Page 80 of A Love Like Pumpkin Spice
The rest of the autumn fair had gone on without a hitch. A few paparazzi attached themselves to Nic and me, photographing our every move, which lead to us leaving with Lauren shortly after the whole Marissa ordeal. Kieran stayed behind and reported of some whispers, but overall, the fair apparently went back to business as usual quickly.
I have no doubts our faces will be plastered over gossip magazines for the next few days. But hey, it’s free advertisement for my vet clinic, at least, and I’m not going to complain about that.
Lauren and Nic quickly got the idea to get everyone together to celebrate our plan working, and now we’re here, sitting by the water. The lake is calm and dark under the night sky, as we huddle around a campfire since the big one in town is likely still riddled with paparazzi. Jensen is in Nic’s home, keeping an eye on the cats.
The mountains in the distance are only faint shapes now, their edges soft against the stars. Chaos’s last resting place is not too far off, which I find fitting, considering how Nic’s and my story began with her.
A small bonfire crackles gently between us, casting a warm glow over the circle, and for a moment, it’s just easy. Quiet. Comfortable.
“How are you feeling, superstar?” Kieran asks Nic, happily accepting one of the beers Caleb is handing him and cracking it open.
“Light as a feather,” Nic answers him with a wide grin. Nothing has been able to wipe it off her face since we arrived at her house and the realization that Jay and Marissa actually got arrested settled.
“I feel amazing.” She leans her head against my shoulder, and I put my arm around hers.
“You look like you do,” Kieran grins and sets down his beer. “Ooh, Caleb, you going all caveman here? That’s kind of hot.”
Caleb only grunts in response. He went over to Nic’s house to get more wood for our bonfire, carrying a bunch of it over his shoulder, subtly showing Kieran his middle finger.
Lauren chuckles, and reaches for one of the bottles Kieran brought, squinting her eyes as she’s trying to decipher the label in the flickering firelight.
“Do we already know how it played out?” Kieran wonders, glancing around our circle curiously.
“Couldn’t bring myself to Google my own name,” Nic explains and looks up at me, squeezing my knee. “So Henry checked.”
“Ooh, understandable,” Kieran and Lauren say in unison, and I shake my head at them with a chuckle.
“And I’m happy to report, it worked out exactly as we hoped,” I declare and cough when the fire suddenly goes out right as the soft wind changes and blows the smoke right in my face. “All the headlines are along the lines of, ‘Jealous sister tries to humiliate superstar,’ or along those lines,” I explain with air quotations, making Nic and Lauren giggle. Caleb is ignoring us, though I’m sure he’s listening in as he tries to relight the fire. “Thereare even some videos, and the comments are tearing Marissa topieces.”
“Hell yes,” Lauren punches her fist in the air, then gives in to Kieran’s high five. “Ah, I love winning.”
“And also, I now have a lot of cute pictures of Nic and me at the autumn fair.” I grin and press a kiss to the side of her head. “So, who really won here?” I already know exactly where to hang one of them. It was taken when I won the plush for her, right as I leveled the little plastic gun, with Nic and Jensen behind me.
But what makes me want to print a wall-sized version out and plaster it all over my home is not Jensen, or the fact that I’m really damn handsome when I’m trying to aim with a plastic gun. No, it’s the way she’s looking at me, with that smile in her eyes, a certain softness in her expression.
It’s already my phone background until I can shoot a better picture of her.
“Stop it, you two!” Lauren throws the cap of her beer toward us, and I grin before picking it up and putting it into my pocket.
“I’m not going to apologize for that,” I point out, laughing, and take a sip of my beer. “Also, my phone has been going off with people who want Nic’s new boyfriend to shove his arm up their cow’s ass. I’m taking today as a win.”
“Who would’ve thought the two of them would end up doing you a favor?” Kieran says with a chuckle, suddenly cheering when Caleb finally manages to relight the fire. “There you go, boss man! Great job!”
“We knew you could do it,” Lauren adds with a grin. “Never had a doubt.”
“Suuure,” Caleb mumbles and rolls his eyes, before he sits down next to her, and I could swear her cheeks turn a darker shade. Though it’s hard to say if it’s because of Caleb, or because the fire is so hot.
“What’s going on with those two?” I whisper to Nic, and she shoots me an amused smile, leaning closer to whisper right into my ear.
“She has a crush on him. What about Caleb?”
I watch Caleb for a moment. He’s as quiet as always, but his face has gotten softer. I can’t see the usual crease between his eyebrows or that perpetual frown on his forehead. He seems almost content, and then I see his eyes darting over to Lauren.
It only lasts for the faintest moment, and immediately after, he resumes staring at the fire, a faraway expression on his face.
“I think he’s crushing too,” I whisper back, and gently nip her earlobe, making her giggle.
There have been enough pictures and camera flashes today, but I still can’t help myself and keep my phone ready—this mood, this carefree celebration, deserves to be remembered. And judging by how tipsy Lauren and Kieran are, I’m not so sure their brains will keep up.
