Page 146 of Outlaw Heartstrings
She tries to shake her head and refuse to come up on stage. But then someone in the crowd begins a chant. “Alba! Alba! Alba!”
Her cheeks turn candy apple red, and I can’t help but grin at how adorable she is. “Come on up here, baby.” I stretch my hand out to her until she finally joins us at the front of the room to celebrate our win.
“Jagger, do you want to say a few words as you accept your award?” one of the judges asks, handing him the microphone.
He takes the mic and confidently moves to the middle of the stage. He keeps his acceptance speech short and sweet. “Thank you to Grandma for driving me to the library whenever Mimi has to work. I love you, Grandma.” The crowd cheers for Patty and she soaks up all the praise. “Thank you to Easton for buying me books and reading with me and being my partner in this challenge. You’re my best friend.” The crowd coos as the little boy turns toward his aunt. “Thank you to Mimi for helping Easton and me get ready for this competition. You always make me feel special and I love making you proud. Thank you for always taking care of me, even when it’s hard.”
Alba is a blubbering mess as she pulls the boy into a hug, burying her face in his dark curls. “It’s worth it, baby boy. Every single sacrifice I made has been worth it.”
54
ALBA
“Oh, Lincoln. There’s a seat next to Jules.” Monica wears a wolfish grin as she points out the only empty seat at our table.
Lincoln looks at Jules. Jules looks at Lincoln.
They both scowl.
“Uh, sorry. My, um, purse is sitting here,” Jules mumbles, pulling the chair closer to her side.
“Jules!” Laney hisses, poking her in the ribs.
“Don’t worry about it,” Lincoln grits through his teeth. “I’ll just go grab a chair from the main dining area.” He hustles out the door before anyone can tell him how ridiculous the two of them are being.
The dating app bungle from a few months ago has certainly made things awkward between my bestie and Easton’s oldest brother. But they’re going to have to get over it.
Mr. Tower and I are going stronger than ever. I don’t have a crystal ball, but I can see a lot of summer cookouts and Holiday dinners in our future for years to come. So Jules and Lincoln are going to need to figure it out eventually.
The thought of the longterm with Easton puts butterflies in my tummy. I don’t want to rush him but the idea of a happily-ever-after with him has been living rent-free in my head these days.
He’s been hinting at putting in an offer to outright buy the house on Marigold Peak. I like the idea of him owning property here in Fairy Bush. I like the idea of him, Jagger and me officially living together. We’ve spent each and every night under the same roof since we worked things out. But I still dream of making our living arrangements official.
But for tonight, I force myself to focus on the here and now.
Easton managed to get us all a private dining room atLe Trésor des Fées.It’s a slow Tuesday night so we got lucky. Now, we’re here together to celebrate the reading challenge win. Nothing could ruin this night. Not even Jules and Lincoln being bratty to each other.
Eventually, Lincoln comes back in with a chair, squeezing it between Cameron and Oliver. We all place our orders, and steaming plates of fried chicken, seafood and pasta arrive surprisingly quickly.
“So, have you guys decided yet what’s going to happen at the start of the hockey season?” Tammy asks, wearing a concerned look as she passes the hot sauce across the table to Rocco.
“We’ll be doing the long distance thing,” I say, trying not to sound disappointed. I’m not sure that I pull it off.
Easton jumps in quickly. “But only for one year. Two years maximum.”
“And what happens after that?” Laney asks, head tilted to the side.
Easton pulls in a breath. “Then I retire.”
Surprised murmurs rise up around the room as the news settles.
“I’ve decided to give myself two more seasons, at most, to get the Championship Cup,” he explains. “If it doesn’t happen in that timeframe, it wasn’t meant to be.”
Easton has already had the discussion with his family. But this is the first time mentioning it to our group of friends.
Jagger speaks up proudly. “Easton wanted to quit this season because he didn’t want to be away from me and Mimi, but we convinced him to try again.”
“As much as we all want to be together all the time, it’s important that we each get to follow our dreams,” I say. “That way, there’s no ‘what if’s down the road, y’know?”
