Page 115 of Married to Number 22
And looking around this room, I know I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Still, I can’t wait for them to all leave so Luns and I can commence withmyversion of celebrating.
Because it sure as hell isn’t going to involve hot cocoa.
Luna
I pad into the kitchen, pleasantly exhausted from the excitement of the night before.
Bri’s joining in on the hot cocoa, coming up with the adorable idea of announcing my little—or really,big—surprise to Aiden and getting everyone in on the action.
And no surprise, our family showed up for us.
At midnight.
With their own lives and responsibilities and their own early mornings to get up for.
But they came anyway—because of course they did.
So, it’s with a full heart that I’m walking into the kitchen, my socks silencing my footsteps as I make my way over to the coffee pot.
Bri’s already left for the bakery, having the earliest morning of all of us, and I’m next up, needing to meet with Jean-Michel and Jace to give them an update on the rollout.
It’s not perfect—there have been hiccups with insurance companies and legislators, confusion from patients.
But we’ve crossed the finish line.
Now it’s just troubleshooting and working through whatever problems crop up.
And maybe planning my next way to save the world.
With Aiden and the others at my side, how can I not?
Lips turning up, I pour myself a mug of coffee and sip deeply. One per day is what my doctor recommended, so I’m going to savor it…andmake it a really big cup.
I set it on the counter, allowing the caffeine to hit my bloodstream.
I need it.
Between the impromptu celebration with our family and then the private one Aiden and I held, just the two of us, I was up late.
Obscenely late.
And I don’t care that exhaustion is clinging to my bones.
Because…I’m happy.
And I’m not alone.
And I’m not weighed down by a curse, by my father and brother—not that they’ve become any less annoying…they’ve just become less important.
As in, I don’t care what they think of me.
As in, I’m not an easy target any longer—both because I’ve found my spine and because I’ve built a family who takes my back instead of trying to tear me down.
I take another sip of coffee, but this time when I set it down, I see a pile of mail that Aiden must have brought in the night before.
It looks to be three days’ worth—because that was when he left for his road trip and…
