Page 69 of The One Where They Fall in Love

“Did you do this?” I whisper, barely holding in the tears that are threatening to break free.

“Be quiet, he’s in the middle of a speech,” Lucy scolds, pointing for me to turn around. When I do, I’m greeted with one of Oliver’s smiles, and my knees start to feel a bit like the turrets of the bouncy castle being deflated last night.

“Elle, I would like to formally apologize for being an absolute ass,” he says. I can tell he’s fidgeting with his hands in his pockets. “I’m so sorry it took me so long to figure my shit out, but I just… got stuck.”

I inhale shakily when he reaches for my hand, lacing our fingers together.

“I love you, Elle,” Oliver says, and I let out a whimper at his words. I can feel my lip quivering. There’s a part of my brain, the one part that is not currently functioning on solely heart-eye emojis—that can’t believe this is happening. Not only did this man come find me to tell me that he lovesme, but I am the sappy heroine crying during the grand gesture. I never would have predicted this for myself.

“I’m here for your happily ever after. Whatever it looks like, whatever it takes, I’m here for it. Because I love you so much, and I promise I will never knowingly hurt you again.”

He takes a breath, still looking down at our hands. “I’m sorry that I ever did it in the first place. It’s up there in one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done. My—you know, the way I’m…me—” I squeeze his hand, as he takes a breath. “It has always scared women away, and I was so tired of it. So, from the first time you scolded me in the hallway, I had myself convinced it would happen again. Then the more I got to know you, the more terrified I became, because everything around me felt like it was hanging in the air. I thought I couldn’t give you the stability of a relationship that you wanted. But I should have believed in us. I’m sorry.”

“That was a pretty good speech,” I hear May mutter behind me.

“I think mine was better,” Lucy whispers back.

“Also, I should tell you that I quit my job—”

“What?” I say, my voice breathless.

“It’s a long story, but you were right. I guess I needed to find my—what do you call it? My main character energy?” I smile. “I want my own life. Not the one my father forced on me. I don’t know what that life looks like, but I don’t want to figure it out alone. I want you by my side, and we’ll work out the rest together.”

I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what Icansay. All my life, I’ve been chasing the perfect ending of a book—the carriage riding away from the castle, the final musicalnumber, the crowd cheering as the heroine won her final battle. I became convinced that I would only ever find that ending in the form of ink on a page. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was an observer, a reader in the book of life, never a starring character.

I look at Oliver, who squeezes my hand a little tighter when our eyes meet, and I take a deep breath. I love my life, I love my family, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt as much a part of a bigger story as I have these last few months with Oliver. Life with him was another star I was afraid to chase, but I reached for it anyway. And I got it.

“You didn’t need the speech,” I say. Oliver furrows his brows at me. “You being here, in Hudson Hollow, today of all days—that was the grandest of grand gestures. Plus, you brought a dog in a bow tie,” I add with a laugh.

Oliver seems to sigh with relief, his shoulders relaxing as he chuckles softly. In one smooth step, he cups my cheeks in his hands and presses his mouth against mine, his soft lips devouring me. Kissing him feels like a release of weeks, months, years of bated breath, all culminating in this moment. The moment that someone stood up for me. The moment this main character got her happily ever after.

Thirty

Oliver

I have said it to her about a thousand times tonight, but my girlfriend looksstunning.

I may have only met Lucy a few times, but she is quickly becoming one of my favorite people. Her wedding matches her personality perfectly, as well as the personality of this quirky little town I now find myself in. After I kissed Elle for what was not nearly enough time, she was whisked away from me, and I was shooed into a seat by some pushy lady named May. She put us—me and Thor—on the aisle in the back, I’m assuming because one of us is a canine.

Thor wasn’t the only furry friend in attendance. Liam’s dog—whose name I now know is Blue—was the ring bearer. He is an impressive-looking German Shepherd. Impressive in that I think he could eat Thor for breakfast, but the two have been getting along since their introduction at the reception.

The setting was beautiful. I can understand what Lucy loves about this place, and why she picked it over the city.The ceremony started right before sunset, so when Elle walked down the aisle with a bouquet of white and pink flowers, her dress matched the hue of the sky. She was still crying, but the smile on her face was infectious. Mine grew even wider at the knowledge that I was the one who put it there.

Liam looked like the happiest guy I’ve ever seen, but secretly I think I was happiest person at the wedding. Elle watched me throughout the entire ceremony, and I was filled with a sense of pride as I stared right back at her. Everyone in the audience may have been watching the bride and groom, but it was impossible not to notice the knockout of a maid of honor. And she was mine.Mine.

As the night winds down, I can tell that Thor is getting restless, or just plain fed up with being the plaything of a bunch of five-year-olds. Elle returns from tending to Lucy with the same exhausted smile on her face that I see on Thor. Her hair is starting to look disheveled after it took a hit from all the bouncing during Cotton-Eyed-Joe. She lost her high heels hours ago—I think she took them off right after the “I do” actually. She falls into my lap with a contented sigh, and I wrap my arms around her, squeezing her hips to make sure she is real.

“Are you real?” she says, laying her arm on my shoulder and propping her head on her hand.

“Can you read my mind?” I ask, taking a curl in between my fingers and wrapping it behind her ear. She lets her head fall into my hand.

“Probably,” she says with a small smile. “Right now you’re thinking about how much you want to take me home.”

“That thought hasn’t left my mind since the second I saw you, babe,” I say, kissing her quickly. I can taste champagne and something fruity on her lips, and I can’t wait to get her alone.

“Liam and Lucy will be leaving for the airport soon,” she says, brushing my hair off of my forehead. “I was going to stay the night at their house anyway, and bring Blue to Liam’s sister’s place in the morning.”

“Are you propositioning me, Elle Thompson?” I joke, squeezing her side until she squirms. When she giggles, I kiss her again, eager to taste every inch of her.