Page 137 of Take My Kiss
The moment I see two dozen familiar faces, I gasp.
“Surprise!”
“What is this?”
“It’s our engagement party.”
“What? How?”
Colton pulls me in for a kiss. “I knew you’d wanna celebrate with everyone, so I told ’em to come.”
“Congrats!” Samuel’s the first to wrap his arms around me.
I finally snap out of my shock and hug him back. “I’m so glad you’re here!”
It’s been a month since we’ve seen each other, although we video chat and text all the time. We’re still waiting for mom’s trial date, but her lawyers are doing everything they can to drag it out and argue over each piece of evidence, so it’ll be a while longer. At the very least, she’s still behind bars.
And much to her dismay, I got my trust fund. Samuel even got the other half of his.
As soon as I see that all the Hollises are here, I squeal in delight. I haven’t seen most of them since I packed up my place and moved. Mr. and Mrs. Hollis, Mallory, and all the siblings with their spouses and kids.
And of course, all the Langstons showed up. Even though we all live on the same property, it’s always great to see Colton’s siblings and catch up with them. Warren and Maisie had their baby girl, Birdie Josephine, last month. Getting to hold their newborn baby made me even more excited to meet our baby.
Even the Jamison family came to celebrate with us. I still have to formally meet most of them, but it’s good to see Maddox again. He seems much happier than the last time I saw him.
Raven and Bailey. Mattie and her girlfriend, Penelope. They’re all here. Tears fill my eyes at seeing my best friends again.
Two years ago, I had no family or friends. No one I could trust.
And today, I’m in a room surrounded by people I love and care about, and they love and care about me in return.
It’s surreal and overwhelming in the best way.
I make my rounds, hugging everyone and thanking them for being here. They ask me how I’m feeling and to show them the ring, which I gladly do.
We eat, talk, and laugh. So much laughter.
Sam and Lily came with Colton’s parents, who all apparently knew the plan from the start, and are so excited for us. I learned that before proposing, he sat the kids down and asked them if it was okay to marry their mom.
I cried after hearing that.
All those months I spent thinking about him, never thinking I’d see him again once I left his hotel room, and now here I am—engaged, expecting, and madly in love with the man I tried so hard to forget.
And thank goodness he didn’t let me.
epilogue
Amelia
THREE MONTHS LATER
With the cabin extension complete,we’ve moved on to setting up the nursery and wedding planning—two things I never got to enjoy doing previously—but with Colton, it’s been the best experience.
Since we’re waiting to find out the sex of the baby, we let Sam and Lily pick the theme of the baby’s room. They’re both obsessed with animals, so that’s what we’re doing.
With school and a baby on the way, we’re waiting until next fall to get married, but it’s been fun to browse mood boards and come up with ideas together.
I wrapped up finals for my fall semester, and it was the first time I’d been able to take extra classes since I wasn’t juggling a full-time job. I did a few freelance projects for Maisie and Posey, which helped me gain experience and add clients to my portfolio. Having that freedom during the day to study and do homework was a godsend—when I wasn’t nauseous or throwing up—and made it easier to take care of the kids in the evening.
