Page 25 of A Very Grumpy Halloween

“You have no idea how happy that makes me,” he murmurs.

I smile, feeling the warmth of his breath against my skin. “I think I have a pretty good idea.”

We stay like that for a moment longer, wrapped in each other’s arms, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like everything is exactly where it’s supposed to be. Ryder loves me, and I love him, and even though this is happening fast, it feelsright.

“Alright,” I say, pulling back slightly and glancing at the clock on the wall. “I really do need to get ready for the party.”

Ryder groans playfully, pulling me back against him. “Do wehaveto go? I could think of plenty of reasons to stay right here.”

I laugh, swatting at his chest. “Yes, we have to go. I’ve been so excited about it! I promise that you’ll have fun.”

He sighs dramatically, letting go of me but not before planting a quick kiss on my forehead. “Fine. But just so you know, I’m counting down the minutes until I can get you back here.”

I roll my eyes, my cheeks flushing. “You’re impossible.”

“And you love it,” he teases, grabbing the pirate costume off the counter and holding it up. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

I grin, nodding. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

He kisses me one more time, and I can’t help but feel like this is the beginning of something new, something bigger than either of us expected. Ryder isn’t just a fling, and this isn’t just casual fun. This is real. He’s real. And for the first time in forever, I’m not afraid to let myself fall.

“I’ll see you at the party,” I say, grabbing my purse and heading for the door, my heart still racing from everything that just happened.

Ryder watches me go, his eyes filled with so much love and affection that it makes me weak in the knees. “I’ll be the one dressed as a pirate. Try not to swoon too much when you see me.”

I laugh, shaking my head as I step outside and head down the street toward my apartment. The crisp fall air feels different now, lighter, like the weight that’s been sitting on my chest for weeks has finally lifted.

I love him. Ireallylove him. And he loves me.

As I walk back to my place, I can’t stop smiling, my mind buzzing with thoughts of what the future might hold for us. Moving in together, building a life... it’s all so new, so overwhelming, but it feels like the start of something amazing. Something that I can’t wait to be a part of.

And tonight, at the Halloween party, we’ll start the next chapter of whatever this is—together.

TEN

Ryder

Five Years Later…

“Ready to go?”Maple asks me as she comes downstairs.

“Yep.”

I smile as I see her costume. We decided to do a family costume this year, and so Maple, our twins Rachel and Rowan, and I are all dressed up as jack-o-lanterns. All of our pumpkins are smiling and loose enough that it fits over our winter clothes. Maple bends down and fixes Rachel’s hat before she lifts her into our arms. I take Rowan’s hand as Maple gets Rachel buckled into their stroller.

The twins just turned three a few weeks ago, and they seem to have their mother’s love for Halloween. We’ve already been to a kid's Halloween party and two Trunk or Treats this week, but now that it’s Halloween, we’re taking them out to go trick or treating.

“Who is ready for some candy!” Maple says, and both kids cheer.

Rowan takes off, and I tighten my grip on his hand as we head out. We head down to Main Street, and I smile when I see Rachel’s eyes start to grow heavy. She’s been growing through a growth spurt lately, and I’m not surprised that she’s already falling asleep.

Maple turns and smiles back at me, and I grin. We’ve been married for close to four years now. We got married at the town hall here in Wolf Valley with our friends and families in attendance just one week after I proposed to her. Maple wanted a fall wedding, and I just wanted her to be my wife as soon as possible.

She moved in with me then, too, and I quit my bartending job and started spending more time hanging out with her at Wet and Wild. I ended up redoing her website along with Olive’s and Saffron’s, and now I manage all three.

Speaking of Wet and Wild, I’ve been helping out there, too. We’ve started selling products online, and it’s always fun to help with stocking and setting aside any of the new toys or lingerie that we want to try.

We found out that we were expecting right after the wedding, but it was a shock to go to the appointment and learn that it was twins. I know that Maple was worried about taking care of two kids at once, but she’s a natural. She’s such a good mom, and she makes everything look so easy.

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