Page 165 of Gracefully Yours

“Yeah. But I wouldn’t trade them for the world.”

Hearing Uncle Daniel was the best part of my day. We treated Noelle and Matthew’s kids as if they were our own niece and nephew, despite not being biologically related.

It was our tribe.It takes a village.They were it. Our family. Our people.

My lips brushed against her cheek as I leaned over, and we laced our free hands together. “I love you.”

She squeezed my hand. “I love you more.”

“Impossible. But thanks for choosing me, darling.”

“I never had a choice,” she said with a smile. “You walked into my life and it was like I just knew that you were always going to be there. That I had you. Because you choseme.”

This time, I squeezed hers back. Our little love language, the one we’d started a long time ago.

Long before we’d been in love. Before we’d been blessed with three children. Even before we’d gottenfakemarried, just to fulfill a marriage pact. Back when we were too scared to admit our true feelings.

It happened long before any of that, back when we were just two kids.

All my life, I had been searching for my path, but in truth, she had always been it. I realized that everything I had ever done had been leading up to her.

But she was mine. Truthfully, gracefullymine.

And I was hers.

Forever.

Extended Epilogue

CHARLOTTE

TWENTY YEARS LATER…

“Can you believe it?”

My eyes filled with unshed tears as I watched our youngest daughter cross the stage on her graduation day from college.

“We did it,” Daniel whispered in my ear, eyes shining with pride. “We raised three kids.”

I looked down the row, my gaze lingering on the two dark-haired adults that sat on the other side of Daniel. Both of her big siblings were both in the stands today, too. And we’d be celebrating at the house later tonight. Ellie had only gotten four tickets for the ceremony, but it didn’t matter. I knew the rest of our family—the one we’d built—was watching her right now on the live stream.

“We did good,” I murmured back, trying not to cry as they handed Ellie her diploma. She had earned an early elementary education degree, and I knew teaching was perfect for her.

We were all so proud of her. She’d been the littlest for the longest time until Angelina’s daughter had been born. Lucy was an oops baby, almost ten years younger than her twin brothers, but all four of them doted on her like nothing I’d ever seen before. And Angelina had gotten her girl, finally.

Our kids had spent every important milestone together, and we’d celebrated each graduation the same way. Whoever was graduating, the parents would host at their house.

Not that it was very far. We all still lived on the same street. And when multiple kids graduated the same year—because we’d had all our kids close together—it’d always been a massive party. I didn’t want it any other way.

I had the big, loving family I’d always wanted.

At twenty-five, twenty-three, and twenty-one, I couldn’t believe I’d raised three kids from infancy to adulthood already. I still couldn’t believe how fast they’d grown up in front of my eyes.

Abigail was running her own fashion line, jet setting between our home in Portland and all around the globe. She took after her aunt Angelina—a fierce fashionista, even sharing the same thick, dark curls. She’d gotten my eyes, though, those beautiful gray ones, and my love of pink. The hot pink sundress she wore was a bold choice, but it suited her well.

Beau had gone to Oregon State University on a football scholarship, and they had drafted him to the San Francisco 49ers after graduation. Daniel and I were so proud of him, even though he lived a state away.

When the time had come for Ellie to choose where she wanted to go to school, she’d chosen Daniel and I’s alma mater. It felt right having her there, and the best part was she was so close to home. At least one of them came over for regular family dinners.

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