Page 136 of Confessions of the Funny Fat Friend

My eyebrows drew together. “Did you forget something at the school?”

“Something like that,” he replied, turning down another dirt road.

I shook my head at him, smiling. “Married for four hours, and you’re already keeping me on my toes.”

He squeezed my hand, lifting my knuckles to his lips. “I hope you’re ready, because I plan to do that every day for the rest of my life.”

“Of course, Mr. Griffen,” I said, loving the wayourname sounded on my tongue. “But is it okay if I change there? I’d rather not waltz into a fancy hotel still in my wedding dress.”

“You can get naked any time you want,” he said, his voice husky with desire. The wedding night was something we’d both been fantasizing about for the last month and a half.

I bit my lip. “Keep looking at me like that, and we won’t make it to the hotel.”

His eyes were hot on mine for a moment before he looked back to the road. We pulled into town and took the familiar city streets to the schoolhouse. We still hadn’t decided on a name for it. I thought it should be something like Cottonwood Estates, but he’d wanted to make it more personal to us.

Luckily, we had a few months left of construction to get the units completed, and that was plenty of time to decide.

He parked in front of the schoolhouse, and I got out, going to the tailgate to get my bags from the truck bed.

“Are you insane, woman?” Tyler chastised, coming beside me. “Let me get your suitcase. You go inside.”

Shaking my head at him, I lifted the hem of my skirt and walked toward the school until my eyes caught something different.

Underneath the new antique security light, there was a sign.

The Hen House

I stared at the letters, my jaw slack, until Tyler came to stand beside me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

“What is this?” I asked.

“It’s our home,” he replied. “What do you think of the name?”

I looked from him to the sign and back again. “You want to name it after me?”

He palmed my cheek, cradling my face in his hand. “Youare what makes this place a home. You did it at Blue Bird, and I have no doubt you’ll do the same here. You’re done fading into the background, baby. It’s time to have you front and center, right where you belong.”

Tears came to my eyes for the millionth time that day. All my life, I’d thought I was destined to be the funny fat friend. Always taking a back seat to other people and their needs, their stories. But this man, my husband, had shown me, every single day, that I could be so much more.

I kissed his lips, rejoicing in my role, not as the funny fat friend, but as his wife, as the main character of my own happily ever after.

Epilogue

Henrietta

Confession: I love the life we’re building together.

Christmas

Tylerand I walked up the sidewalk to my parents’ house, wheeling a suitcase packed to thebrimwith presents for my family.

Instead of knocking, I opened the door and walked inside. Even if I lived in Texas now, this place would always be home, and my parents made sure I knew their door would always be open.

“UNCLE TYLER!” Kenner yelled, running to Tyler and wrapping his arms around his legs. A’yisha toddled behind him, saying, “Unca Tya.”

I shook my head, scooping her up and saying, “What am I? Chopped liver?” I tickled her sides and she giggled, making me grin.

Our other greetings may not have been as enthusiastic as Kenner’s, but they were filled with love all the same. My parents hugged me tight, Raven’s pregnant belly pressed into me as she gave me a side hug, and I kissed my new nephew, Tevon, on the forehead. “You are just precious,” I said, setting A’yisha down and taking the five-month-old in my arms. A’yisha toddled away, going to play with Kenner.

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