Page 138 of Honeymoon Phase
And I had years with him, unlike Addison, who only had her brother for eight. I can’t imagine how hard it was for them tolose Aaron so young. I’m glad she comes out here to run. Whatever she needs, I want her to feel supported.
“I talk to him a lot when I come out here. Is that going to freak you out?” Addison asks, turning her head to look back at me.
“Only if he talks back.” I cringe at the probably awful joke that this is really not the time or place for, but luckily, my wife laughs.
“I just wanted to officially introduce two of the men I’ve loved the most in my life.” She blinks up at me and I feel my heart swell in my chest.
Our wedding night was one for the books. Full of passion and confessions. Confessing all the feelings we’ve both been hiding from each other and ourselves. The buildup of Addison and I was painful in more ways than one, but the satisfying conclusion is something I’ll cherish forever. I fought for her. For us. I was patient. I was present. And she found me. She loves me. And introducing me to her brother is probably the best way she could tell me.
A loud throat-clearing sound echoes from behind us and we swerve around to see Addison’s dad standing before us. “So I take it I’m third on your list of men you love?”
Addison stands up and smiles, moving over beside me. “Naw, you’re fifth.”
“Fifth.” John rolls his eyes. “After Chuck and Bullhead?”
Addison giggles and I wrap my arms around her and press my lips into her hair.
John sobers as he glances down at the gravestone. “Been a long time since I came out here.”
“Flowers look good, don’t they?” Addison asks, her eyes soft on her father.
John nods and makes his way past us to stand a little closer. We watch him stand silently for a moment before he shakes his head. “You two will do better than me and her.”
My brows furrow as I feel Addison tense beneath my arm.
“What do you mean?” Addison asks, her voice soft.
John turns and looks back at us. “You two will make better parents than me and your mom. Though in fairness, we set the bar pretty low.” John crosses his arms and harrumphs. “Maybe I’ll get a second chance as a grandpa.”
“Dad, it’s a little soon to be talking about kids.” Addison shoots me a coy look that I would really love to kiss off her face, because she has come so far, and I feel honored to be a small part of her healing.
“Fine, let’s share some memories of Aaron instead,” he says, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Where should we start?”
“Oh, I love this idea,” Addison laughs and the two of them begin ruminating over which story to tell first while I sit back and enjoy my father-in-law not looking at me like he wants to kill me... for once.
And my best friend looking at me like she loves me... forever.
Chapter 48
Fact or Fiction?
Emma Woodhouse finds her Mr. Knightley.
Everly
My stomach swirls with anxiety as my plane begins its initial decent into Dublin. Christmas and my winter break went by way too fast and now it’s back to the reality of my own life instead of my family’s, which kind of sucks because my family is a wonderful distraction.
But Luke’s words have been on repeat in my mind since the moment he said them before the wedding.
You’ve never even been in love. You know nothing. You’re just a kid.
We had a long talk after the wedding on the lookout bench and Luke told me he didn’t mean what he said, he was just hurting, but you know those jokes that people make that are just a little too close to home?
That was in Luke’s words.
There was a sliver of truth to them. I have never been in love. I had a boyfriend for two years in high school and was still never able to say the words. Which is just wild because my love cup runneth over in every other part of my life. My moms, my dad, Cozy, my uncles, my brother, my niece. My grandma. My God, I am the most loved, most blessed young adult that ever existed.
The only hardship in my life thus far was losing my grandpa. Which was absolutely brutal. And it seems like ever since then, I can’t seem to shake this feeling of needing to do right by him.Needing to make sure everyone is good for him. I want to take care of everyone all the time. Anything to avoid looking at my own life and my own experiences, because if I really looked at my life in Ireland...
