39. Epilogue - Fallon

Epilogue - Fallon

I wring my hands together, clearing my throat and trying to school my expression.

The house is beautiful—Brett hired some interior decorators to come and fancy the place up, with pink and white streamers and balloons lining the halls and ceilings, a huge, sparkling balloon arch to the left the moment you walk in the door.

"Hey, Fallon," Sammy greets me, breaking away from the crowd and placing a hand on my shoulder. "This place looks amazing! You guys did a great job."

"Yeah," I laugh. "I guess you've only seen it done up with beer cans on the chandelier, huh?"

Sammy blushes and slips away, making his way over to the corner. Brett is there, holding June and laughing with the guys as they all fawn over her. Clementine and Grey are back there, as well as Devon and Noah.

I wander into the kitchen, finding Chloe, Cassidy, Ellie, and Lola all standing around the kitchen island, laughing. Everyone has a glass of wine except Chloe, who is nearing her due date.

"Hey, guys," I say, and Chloe immediately turns, her eyes sweeping over me.

"Okay," she says, setting down her wine glass with water in it. "What the hell is going on?"

"What?" I ask, putting my hands up. "Nothing! What are you talking about?"

"I can read you better than anyone on this planet, Fallon. And you look…suspicious."

"Suspicious?"

"You do look a little worried about something," Ellie a adds, also setting down her wine glass. "Everything okay?"

I swallow, gaze darting between the four women in this room. Stepping forward, I lower my voice.

"You can't tell anyone ."

A moment later, they're all giggling and talking in hushed voices when Brett appears in the doorway, and we all go completely silent.

"Okay," he says, eyes darting around. "This is troubling—should I be afraid?"

"No," Ellie starts, "you should be—" Chloe pinches her arm before she can say anything else.

"Guys," Ainsley says, appearing in the doorway. I notice the way Cassidy's cheeks flush pink when she looks in her direction, and continue to flush when Ainsley comes to her side, casually looping an arm around her waist. "Is it time for cake yet?"

"Yes!" Joey announces, appearing and heading for the fridge. From it, he pulls out an elaborate cake that reads June Turns One .

We all gather around, singing happy birthday to June, who claps and smiles dopily back at us, her little smile wide and toothless.

My heart swells, looking at her. It always does. Today, she's wearing a little pink dress, and Joey has baked a tiny cake just for her. We get her in her highchair, which is also adorned with pink and white streamers and balloons, and at first, she's not sure what to do with the cake, glancing up at all of us with wide eyes.

"Here, June," Brett says, grinning at her. We all watch, stunned, as he reaches over and scoops a bite off of the main cake, which makes Joey's mouth drop open. Brett puts the cake in his mouth, licking the frosting from his fingers. "Like that."

June giggles loudly, then digs her little hands into her cake, and we all laugh as her eyes go even wider when she realizes how tasty it is.

"I can't believe you did that," Joey sighs, eyes skipping between the cake and Brett. Before Brett can say anything, Chloe reaches over, also taking a handful of cake and frosting.

"You know what?" She grins. "I've been drooling over this thing since you made it. I don't think I'll wait for a plate, either."

Tears stream down my face as, one by one, each guest steps up and takes a little handful of cake, making June scream with laughter. Clementine and Noah's little hands are covered with it, and eventually, even Joey rolls his eyes and leans forward, taking the world's tiniest handful.

Still licking the frosting off my fingers, I make my way over to Brett, wedging myself under his arm.

"You are so impulsive sometimes," I mutter. "You're lucky Joey didn't take you out for that little stunt."

"I know," Brett laughs, his eyes fixing on my mouth as I lick the frosting from my fingers. "But, you know what? I think some people could benefit from a little bit of my impulsive nature."

I stare at him for a long moment, then, nodding, I say, "You know what? You're right. Brett—I'm pregnant."

He coughs immediately, choking on his cake and reaching for a glass of punch from the counter. Everyone in the room has stopped, hearing my proclamation, staring at us, shocked.

"Oh my God," Brett says, his voice raspy when he turns back to me. I'd been nervous about it because it wasn't intentional—it's not like we planned to have another baby, and I'm on birth control. I wring my hands together until Brett reaches out, taking them in his hands and letting out a wet laugh. "Oh my God, Fallon!"

In the next moment, he's lifting me off the ground, spinning me around and laughing, covering me in kisses.

"You're happy?" I ask when he sets me down. Looking at me in awe, he takes a deep breath, bringing his hands up to cup my face.

"Happy?" he cries, before glancing around at everyone else in the kitchen. "Yeah, Fal—I'm happier than I ever thought I'd have the chance to be."

With that, he leans down, kissing me. Clementine makes an Oh, gross! sound, but everyone else claps, giving us congratulations when we pull apart.

"That's so great," Randall says, when he makes his way to us. Glancing at June, and seeing her covered in frosting from head to toe, he clears his throat and says, "I'm happy to help in any way that's not babysitting."

"Of course," Brett says, grinning. Cassidy and Ainsley each give me a hug, and when Chloe comes over, there are tears in her eyes.

"This is pretty great, huh?" she asks, glancing around. When her eyes land on June, she leans down a bit, saying, "Isn't this great, June?"

Looking right back at Chloe, June claps her frosting-covered hands, and opening her mouth to speak her first-ever word, says loud and clear: "Vipers!"

The room goes silent for a moment, then Grey, Devon, and Sammy take a step closer, laughing. Brett's smile is huge, and his eyes are shining.

"Wow," Devon says.

"I'll tell you what, Ratcliffe," Grey says, clapping Brett on the back. " That is a job well done."

The End.