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He stroked my hair. “That’s because you’re brilliant.”
I was so grateful that everything happened the way it did. I liked to think it was fate. “You know that pinky promise we did when we were teens?”
“The one where I said I’d wait for you.”
I blinked back the sudden sting of tears. “You didn’t break your promise. You were still waiting for me.”
Aiden’s arm tightened around my back, holding me tight to him. “I think you’re right. I never stopped loving you.”
I preferred to think that our timing wasn’t right at nineteen. We both had some growing up to do, and priorities to make before we could be together.
He moved so that he was on top of me. “Want to stay here a little longer?”
I smiled. “I’m fine with that.”
Then he kissed me, and I got lost in him and the promise of our future.
* * *
Three Months Later
It was the grand opening of the basement area of the inn, a night we’d been planning for months. So far, the movie theater had been a hit. We’d gotten more bookings for families and couples wanting to enjoy what we had to offer.
We were playing around with the idea of opening the theater and the basement area to the public on Friday and Saturday nights.
Tonight was a test to see if people would enjoy the expansion.
I stood next to Aiden, greeting guests as they came inside. When most had arrived, we followed them downstairs where everything had been either replaced or restored to keep with the original look of the space.
The wood in the billiard room and bar was dark and masculine, keeping with the old gentlemen’s club feel. Yet we added a few games in the billiards room that appealed to kids, including basketball hoops, foosball, and Skee-Ball.
There was a large cluster of people at the bar, and others were in the billiard room, drinking and having a good time.
Even the bowling alley was open. The Monroe family—including Daphne, Izzy, and Cole—were in the first two lanes.
We stopped to talk to Heath and Marley who held drinks in their hands.
“I think the night is a success,” I said to Marley.
“The Calloways and the Monroes are in the same place, and so far no one seems to be fighting.” Cole nodded toward lanes three and four where the Calloways were playing.
It was probably too much to ask that they play each other when they were bowling.
“But this is the grand opening. Can we keep people coming back for more?” I asked.
Aiden rested his hand on the small of my back. “Only time will tell.”
For a while, we mingled with the Monroes and the Calloways. After bowling, we moved to the billiards room so the kids could play games.
At some point, Cole pulled Daphne into his side. “We have an announcement to make.”
Both families were gathered around the bar, the kids not paying any attention to us.
I knew from looking at Daphne’s glowing face and the possessive way Cole held her that she was pregnant. They’d gotten married on the Calloway farm in the spring, and I wondered when they’d make this next step.
“We’re expecting a baby.”
Cheers erupted around us, and I made my way to my sister and hugged her tight. “Congratulations.”
