‘May I?’ Noah held out a hand, inviting me to dance. His dark eyes sparkled beneath his long hair, and I wanted to pinch myself to confirm that he was really mine. That after all these years, our fates had truly, properly brought us together.
I glanced over at Finn, who smiled back. I could see he had accepted that Noah and I were together. That we had his blessing.
Taking Noah’s hand in my right, I settled my other hand on his back. He drew me in close, and I could feel the warmth of his breath on my hair as I tucked my head under his chin. Our magic shimmered together as we slow danced to the warm tones of the guitar, the fairy lights overhead and the soft carpet of Rosie’s lawn beneath us.
‘Mind if we join you?’ Dad pulled Mom into a spin, and the two of them shuffled along beside us, Mom gasping as Dad dipped her or did a little jig in place.
‘I really hope she doesn’t murder him and throw his body out to sea,’ I whispered.
Noah grinned. ‘I think it might be justified murder. But she wouldn’t. They’re cute together. Even if they’re the least likely couple in the world.’
‘Mom told me that Dad spent years trying to ask her out on a date,’ I murmured.
‘Really? But your dad’s a catch. Although don’t tell him I said that.’
‘She wanted to be a career woman.’
‘But sheisa career woman.’
I smiled. ‘Exactly. She realized that choosing love doesn’t meannotchoosing the other things that matter.’
‘Too damn right,’ said Lara. ‘Because some of us want the whole damn world.’
‘Is that all?’ said Jack, pretending to be alarmed. ‘Well, I guess I can handle that.’
‘You’d better, if you’re going to be by my side for the foreseeable future,’ said Lara, her grin as wide as I’d ever seen it.
And off they danced, like the world was theirs and theirs alone. Lara, perhaps, had met her match. She’d confided in me that Jack was the first time she’d seen someone as boyfriend material, and that she’d added his last name to his listing in her phone contacts as proof. She’d even asked Tiff for tips about making a long-distance relationship work.
I smiled to myself, wondering idly what might have happened had Lara been the one to pick up Josephine’s ring.
But Lara never would have. She didn’t need it the way I had.
I thought about Josephine and hoped that she could see that, even ifshehadn’t been able to, she had helped me make the right choice. And Tiff. And Mom.
I wrapped my fingers around the two halves of the ring I carried in my pocket, willing her to feel my gratitude.
Then I slipped into the comfort of the moment, enjoying the warmth and familiarity of Noah’s body against mine. Around us, the dance floor grew packed with happy couples: Pandora and Ulissa, Lara and Jack. From the corner of my eye, I could see Tiff on a video call with Damien, moving quietly on the spot. Rosie grabbed Lorraine, and Soraya – who’d been fielding compliments about her award-winning rain-frog pumpkin carving all night – linked arms with Keiko.
The last, quiet notes of the ballad rang out in the air. We all swayed, mesmerized.
Then Finn snapped his fingers and the Bluetooth speaker gave a hearty crackle, blasting Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Gypsy’ atfull volume. Whoops arose among the crowd, and the dancers abandoned any sense of shame and propriety.
‘That’s my sign to clear out,’ said Noah, alarmed.
‘I dunno,’ I said, a huge grin stretching my face. ‘I have those videos from when you were twelve and were super into “Moves Like Jagger”.’
He cringed. ‘Okay, we’re going to have to have a rule that, if we’re together, you can’t use my awkward teenage years against me. Because I would never in a million years bring up the hair crimper. Or that really big painted-on eyebrow phase.’
Oh goddess, I’d tried to put that behind me. Although eyebrows that thick cast a long shadow.
‘We’ll go through the photos together and delete accordingly,’ he added, chuckling at my expression.
‘Deal,’ I said. ‘In fact, shall we go inside now and get a head start on that?’
‘We can certainly get a head start on something,’ he said, sweeping my hair back from my face.
Laughing, we ran inside, but as we did, something small and shiny caught my eye by the threshold.
