firmly. “You have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. You’re getting the trip of your dreams with the guy of your dreams. You think I’d begrudge you that?”
“Never. But we’ve also never been apart for our birthdays.”
“We’re not kids anymore, Hols,” Louisa says. “There was going to come a day when we might not see each other on our birthdays or even holidays. We can celebrate when you get back.”
“I’ll bring you something extra special from London,” I say, and she laughs. “And I’ll call you at midnight on the thirty-first.”
“It’ll be five in the morning there.” Louisa is still laughing, although her eyes are now filled with tears.
“You’re worth staying up all night for,” I tell her. “Or, y’know, maybe setting an alarm. Either way, I promise to call you, and you know I take promises seriously.”
Tears spill down Louisa’s cheeks. Seeing them makes my own eyes overflow. We move at the same time, hugging each other fiercely.
“Gah, I’m only going for a week,” I say into her hair. “We’re being ridiculous.”
Louisa gives a watery laugh. “We are. But this feels big, doesn't it? So much has changed in our little group over the last few months, and this is another thing added to the list. Agoodthing,” she rushes to add as she releases me. Her gaze shifts past me, and the way her eyes soften and her lips curve tell me she’s looking at Fergus. When she swipes hastily at her wet cheeks, I know he’s coming our way and our moment alone is almost over.
“Sorry to cut this short, ladies, but we need to move the car.” Fergus holds out his arms to me, and I step into them. “Don’t you worry about a thing while you’re away,” he says quietly in my ear. “You concentrate on having fun; you’re going to love London. I’ll take good care of our girl.” Whatever he sees on my face as he releases me makes him chuckle and wink.
Louisa and I share one last, quick hug. “I love you,” she whispers. “Enjoy your fairytale romance. You deserve it.”
I tell her I love her and give her one final squeeze. As soon as we part, Fergus steps in and puts his arm around Louisa’s shoulders. They wave, and then turn in unison toward the car. I watch as Fergus speaks quietly to Louisa as he opens the passenger door. She laughs at whatever he says, and the sound makes my heart squeeze. Maybe my little Lulu is about to get her own fairytale romance.
Spencer is waiting for me outside the sliding doors. I dodge a family of five who come out of nowhere and weave between a luggage trolley and a woman rolling an enormous suitcase in one hand and carrying a pet carrier in the other. Spencer holds out his hand as I approach, and I latch on, gripping it tightly as we make our way inside the airport.
It’s quieter inside than I expected. Spencer told me he’d flown on Christmas Day before and it was the one time the airport wasn’t a bustling mass of people, unlike Christmas Eve Day when it felt like half the planet was traveling.
He squeezes my hand and I meet his eyes. They’re bright and excited, likely mirroring my own. A quick glance around shows only a few people moving past us, so I pull Spencer to a stop right there and throw my arms around him, kissing his smiling lips. When I move to pull back, he holds me in place, peppering my lips with kisses until I laugh and squirm away.
Spencer takes my hand once more. “Ready for an adventure?”
“Soready. London, here we come!”
He laughs and kisses me again. As we continue through the airport, his hand warm in mine, my face aches from smiling so hard. I have a feeling this is going to be the first ofmanyadventures with this amazing man by my side.
