Page 111 of Return Policy

“Hopefully next year,allthe kids can come,” Will says.

“How many do you have?” I ask her.

“I have two boys, but they’re playing hockey for a university in DC,” Diane replies sadly. “Wish I could’ve gotten them to stay closer to home like Sophia did.”

“Maybe Jake and Leah can come next year too,” Sophia says with a bright smile. The same one she always wears when she talks about them.

“Maybe we can join you right now,” Leah says, trailing behind a guy who I assume is the infamous Jake.

“Shut the front door!” Sophia squeals, pushing out of her chair so fast it almost falls over. She runs over, jumping on him like a spider monkey. The rest of us stand to greet them as well. They hug Will and Diane before turning their attention to me.

“Hi, I’m Jake.” He extends a hand to me. “Sophia’s favorite brother.”

“You’re myonlybrother,” she says, raising her eyebrows.

“Elijah.” I reach out, shaking his hand. “Sophia’s favorite boyfriend.” His eyes flick to Sophia, then back mine before he returns the gesture, squeezing a tad bit tighter than necessary.

“Nice to meet you.”

31

SOPHIA

“I can’t believe you guys are here,” I tell Jake and Leah, stifling a moan as another delicious bite of stuffing fills my mouth.

“We wanted it to be a surprise.” Leah places her hand on mine, and I glance down to the sight of an enormous diamond with one beautiful emerald on each side.

“What in the ever-loving poppycock is that?” I grab her hand and look between Jake and Leah, who are grinning like idiots.

“You and Leah were always like sisters. I thought we’d make it official,” Jake says casually as he takes a sip of his beer.

“Are you kidding me!” I jump up, my chair flying back and falling on the deck behind me with a loud bang. It’s long forgotten as I tackle hug Leah and Jake. Elijah chuckles and retrieves it for me. “When’s the date? Where will you get married?” My pulse is pounding. “Oh! Will you have a maid of honor?”

“Sophia.” Leah releases a breathy laugh as I sit back down. “Jake proposedlastweek. We haven't picked a date yet, but it definitely won’t be too far out.” She smirks at Jake, who grabs her hand and kisses it.

“Why?” I ask, looking between them. “Oh my God! Are you pregnant?”

Leah chucks her napkin at me. “No, I’m not pregnant!” She puts her hand over her stomach. “This is a turkey baby.”

Jake places his hand over Leah’s resting on her stomach, then turns his attention to me. “We’ll be sure to keep you updated.”

“That’s all I ask,” I say before shoving another bite of orgasmic stuffing in my mouth.

After dinner, Diane and Dad bring flutes of champagne and we all grab one, standing around the happy couple.

“To the love between us,” Jake says, holding up his glass. “May it last forever and for always.”

Leah grins over at him. “Forever and for always.”

We tip our glasses toward them as they lean in to kiss one another. I turn to Elijah, who clinks my glass with his, staring at me with a dimpled smile. I bring the glass to my lips and take a small sip, allowing the bubbles to dance on my tongue while he downs his in a single gulp.

“Do you always chug your champagne?” Jake asks Elijah sharply.

“Not a huge fan of the taste, so I usually drink it as fast as possible, yeah,” Elijah replies, seemingly unaffected, setting the flute on the nearby table.

“Makes sense… What do you usually drink?” Jake asks.

“Beer or whiskey,” Elijah replies cooly, and I clench my glass tighter.

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