AllFreeNovel
Share Us
EPILOGUE
Seven months later…
“Okay. So, don’t forget that today, you’re going to meet Ben and his wife, Sandy, and their kids,” Eden said as Chandler drove them to her parents’ house for Sunday dinner. “I mean, I know you’ve met Ben before, but it’s not like he spent much time hanging out with you and Adam since he’s eight years older than you. Anyway, Skylar is nine, Ethan is seven, Amanda is four and do not call her Mandy under any circumstances.”
“Thanks for reminding me,” he said, his tone snarky. He knew she was nervous about this for some reason, but he wasn’t. “You’re making this weird.”
“I’m not making it weird. I just want to make sure you’re prepared, since you only have three people in your family. My family’s a lot bigger. And can be just a lot, in general.”
Chandler couldn’t wait. He was looking forward to connecting with all of Eden’s siblings now that they were adults and could meet as equals without the age gaps being such a big deal. Besides, he liked the idea of a full house, stuffed with family. Being friends with Adam all these years had given him a taste of what the Dawson household was like anyway, and he couldn’t wait to get in there and join their clan.
A few minutes later, he parked at the curb in front of her parents’ house and started to get out, only to have Eden stop him with a hand on his arm.
“Hey, before we go in, we’re not going to say anything about the engagement today, right?” she asked, looking nervous.
“No.” He frowned. Chandler still had a hard time figuring out why she was hesitant to tell her family. They were already living together, so it was the logical next step. Not like it would come out of the blue or anything. But she’d insisted, saying she didn’t want to make the day all about them. With a sigh, he leaned in and kissed her, then rested his forehead against hers. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said, sounding the opposite.
“Come on. You can tell me. We trust each other, right? With everything?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. It sounds stupid, but I’m so happy right now. I just don’t want to share it for fear we’ll jinx it.”
“Aw. How sweet. But my parents already know and everything’s fine, right?” They’d told them a few days earlier, also over dinner. Would have invited them today, too, but they had some other function going on. Chandler smiled, kissing her again, more soundly this time. “Besides, nothing could ruin what we have, baby. Nothing. Now, let’s get inside. I’m starving.”
Dinner went well, surprisingly, with Eden’s out-of-town siblings giving Chandler the same grilling her in-town family had done when they’d found out they were together. He didn’t mind answering their questions at all. It showed they cared about Eden as much as he did, even if Eden got annoyed with it.
“Well, I’m just glad the case you were involved in is over,” Eden’s mom said as they all ate dessert.
“I’m glad both of those men are behind bars,” Eden said before digging into her homemade apple pie. “Right, Chandler?”
“Hmm.” He nodded, swallowing his own mouthful of pie. Both of the Rosses had been convicted and put behind bars for a long, long time, where they belonged. But the last thing he wanted to do was waste any more time thinking about them, so he changed subjects. “Tell them about the new salon.”
“Oh yeah. It’s going so well,” Eden said, excited. “And since the mobile service was so popular, I’ve gotten some additional staff to keep it going, so it’s almost like operating out of two locations.”
As she went on about her business successes, Chandler finished his pie and sat back, his arm resting on the back of Eden’s chair, feeling at home there. Which was rare. The only other places he felt that way in were his parents’ place and with his SEAL team. Finding it again with Eden was just another sign to him that being with her was where he was supposed to be.
When he tuned into the conversation again, he found everyone looking at him expectantly and shit. Someone had obviously asked him something and he had no idea what.
Face hot, he cleared his throat and sat forward. “I’m sorry?”
“I asked how your dad was doing,” Eden’s father said.
“Oh, he’s good. Thanks for asking. He’s especially happy now that he can eat more things since they lifted his dietary restrictions. And my mom’s happy he’s not bitching about not being able to eat what he likes so much anymore.”
Everyone laughed.
Then Eden’s mother frowned over at them. “Honey, what is that on your finger?”
“Huh?” Eden’s eyes got big, and she tried to hide her hand under the table, but it was too late. She still tried to play it off, and Chandler bit his lip not to laugh. Talk about a slip. She’d been the one insistent they not tell anyone, then she walked right in with her ring on, as if she wanted to get caught out. The ring was not an inconspicuous one either. He’d meant what he’d told her seven months ago. He did buy her the biggest, most beautiful ring in Virginia. The thing could act as a lighthouse in an emergency.
“It’s nothing,” Eden said. “I mean, not nothing, but it’s just some new jewelry I picked up somewhere and—”
“That’s not some jewelry,” her mother said. “It’s a ring. On a specific finger.” Her gaze darted between Eden and Chandler. “Does it mean what I think it means?”
Uncharacteristically shy, Eden ducked her head under Chandler’s chin, and he whispered in her ear. “Go on and tell them. They’ll just keep bugging you until you do, baby.”
Finally, after a deep breath, Eden straightened and held out her hand, the diamond and sapphire ring glittering under the lights. “Yes. It’s an engagement ring. Chandler and I are getting married.”
