Epilogue

Four months later…

"Something fishy is going on here," Beth says, eyeing the ballroom suspiciously.

"Sorry, it"s a little hard to take you seriously when you"re dressed as Marie Antoinette," I say with a giggle.

"I agree with Beth. I mean, Marie," Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice, aka Hannah, chimes in beside me, sipping on her champagne. "I mean, why would Fraser throw a historical romance themed party? Something doesn"t add up here."

"To be perfectly honest, ladies, I share your suspicions. My boyfriend is definitely up to something."

"Sorry, didn"t quite catch that," Amiel, who"s wearing a medieval-style dress with flowing sleeves and a cinched waist, says with a gleam in her eye, because she totally did catch that.

"Oh, you mean when I said my boyfriend?" I raise my voice. "My boyfriend, my boyfriend, my boyfriend."

The five of us laugh, because yeah, I"m that girl who will never tire of hearing myself say those two words.

Fraser didn"t have the entire summer off, but we spent every single day of his free time in the offseason together. I had a lot of extra time on my hands, since, to no one"s surprise, I got fired from The Morning Buzz.

But now that I"m the proud owner of the Harbor View Arena and a junior league hockey team, I didn"t have any spare time to cry about it.

You know when everything just feels like an uphill battle?

That"s what my reporting career felt like. I kept trying to find an audience that wasn"t there. People just aren"t interested in good news stories, and I"ve finally—finally—accepted it.

But do you also know the feeling of when life gives you all the green lights, and things feel easy, and everything just falls into place?

That"s how it is with the junior hockey league team I own and will start coaching in the fall.

Even though there"s been, and will for the foreseeable future be, a never-ending amount of work to do, everything is progressing smoothly.

Starting with the stadium itself.

Initially we thought it might get by with just a cosmetic makeover, but once we looked into it properly, it quickly became apparent it needs a complete overhaul. It"s been vacant for so long, and prior to that, years of neglect and poor management have left it in a rundown and dilapidated condition.

Fraser has stepped up and taken the lead on that side of things, organizing structural repairs to fix the damaged roofing, replacing the outdated HVAC system, resurfacing the ice, upgrading the cooling system, installing new boards and glass, and basically making the stadium a place people would want to come and bring their families and friends to.

We"ve hired a small team to help with spreading the word about the two teams we"ll be putting together, because yes, I want the teams I coach to be available to all kids. One team will be for boys and girls, and the other team will be for any child who wants to play, irrespective of their physical or intellectual abilities.

Support personnel are handling operations, admin, logistics, marketing, and communications.

My focus has been on getting ready to coach. Luckily, I know a guy who knows a thing or two about the game.

No, not Fraser.

My dad.

Hockey has always been the thing that"s connected us, and I love that he"s involved in this venture, too. It"s been great spending time setting up the team together with him. He"s been an invaluable source of information for me, allowing me to run my ideas by him, and he really does give the best advice.

I also enrolled in a USA Hockey coaching education program. Because while, yes, I know the game inside out, and yes, I have a lifetime of practice in doling out feedback, I"m determined to take this seriously. Just because I"m coaching junior and para teams doesn"t mean I"m not going to be the best coach I can be. These kids deserve it.

And of course, I had to come up with a name for the team.

It took me a while to land on something special.

I"ll never forget Fraser"s face when I told him what I"d settled on. I was worried he"d think it was stupid, or might not want me to use it, but he got all choked up, hugged me, and said it was the best team name ever.

So what name did I choose?

Why, that would be…drum roll please…The Comfort Bay Oakeys.

It"s perfect, don"t you think?

I"ve never been as excited about anything like I am this. For the first time in my life, I believe in myself, and I"ve got the support and love of the most incredible guy ever. What more could I ask for?

"And why aren"t you dressed up?" Summer asks, snapping me out of my thoughts. "It"s a little strange how the only person not in a costume is the girlfriend of the guy who"s throwing the party."

I smile, because yeah, being referred to as Fraser"s girlfriend will never grow old, either.

"Guys, I am just as much in the dark about this as you are. Fraser gave me strict instructions not to dress up in costume. That"s all I know."

Hannah: "And you didn"t ask him why not?"

Me: "Of course I did. I asked him about a million times. I badgered him on a level that would make Mom proud."

Beth: "And?"

Me: "And nothing. That man is like a vault. I couldn"t get anything out of him."

Summer: "So you really have no idea why Fraser has gathered pretty much everyone the two of you know?—"

Beth: "Which is pretty much everyone in Comfort Bay."

Summer: "Right, and asked us to wear these ridiculous costumes, but allowed you to wear that amazing dress, which I am so borrowing from you?"

Me: "I honestly don"t know. And thank you, you can borrow it anytime you like."

Summer: "Thanks."

Beth: "And why is he throwing a historical romance-themed party? Does Fraser even like historical romance?"

Me: "That would be a hard no."

Hannah: "Guys, look, let"s give Fraser some credit here. I"m sure he"s got something amazing planned. After all, he did pull off the all-time most epic romantic gesture in Comfort Bay"s history by buying Evie a hockey stadium and a junior team."

Beth: "Did you get that verified?"

Hannah: "That it"s the all-time most epic romantic gesture in our humble small town"s history?"

Beth: "Yeah."

Hannah: "I did. Scoured through the town records and everything. Sorry, Mr. Cooper from the late 1800s, but the love letters you wrote and left all over town have been surpassed."

Summer: "Is that…for real?"

Hannah: "No. Of course not. Why does no one think I"m capable of sarcasm?"

