Page 74 of Marriage is a Shore Thing
The second Henry’s footsteps race out of earshot, Van sets me on my feet.
“Sorry,” I whisper, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m not usually this clumsy.”
The corner of his mouth quirks. “I know. Come on.”
We tiptoe down the hall toward the garage doorway, shutting it carefully back on its hinges once we’re through, then repeat the process on the external door as well. As soon as we’re both in the darkness of the cypress trees, we sprint—hand in hand. An inappropriate laugh bubbles in my throat, but I manage to keep it trapped. Since Noah had shifted to the passenger seat, Van and I dive into the back.
“Drive,” I tell Brynn.
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” She peels out as quickly as I usually do when leaving my driveway.
It’s not until we’ve exited the expensive neighborhood and are back on the freeway that anyone speaks.
“I assume you didn’t get caught, but did you get it?” Noah asks.
A guffaw finally escapes as I reach into my pocket, lifting the ring into the light that strobes from the passing streetlamps.
“Yes! What a rush.” Brynn slams the heels of her hands on the steering wheel. “That was so close.”
“I was two seconds from barging in and bringing the whole house down.”
“Good thing I made you wait.” Her eyes cut to Noah, but they’re teasing not defensive.
“Yeah. Yeah.”
My brother slumps against the window, but I don’t miss the slight curve of his lips.
“I can’t believe Van got to you in time,” Brynn says. “I thought for sure I’d need to listen for sirens.”
Reaching over, I intertwine our fingers on the backseat and meet Van’s gaze. “He did. He found me just in time.”
Van brings my knuckles to his lips before his dimpled smile brightens his face, and he lets loose an elated hoot. I chuckle and surprise myself by howling along with him. Noah and Brynn join in, and before long, we’re all hollering and laughing like lunatics. The delighted look on Van’s face makes up for all those panicked seconds in the closet, a hundred times over.
“You did it,” he murmurs as Brynn and Noah excitedly talk over each other.
I squeeze his fingers before returning the ring to its secure pocket. “We did it.”
We’re still high on the excitement of our escapade when we pull into the short driveway of my cottage, and Vivian and Finn spill into the midnight darkness. Van was right about this, about us all sharing in the victory after working together. I’m beginning to think Van might be right abouta lotof things—something about that genius brain of his.
Vivian hugs me the second I step out of the car, her forehead nearly colliding with my collarbones. “I’m so glad it worked. Your mom will be elated.”
For once, I don’t correct her. I usually do when someone in town refers to Noah as my brother or Joanna as my mother. But I’m beginning to finally believe that this is where I belong. This is where my family—mychosenfamily—loves me as fiercely as I love them.
“What did you leave in the ring’s place?” Finn asks, wrapping an affectionate arm around Vivian’s waist.
My chin lifts. “A note.”
Noah grins as he asks, “What did it say?”
The smile curling my lips isn’t just defiant—it’s justifiably righteous.
“You never deserved us.”
thirty-two
Geneva
Normally, I’d stay in the building and work on the business side of running The Garage Gym in the hour between Saturday morning classes, but today, I lock the doors and jog down the road to Joanna’s house.
