Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 84000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
EPILOGUE
Two months later
Sophia
Whenever I’ve been back to Cincinnati before, I’ve felt like a version of the child I was when I lived here—but not this trip. I don’t know if it’s because I’m with Worth, or if it’s because I feel distance between me and Cincinnati since all the drama with my dad. Whatever it is, I’m back and I feel like a woman. Lots has changed, but for the first time in a long time, I’m not coming back to Ohio with dread in my heart.
Worth and I are staying at the hotel we stayed at last time. Mom tried to persuade us to stay with her, but Worth was clear that staying in the hotel was what he wanted. I was happy to go along with it.
I wouldn’t normally make the trip for Oliver’s birthday, but I want to make sure Mom’s doing as well as she says she is. I also want to see my brothers. The three of us have made an unspoken pact to be more connected, without relying on Mom to be the glue binding us together. I’m not seeing Dad on this trip. We’ve exchanged a few messages and maybe I’ll see him later in the year. Everything’s still raw. No one is pushing me or Oliver or Noah into seeing him. We need time. And maybe we don’t want anything to do with him, but if we do, it won’t be out of a sense of obligation. It will be out of any love that still exists between us.
“Worth!” Oliver almost squeals as he opens my mom’s front door. It’s like he hasn’t even seen me. Maybe I should find it irritating how much Oliver and Noah like Worth, but I can’t. It’s beyond cute to watch the three of them bond.
In the kitchen, Worth hands my mom a huge bouquet of flowers and kisses her on the cheek. We all take a seat around the kitchen table. Oliver takes the stool without a fight. We must be maturing.
“Any news on this second wedding you’ve been promising me?” Mom says as she slides a tray of freshly baked cookies onto the counter. “Or are you here to tell me it’s not going to happen?”
I glance at Worth. We’ve talked about this a lot. A big wedding doesn’t suit either of us. But our families want to celebrate, which is lovely and uplifting and truly heartwarming. We’re here for the love. “We thought we’d do something in May,” I say.
“And what exactly is something?” Mom asks.
“A party,” Worth says.
Mom will be disappointed. She wants to go dress shopping with me and see me hold a bouquet and walk down an aisle, but it’s not what I want. And it’s not what Worth wants. Our ceremony was strange and unplanned, but it’s going to be the only one we need. We got married that day and I don’t want to dilute it by doing it again. It was special and private, and the fact that it was only the two of us makes it feel more about us than a big wedding could. Plus, the sheer luck of our divorce papers never getting filed feels like a good omen.
Mom tries to mask her disappointment with a forced smile. “And where will this party be?” she asks.
“New York,” I say. Cincinnati isn’t my home. There’s no reason to have it here.
“I suppose that makes sense,” she says. “But remember, I have my Christmas Town, so your kids are going to make you come back once a year at least.”
“Are you pregnant?” Oliver asks.
“No, not yet,” I say. “But we hope to be one day.”
“So New York in May.” She sniffs and unties her apron before coming to sit. Noah pours us all drinks. Somehow, Worth gets served first.
“You’d better give me the dates sooner rather than later,” she says. “I have a vacation scheduled around that time.”
Noah, Oliver, and I exchange glances. Mom doesn’t go on vacation. Not ever.
“Oh?” I ask, without trying to sound like I’m what the fuck-ing her. “Where are you going?”
“Vancouver. A hiking vacation,” she announces.
None of Mom’s friends hike. Like, none of them.
“Who are you going with?” Oliver asks.
“Well…” Mom stands and transfers the cookies to a cooling rack, then brings them to the table. “I’m going with my new friend, Liam.”
Oliver’s eye bulge out of his head and Noah nods slightly manically.
“Vancouver’s beautiful,” Worth says. “And spring is the perfect time to go. The hiking is incredible.”
Mom and Worth chat for a few minutes about Vancouver, which gives the three of us a moment to collect ourselves. Worth is more aware of his needs now, but that doesn’t stop him being acutely cognizant of other people’s. I’m not sure he’s ever been to Vancouver. I’ll have to ask him later.