Page 174 of The Fall Classic

“Never,” I said, holding my sister close. And then there was a lot more crying.

Liesel is going to let me take over her lease when I move to Chicago after the holidays—she and Coop are getting married next weekend—but Logan’s already hinting that he’s happy to follow in their footsteps whenever I am.

I’m not there yet, partly because our relationship is still new and partly because I have a lifetime of holding back. But if I let myself⁠—

He grabs my hand under the table, and my stomach swoops as much as it did the first time.

If I let myself, I could marry this man tomorrow.

As dinner continues, the cold wind stirs around us, sending the red and brown leaves swirling where Logan and I danced all those weeks ago. The warmers keep most of the chill away, and Logan’s presence next to me takes care of the rest.

Across the table, Jake takes off his sunglasses and finally looks around, his eyes roaming around the table. When they stop on Liv, I watch him blink and crane his neck forward, like he’s getting a closer look. He leans over to Scottie, who glances at Liv, and then the two talk in hushed tones for maybe twenty or thirty seconds.

Do they know Liv somehow? Or is Jake interested in her?

I don’t know him well enough to have opinions about the latter possibility, but I know he’s been a surprisingly good friend to Logan and Lucas. He talks a big game, but he has an even bigger heart. Anyone who wants to get close to Liv will have an uphill battle ahead of him, though.

Jake excuses himself after he finishes his plate, and he does Scottie proud by thanking Alma and Julio for dinner. As he walks away from the table, his eyes catch on Liv one more time. And this time, hers lift to his.

He looks away quickly, but she cocks her head, watching him.

Scottie watches him, too.

I wonder what all that’s about.

When dinner is cleared and dessert is served, Logan and I lean back together and take in the perfect evening. The string lights from the quince are glowing now against a colder, darker sky than the one they were hung for. We watch as Logan’s family and friends joke and mine laugh—and they are my family. Not by blood or by law, but by service and sacrifice. Alma and Julio, Liv, Logan and his family—these are people who have already proven to me that I matter. They don’t have to say it, although they do. But they show it. They make it safe for me to wish and want. They make it possible for me to dream.

Logan dreams with me.

“So, after Chicago, what city is Meant to Bean going to take over next?” he asks, his arm around my shoulders. “Maybe Boston? ‘Meant to Beantown’ has a good ring to it.”

“It really does,” I say, cozying into the crook of his arm. “Ask me again once phase one’s actually done. I’ll let myself dream about Boston after I’ve survived Chicago.”

“For now,” he concedes with a kiss to my temple, which makes me love him even more. “But I have big dreams for you, Georgie.”

“I have big dreams for us, Logan.”

“Mine are bigger.”

I smile and let him pull me closer. “Ha. Dream on.”

He threads our hands together—his right and my left—and his fingers tickle my ring finger. Then he puts his lips to my ear and whispers in a way that makes my spine turn to jelly. “I will.”

I angle my face up to kiss him, and his promise lingers in the air around us, warming me, comforting me, convincing me …

That some promises are worth believing.

Some dreams really do come true.

BONUS EPILOGUE

Jake

Iknow that girl.

I saved that girl.

In, what, December? January? Whenever it was that Scottie and I were fake dating. We were out at some restaurant in Charleston and a random guy spiked this girl’s drink and was about to take her home.