Epilogue

epilogue

MAGGIE

Two Months Later

I pull out my phone while Jack makes sure everything outside the RV is ready for our trip.

I snap a photo of me with the RV in the background and type a text.

Me

This is really happening!

Replies come pouring in almost immediately because the girls knew this was coming.

Meg

!!!!

Ava

Keep us updated about the trip and that new small town. And send lots of photos!

Sadie

Go get ‘em, girl.

Chloe

I can't wait to hear how it all goes! Good luck!

Brooke

Next time you visit California, come see me and Tyler.

I smile as the texts trickle in. I'm grateful that I have such supportive friends, and thankful that while my life is completely upside down, everything is working out better than I could have hoped for.

Thanks. We're about to hit the road. Only 15+ hours left till we're in Starlight Springs.

We'll be stopping at a campground in Southern Utah to spend the night, something my mother seemed less than thrilled about. But Jack and I are taking things slow. I mean, yeah, we're both moving to Starlight Springs to start our life together, but we're just dating. At some point, I'd like to get married and start a family. But first, we both want to find our footing after so many changes.

Jack opens the door and grins at me. "Betsy's all ready to go."

He named his RV Betsy, because apparently, he's the type of guy who names his cars and RVs. But I love it. I also love finding out these fun things about him nearly every day. "Good."

He leans over the center console and presses a quick kiss against my lips. I sigh. I don't think I'll ever get over him kissing me. Our relationship is so new, but it also feels like we've been together forever. It's different than it has ever been with anyone else. There's a security that comes with us knowing each other for so long. We've had a few bumps, but we're stronger because of it.

Jack smiles, a dimple appearing on his left cheek. "This is your last chance to back out, Williams. Never know when I might declare another war on you."

I hide my smirk by looking out the front window. "Maybe I like going to war with you."

He reaches over and squeezes my thigh before starting the RV. It hums to life, and he pulls onto the street, away from my parents' house.

"Does your dad still think this is the dumbest thing you've ever done?" I ask, reaching for my bag to grab a snack.

He glances over at me. "We aren't even out of the neighborhood and you're already eating a snack?"

I pull out a can of Pringles. "Yes. Now answer the question."

Jack sighs, but I can hear the smile in his voice. "He's still mad, but he'll get over it. It's my life, and I'm ready to live it how I want."

I'm proud of him for quitting and sticking up for himself when his dad tried to convince him to go back to his marketing firm—multiple times. Jack was dead set on moving to Starlight Springs with me, and it's all happening a lot faster than I anticipated.

Jack will be living out of his RV for a bit, and I'll be living with Fiona's older sister, Kit, in her huge house where she lives alone.

"Oh, I forgot something," I say suddenly, just as we pull onto the highway.

Jack groans. "And you couldn't have remembered that like, I don't know, five minutes ago?"

"Oh, this isn't something I left at the house." I grin as I reach down into my bag. I never used my last prank when we hiked Longs Peak. Everything was a mess after I saw that text, and then after we had our conversation, I never had time. So I've been saving it for a special occasion, and today seems like as good a time as any.

"What is it then?"

I throw the fuzzy black piece of fabric I knotted together to form a spider at him. "Spider!" Graham said that the best prank to play on Jack would be to put a fake spider in his pack, because he absolutely hates them. That didn't end up happening though, so I've been hanging onto it ever since.

"AGGH!" Jack screams.

I'm fairly certain that if he weren't driving, he would have jumped up. Instead, he's frantically swiping at the black mass to get it off him while keeping one hand on the steering wheel. He's a steady driver, even with a fake spider in his lap.

"You're so dead, Magpie." Jack throws the wad of fabric—made up of parts of an old T-shirt Graham had in his pack—back at me.

"It's war, then?" I ask.

"Oh, it's so on."

The End