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My fingers weave with hers. “How do you feel?”
She laughs softly, her shoulders relaxing. “Vindicated. Everybody said I was crazy not to marry him. But I couldn’t ignore my intuition. I just knew something was off.”
“Glad you followed your gut. ‘Cause now, you get to be mine.” Pulling her close, I kiss her forehead.
She snuggles against me and exhales deeply. “I still can’t believe how this whole mess played out.” She shakes her head from side to side.
“What can’t you believe?” I question.
“I left this town, put myself out there, went on a reality show looking for love…only to realize that the real thing was right in front of me all along.” She smiles at me.
I hold her tighter. “I was just as blind as you. But now, you’re all I see, Carolina. You’re all I need.”
She faces me, reaching for my cheeks with her soft hands. She sweeps her lips over mine and makes a contented little sound. “I see you, too, Theodore. I love you.”
“I love you,” I respond.
Inez starts to blush, but she hides it with a bright grin. “And you’re so good at loving me.”
“I really hit the jackpot with you.”
“You did. Congratulations, Brighton.” She winks.
I kiss her again. “Yay, me! Butt stuff to celebrate?”
She roars out a laugh and then buries her face in my neck to stifle it. When she recovers, she pinches my cheeks. “You’re such a romantic. A classic loverboy.”
“Only because you’re so easy to love, Stargirl.”
She rises from the couch, taking both of my hands in hers. She starts backing down the hallway and pulling me along with her.
“Come on, big guy.” She gives me a saucy look. “Butt stuff to celebrate.”
56
NOLAN
Istand together with Inez and Stella on the front lawn. One-by-one, we’re taking turns saying our emotional goodbyes to Genevieve.
Wait. Hold up.
Just to clarify—Gen’s not dead.
She’s just finally taking time for herself.Checking a few boxes off the ole bucket list, as she phrased it.
I give my former mother-in-law a good squeeze before she steps over and wraps Stella in a big hug.
My baby girl is trying to be strong. She’s trying to be supportive, knowing that this is important to her Gaga. But I know deep down how sad Stella is to see her go. My little girl is used to spending at least three nights a week with her grandma, so not having her here, living sixty-five feet from our front door will be a bit of a shift for Stella.
“You listen to your daddy now. And make sure to work on our puzzle each day. I’m counting on you to finish it,” the old lady says to her granddaughter.
“I promise,” Stella says through her sniffles.
I give her narrow shoulders a squeeze. “I know it probably feels like it now, but Gaga’s not leaving forever. She’ll be back after her road trip to the west coast.”
“I know,” my princess mumbles.
But still, it’ll sure be a big change for Stella, who’s used to seeing her Gaga every day.
