Page 59 of Should Have Been Me

“So, how are things going with you, man? You convince her to move in with you yet?”

I returned my focus to my woman, my chest expanding as I watched her throw her head back and lift her arms in the air, her eyes closed as she sang along—badly—about some anti-hero. “Not yet,” I grumped.

A lot had changed in the past two months, and while it took some adjusting on my part, it was easy to see all of those changes had been for the better. I still had a reputation around town for being an asshole, but something had shifted once word spread that I was moving to Pembrooke permanently, all so I could be with Jolie. Apparently my standoff-ish demeanor didn’t bother people so much when I was a part of the fabric of the town.

And considering Jolie was beloved by pretty much everyone who knew her, they’d started looking at me as some kind of hero. The man who’d swooped in and healed her heart after it had been broken. It wasn’t a title I was particularly comfortable with, but it meant something to Jolie, so I learned to deal.

I was learning a lot when it came to being in a relationship, such as having to accept the people—or in my case, animals—that came as part of the package with the woman I loved.

That damned smoosh-faced cat of hers had managed to ruin two more suits, but despite its destructive tendencies, it was still taken with me for some strange reason. Jolie said it was because I was the thing’s favorite person, but I was starting to think there were more sinister motives behind it. Like maybe it was just pretending to love me, but it was actually playing the long game when it came to torturing me.

Not that it mattered. I’d take anything the psychotic feline could throw at me. Hell, I was even willing to move the devil cat into my house if it meant getting Jolie there.

Things with my dad were better than I could have hoped for. He was officially in remission, and he and Millie were living their best life. Jolie and I saw them once a month for dinner, and I wasn’t the least bit surprised they’d fallen head over heels for her.

Much to Leighton’s displeasure.

Speaking of my half-sister, I ended up having to pay Jolie a hundred bucks when she bet me that Leighton’s relationship with Barrett would go up in flames before she made it down the aisle. She’d been right. Barrett was currently slinking around town with his tail tucked between his legs, most likely wishing he hadn’t been stupid enough to let a woman like Jolie go. Meanwhile, Leighton had taken off for something bigger and better—much like Estelle. She didn’t have any skills I was aware of, and after Hershel and Millie informed her they were done enabling her bad attitude and behavior, she didn’t have any resources either. It was only a matter of time before she came crawling back, but I wasn’t holding my breath. I had better things to focus on.

I’d also grown closer with Jolie’s parents and still enjoyed our weekly family dinners in which Lorene got a kick out of torturing her daughter.

We were traveling to Hope Valley the following month so Jolie could see her niece in person and I could meet her brother and sister-in-law, and, surprisingly, I wasn’t dreading it.

I was... happy. Every single day, I woke up with a lightness in my chest that hadn’t been there since I was a kid, and I knew I’d made the right choice. I finally had a home. A place I was meant to be. A place where I belonged. And it was all because of the woman standing across the bar from me, smiling at me like I lit up her entire world.

“But I’m not giving up,” I informed my friends.

Because that woman was my port in the storm, my anchor. She was the lifeline that kept my head above water and stopped me from going adrift.

She was everything, and I fully intended on spending the rest of my life showing her how much she meant to me.

The End.

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