Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 103281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
“September,” Kevin answered. “When it cools off a bit.” He kept his eyes on Derek as he walked away, like he was afraid he wouldn’t come back.
“I’m really glad that you two worked it out.” I blurted out the words, trying to comfort Kevin when he looked visibly remorseful. “Good friends are hard to find…and good things are worth fighting for.”
He shifted his gaze back to me, gratitude moving into his eyes. “Well said, Emerson.”
After Derek returned with the drinks, he was sidelined by Dex and Daisy. “Uh, hello?” Dex said. “Your favorite person is here.” He raised his hands in the air. “I only came to see Emerson, but you should still be excited to see me, asshole.” They exchanged hugs and moved into a conversation.
Deacon and Cleo came over to see Kevin.
I felt awkward being there for their first interaction, but I felt like it would be more awkward if I just walked away.
Deacon walked up to Kevin and opened his arms. “It’s been a long time.”
“Yeah,” Kevin said quietly. “Been a really long time…”
Deacon would have every reason to hate Kevin for what he did to Derek, but he embraced him with a hug. “We’re happy you’re here. We need to make up for all that time we lost.”
Kevin relaxed in his hold, like he was hugging his father. “Yeah, that sounds great. I used to come up here in the summer with you guys all the time. It’s really nice to be back.”
Cleo hugged him next. “We’ll need to get together every summer out here. We’ll have barbecues, go fishing, and have some salmon burgers…”
Kevin chuckled at her joke. “I actually miss those, believe it or not.”
They greeted Beatrice, and then Deacon turned to me. “Life has been really good to us. Cleo is doing well, our family is healthy, and we have a new daughter and granddaughter.” His hand moved to my back. “Now we have our adopted son back…and life is good.”
We spent the day on the back patio, making burgers, drinking beer, and spending time together. Lizzie opened all of her presents, and she was showered with love by people who just loved her for no reason.
I was grateful I’d found a man who could give that to her.
It’d just been the four of us so long, and I didn’t have many friends because I was so busy working and taking care of a baby that we didn’t stay in touch. Derek filled that void for me, giving me everything I was missing.
The fire was roaring, so Derek roasted the marshmallows and handed them to Lizzie so she could build the s’mores and hand them out to people. Instead of a traditional cake, she wanted to make s’mores, which seemed to touch Derek.
I sat beside Derek and watched him roast the marshmallows on the stick.
Lizzie came back and got the next batch ready, two pieces of chocolate on the graham crackers. “You think I’ll fit in there?”
“Of course.”
“Yeah?” she asked. “I’m just afraid that they won’t like me.”
“Why wouldn’t they like you?” he asked.
“I don’t know…they’re all super rich and super smart, and I’m basically Jenny from the block.”
Derek chuckled as he turned the marshmallow in the fire. “Everyone likes Jenny from the block, so you’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it. You’ll make good friends there. They take lots of field trips, so you’ll get to do stuff with your classmates. One year, we took a trip to Japan over the summer.”
“Wow, that’s cool.”
“You’ll love it. I promise. And ninety-five percent of the class attends Ivy League colleges.”
“That’s pretty cool. I could be a part of the ninety-five percent.”
“You will.” He pulled the marshmallows from the fire and handed them off. “That’s the last of them.”
Lizzie built the s’mores and handed two of them to us. “Here you go. I’m going to give these to Kevin and Beatrice.” She left the chair and crossed the patio to give them to the final two people who didn’t have a dessert.
Derek looked at the fire for a while, a slight smile on his lips.
I stared at his handsome face and saw a whole new man. I’d never forget the first time I saw him in the lobby of his building, devastatingly handsome but ice-fucking-cold. Now, he was more beautiful because his heart was bigger, his soul was repaired, and he was the man I fought so hard to keep. He was happy, kind, peaceful. I could see our lives unfold in front of my eyes, the decades destroying our youth but solidifying our love. I couldn’t wait for every single year to pass.
When he noticed my stare, he turned to look at me. “Baby?”
My eyes softened at the nickname. “You look happy.”
“Yeah?” He relaxed against the chair and reached for my hand underneath my blanket, grasping it tightly as he stared at me, the fire illuminating his face. “Because I am happy. I’m happy that I found you—and you put me back together.”