And it looked exactly like this.
Epilogue
One Year Later
The cottage on White Gull Lane had never held this many people.
Tessa stood on the deck, watching the chaos unfold with a glass of champagne in her hand and a ring on her finger that still caught her off guard every time she looked at it. The addition Brian had built over the summer stretched out behind her, doubling the cottage's footprint, and still it wasn't quite enough for everyone who'd shown up.
Hank and Bree were in the kitchen, arguing cheerfully about the best way to slice a brisket. Colby had commandeered the grill, Sabrina beside him with a plate of burgers waiting to be flipped. Dr. Hendricks and his wife sat in deck chairs, deep in conversation with Ruth from the bookstore. Diaz had brought her husband and two kids, who were currently chasing each other around the yard with water guns despite the October chill.
And Brian was in the middle of it all, laughing at something Colby said, a beer in his hand and sunlight in his hair.
Her husband. Six months married, and the word still made her smile.
The wedding had been small. Just family, which in Copper Moon meant half the town. They'd exchanged vows on the bluff at sunset, the copper moon rising over the water behind them. Bree had cried. Hank had pretended not to. Colby had given a toast that made everyone laugh and then made everyone cry, and Sabrina had threatened to divorce him if he ever did anything that romantic for her.
It had been perfect.
Bree appeared beside her, two plates of food in hand. "You're being antisocial."
"I'm observing."
"You're hiding." Bree handed her a plate. "Eat something. You've been running around all morning."
Tessa took the plate but didn't eat. Her stomach was doing something complicated, a flutter of nerves she'd been carrying all day.
"You okay?" Bree asked, studying her. "You look pale."
"I'm fine. Just tired."
"Tessa." Bree's voice dropped. "I've known you for a year. You don't get tired. You get busy. There's a difference." Her eyes narrowed. "What's going on?"
Tessa glanced around to make sure no one was listening. "I haven't told Brian yet."
"Told him what?"
She met Bree's eyes. Watched the realization dawn.
"Oh my God." Bree's hand flew to her mouth. "Tessa. Are you?—"
"Eight weeks. I found out yesterday." Tessa couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "I was going to tell him tonight, after everyone left."
Bree pulled her into a hug so tight it nearly knocked the champagne out of her hand. "I'm so happy for you. For both of you. He's going to lose his mind."
"In a good way, I hope."
"In the best way." Bree pulled back, eyes bright. "That man was born to be a father. He just didn't know it yet."
As if on cue, Brian looked up and caught her eye across the yard. He smiled, that slow, warm smile that still made her heart flip, and raised his beer in a small salute.
She raised her champagne glass in return. The champagne she hadn't actually been drinking.
He'd figure it out soon enough.
The party wound down as the sun began to set. People drifted away in twos and threes, offering hugs and thanks and promises to do this again soon. Hank and Bree were the last to leave, Hank pressing a kiss to Tessa's cheek and murmuring something about being happy for them that made her eyes sting.
Then it was just the two of them, standing in the kitchen surrounded by dirty dishes and leftover food and the comfortable mess of a life well lived.
