Page 90 of Now and Then

Sutton lets out a frustrated sigh and pushes past the rest of us, marching toward the kitchen. “Oh for fucks sake,” she mutters under her breath.

Greer follows quickly behind, her hobbit feet slapping against the floor, leaving Navy and me alone.

Navy gives me a knowing look, her tone suddenly shifting. “You remember what I said earlier?”

I nod, a grin tugging at my lips. “Don’t worry. I like my kneecaps just the way they are.”

“Good thing Brandi left then.” Navy winks at me and spins on her heels to join the others in the kitchen. A heaviness settles on my shoulders at her comment. I know Navy means well and is looking out for Sutton, but, damn, it’d be nice if she cut me some slack.

After the last round of laughs and costume critiques, we cast our ballots. Moments later, Sutton and I are crowned winners. Luke looks ready to throw down.

Sutton leans in, giving Luke a playful nudge. “Better luck next time, big brother.”

Greer buries another laugh. “We’ll get you guys next year.”

“Yeah.” Luke tucks her under his arm, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “It’s on.”

“Hey now,” Vinnie pipes in, “I think maybe y’all didn’t see my proton pack.” He turns, showing off his Ghostbusters costume. Again.

“We saw it, Vinnie. Trust me,” Navy says with an eye roll as she gathers up dishes and takes them to the sink.

“Where’d Batman go, Navy?” Sutton asks.

Navy’s cheeks blush. “He headed out a while ago.”

“Who was he? I didn’t recognize him,” I say, packing away leftovers.

“I’m not sure.” Navy shrugs her shoulders. “We didn’t exchange names.”

Sutton and Greer grumble. “You are hopeless,” they say in unison.

When we finish cleaning the kitchen, the music softens, and the party winds down. One by one, everyone departs, until it’s just our small group left.

Sutton looks at me, and I see the shift in her, her gaze focused entirely on me. It’s been a chaotic and unexpectedly emotional night, but right now, there’s only us. Everything around me fades away, and all I can think about is getting her home.

“I’m ready to go,” Sutton says softly, her voice carrying the weight of everything unsaid.

I nod, slipping my hand into hers. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Bye, you guys,” Luke and Greer call as we and Navy step outside.

The crisp air is a relief after the heat of the party. I pull Sutton close, placing an arm around her shoulders.

“I’m parked over here,” Navy says, gesturing to Luke’s house. We wait for her to leave and trek around the block. The night sky is filled with thousands of twinkling lights.

“Tonight was fun,” I say.

“It really was.” Sutton releases a heavy breath. “Too bad Adam and Grace couldn’t be here.”

“They’ll be here for the Holiday Cheery-Merry party, right?”

Sutton laughs. “Holiday Cheermeister. And yes, they’ll be here. I’m a little nervous to see what Greer has in store.”

“Oh yeah?”

She glances back at Greer’s overly-decorated house. “If this is what she does for Halloween, can you imagine Christmas?”

“At least you’ve got a few weeks before decorating, right? I mean Halloween is still a week away.”