Page 107 of In Good Company

I’ve never had close friends like this. We’ve already discussed plans in Manhattan once the summer ends, and for the first time in my life, I’ve been so excited about what the future looks like.

My future is my own and not dependent on things out of my control, something that feels like a huge relief.

My eyes find the man sitting next to me, gratitude overwhelming me at how things have changed throughout the course of the summer with him.

When I first saw Cal at Laurent Hughes’s dinner party, I wanted nothing to do with him. Now, I don’t want a life that doesn’t include him in it.

He’s my home.

My love.

My teammate.

Callahan Hastings.

My former boss and my ex’s older brother.

My heart.

Mine.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve felt like I’ve had to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders. I wanted to be the perfect daughter for my parents and make sure they were taken care of. I didn’t want to mess up, and I wanted to do everything in my power to make life easy on them, knowing they’d already been through so much. I hadn’t realized how much carrying that weight was getting to me or how hard it was for me to let someone in because of the weight I was carrying.

It wasn’t until Cal loved me fiercely and with no need for anything in return that I learned to let someone be there for me.He taught me that love can make us stronger and that it’s okay to need someone else.

Loving him is the best decision I’ve ever made.

I smile, realizing our life together has only just begun. This summer has been the best summer of my life, and I can’t wait for many more. I’ll be in good company with him by my side for all of it.

EPILOGUE - LUCY

My body trembles with excitement as the bridal coordinator plays with the hem of my wedding dress.

From a few feet away, someone else helps fix the knot of my father’s tie. He smiles at me from across the entryway of the villa, giving me a wink as they continue fussing over the tie he insisted on tying himself.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm the jitters.

I’m getting married today.

I smile, still in shock that today’s my wedding day.

It feels like it took forever to get here, but it also came so fast. At the end of our first summer together, Cal proposed. It was magical, and I didn’t know it was possible for me to be so happy. At first, we were going to do a small wedding as soon as we could. But after thinking about it, I knew my dream was to get married in front of all our friends and family. We thought about doing something at Pembroke, but when Cal was able to book my dream villa in Lake Como, Italy, for our wedding, it seemed like fate. We were engaged a little longer than we first thought we’d be, a little over a year, but I already know it’ll be worth the wait.

Plus, it has already felt like we’re married in the year we’vebeen engaged. We moved in together the moment I came back to the Hamptons. With anyone else, it would’ve been fast, but with Cal, it felt right. I just wanted to be with him. When we got engaged at the end of the summer and Cal had to go back to Manhattan, I went with him. We bought a brownstone in the city with the most magical kitchen that was also close to our friends. I continued to film my cooking recipes there. Each one got more views until finally, they became so popular Emma set me up with her talent agency.

I’m in the process of writing my very first cookbook—an actual dream come true. While we’re here in Italy, we’re also shooting photographs for the cookbook.

I smile, letting out a shaky breath, thinking how none of this would be happening if the man I’m about to marry hadn’t shown me how to believe in myself.

Dad’s arms wrapping around me to pull me into a hug break me from my thoughts. “You ready?” he asks, holding me tight. He’s careful not to touch my hair that the stylist took an hour curling into perfect waves down my back.

I nod, giving my dad a nervous smile. “I am. Are you?”

I reach up to wipe underneath his eyes, where tears are forming. He laughs, trying to swat my hand away, embarrassed at being caught crying.

“As I’ll ever be,” he answers, his brown eyes—the same color as mine—roaming my face. His broad shoulders rise and fall as he lets out a strong exhale. I don’t try to fill the silence, giving him the time he needs to say whatever’s on his mind. In the last year, my parents and I have become closer than ever. Cal surprised me by buying a house a few streets down from my childhood home, so we visit them a lot, and because of that, the last year has been really healing for us as a family.

We talk freely about Luke and Logan now and even about the little things in life when our conversations always used torevolve only around the family business. The store is thriving more now than it ever has, and we’re able to just enjoy each other’s company, something I don’t take for granted. Luckily, Dad’s health is also better than ever. Forcing him to take it easy has really allowed his body to heal the way it needed to.

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