Page 106 of My Almost Ex

Epilogue

One Year Later

Lucy and I walk into Truth or Dare Brewery the night before tourist season begins in Sunrise Bay. It’s packed as usual, but Lucy laughs from seeing a bunch of Lucy Takes Flight on the tables.

“What’s up, Molly?” I ask while she pours Lucy’s favorite, Melting Heart, and slides it her way. And then pours my favorite, No Stout for You.

“Nothing, just got back from Las Vegas on the red-eye this morning and I’m exhausted.”

“Oh yeah, girls’ trip. How fun,” Lucy says.

I swing my arm around Lucy’s shoulders and pull her closer. “Not more fun than hanging out with me and fruity umbrella drinks though, right?”

We flew back from the Caribbean yesterday, and let’s just say we didn’t see much of the beach. But it was our second honeymoon and well worth it. We opted to get remarried before tourist season—and looking at how full this room is, that was a smart choice. The regular tourists have clued into the fact that there’s a party before their usual arrival and have started arriving earlier every year.

“Your tan looks great,” Molly says. “I got stuck inside a casino the entire time.”

I glance at Lucy and she hits me in the stomach. A little fact about their girls’ trip came out just before we left the Caribbean. I have no idea how the news never reached up here, but it’s taking everything in me not to tell someone. I mean, the queen of gossip in Sunrise Bay turning into the subject of gossip herself? It can’t get any better than that, can it?

Molly goes down the bar to help someone else, and I slide a stool out for Lucy. We decided to not do anything baby related this past year and enjoy a year of being just the two of us without the pressure of starting a family. I think we needed it after our year apart. Plus, Lola, our little pup, had to learn not to use the house as her potty. She’s still not perfect, but she’s not getting knocked up at the dog park either.

“So what do you think? Ready for what’s coming?” Lucy asks me.

We’ve already had a conversation about the upcoming fertility treatment process, and Stella gave us some great references in Anchorage.

“Yeah. I’m ready.” I lean in and kiss her temple.

We needed this year to grieve the loss of how we thought becoming parents would go and to solidify us to face a new challenge. But regardless, we’re starting the process next week.

“Hey, are you coming to talk to the class on Monday?”

Lucy’s back at teaching. She loves her job and she’s settled in well.

“Hey, you’re back.” Presley sits next to Lucy and they chat about our honeymoon.

Presley and Cade are due to get married next month. No one saw any issue with us pushing our wedding ahead of theirs since we were already married and kept it to immediate family only. Which, with my family, is a lot of people. Susan, Lloyd, and Zane came up from Idaho too. This time around, Lloyd gave Lucy away. Things aren’t perfect between her family and me, but it’s better than it was.

When I came home that day with Lola a year ago, I found Susan in our driveway, tears falling down her cheeks while she sat in her car.

After I proposed to Lucy, I told her to forgive her mom. To give her a chance. You only have one mom and I know what it’s like to lose her. We went to the inn and had a tense and awkward dinner, but it was a step in the right direction.

“How’s Bernie?” I ask Cade, trying to hold back my laugh.

He rolls his eyes. “I’m hiring another dog trainer. He’s chewing the deck. What the hell?”

I laugh. Lola is so chill we haven’t had a ton of issues with her, whereas Bernie should’ve been named Cujo.

“It’s not fucking funny. Fucking Cam messaging Presley about those damn dogs.” He shakes his head.

I clasp him on the shoulder. “Good luck, man, you’ve got years with that dog.”

“I don’t know. He might run away.” He smiles, but Presley hears him and the girl’s got a death stare that would scare Satan.

“So how was the girls’ trip?” Presley asks Molly when she comes over and pours a few beers.

“You can’t come behind here and pour your girl a beer?” she asks Cade.

“I’m paying you to do it,” he says.

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