Beth: "It"s not that your sarcasm is bad, it"s just that mine is so much better. There"s really no comparison between the two."

Amiel: "Think we"re getting a little sidetracked here."

Beth: "Agreed. Let"s go back to grilling Evie."

Me: "Guys, I really don"t know what Fraser has in store or why he picked this theme for everyone to wear except for me, or even why we"re having this party in the first place. I"m just as clueless as you all."

Amiel: "I believe you, Evie."

Me: "Thanks, Amiel. You may be the newest member of the recently renamed Fast-Talking Five, but you"re already my favorite."

Hannah: "That"s sweet but unfortunately not possible."

Me: "Why not?"

Hannah: "Because she"s my favorite."

Beth: "I believe I called dibs on favoriting Amiel on our walk last month."

Me: "I wasn"t on that walk."

Beth: "Doesn"t matter. It still counts. Which reminds me…"

Me: "Uh-oh."

Beth: "I know you"re all loved up and everything, but you haven"t seen a sunrise in a very long time, missy."

Me: "I know. I"m sorry. I"ve been super busy. But I"ll make more of an effort. Promise."

Beth: "Good."

Hannah: "Good."

Summer: "Good."

Amiel: "I"m just chiming in so I don"t get left out…Good."

"Oh, no. It"s a disaster," Margo"s thick Aussie voice cuts in from behind us.

We all spin around.

"We"re both Marie Antoinettes," she says, pointing at Beth. "Except I"m way more busty."

She"s not wrong.

Margo"s cleavage is, uh, very ample and very much on display. Gravity-defyingly so.

"You made it," I say, giving her a warm embrace.

Having to fire me was hard for her, too. She really did everything she could to keep me. I"m glad we"ve remained friends, and I"m happy she"s here.

"Of course I made it. Wouldn"t miss this for the world, especially when you said the entire LA Swifts team would be here."

"Are you a hockey fan?" Summer asks.

"I"m a hockey player fan, hon. I even bought my husband an entire hockey outfit. The jersey. The shoulder pads. The helmet. The gloves."

I"m surprised to hear her say that. "Oh. I didn"t realize Hamish plays hockey."

"He doesn"t." Margo takes a sip of her cocktail through her straw, her cheeks swelling with a mischievous smile. "Notice how I didn"t say I bought him any pants? Let"s just say it"s added a whole new level of spice to our nocturnal activities."

For only the second time in recorded human history, the Fast-Talking Five have been reduced to silence.

Thankfully, my brother, decked out as a Scottish highlander complete with a tartan plaid kilt, sporran, and Jacobite shirt, swoops in to save us from the awkwardness.

"Aye, it"s a pleasure to see ye," he says, followed by a dramatic bow. He grins goofily. "And that"s all I"ve got as far as pretending to be Scottish goes."

"What a shame," Beth responds dryly. "I was so looking forward to hearing more of you butchering the Scottish accent."

"See," I hear Summer whisper to Hannah. "That"s how you deliver sarcasm."

"Oh, so you"re the brother, ay?" Margo asks, stepping in toward Levi.

He takes a polite half step back because, uh, cleavage, and answers, "The one and only."

"I heard you do a neat party trick." When his expression remains blank, she adds, "You"re a music charts savant, apparently."

He rolls his eyes. "Geez, Evie. Is there anyone you haven"t told about this?"

"About you being a music geek? Uh, no. Everyone knows. Including Amiel now."

Amiel smiles, and Margo takes another sip of her cocktail, then picks a random date. "March 1999. Go."

Levi shoots daggers at me for another few seconds before his inner music nerd breaks through, and he turns to Margo. "Early 1999 was an interesting time on the Billboard Top 200 mainly due to the Titanic soundtrack dominating the album charts. The biggest casualty? Madonna. Because despite her seventh album Ray of Light being critically lauded, Celine stopped it from reaching number one. I guess her heart really did go on…and on…and on."

"I"ve forgotten he"s able to do that," Hannah says as she flags down a waiter and swaps out her empty champagne glass for a new one, which is very unlike her. One drink is usually her limit.

We haven"t been able to hang as much as I would have liked to over the summer. I"ve been flat-out with the stadium, and she"s been spending most of her spare time with Culver.

The two of us watch as Levi regales Margo with way more chart trivia than I think she was anticipating. He finally finishes ranting, and she grabs Hannah and hastily retreats back to the girls while Levi wanders over to me.

"Margo couldn"t wait to get away from you," I observe with a smile.

"Well, then, stop telling people about my talent."

My smile grows. For all his meddling and general annoyingness, I really couldn"t have asked for a better brother.

"Where"s Fraser?" he asks, scanning the ballroom.

"No idea. You haven"t seen him?"

Levi shakes his head. "Nope. Although, I gotta say, this theme is wicked. It"s too bad kilts aren"t a thing. It"s so…freeing."

"Please stop talking."

He laughs.

A waiter carrying a tray of goblets walks past. Levi grabs two glasses, and we move a little bit away from the girls, who have engulfed Margo in another fast-talking tornado.

"Cheers," he says, lifting his glass.

"What are we cheersing to?"

"To you being happier than I"ve seen you in a very long time. Possibly ever. And to me for being the best brother in the world by setting you up with my awesome best friend."

"Fine." I tap my glass against his. "I suppose you did play a very small role in Fraser and me getting together."

"Very small role, ha. Yeah, right. If it wasn"t for my meddling, you"d still be harboring a crush on the guy, and Fraser would still be secretly in love with you from a distance. I deserve an award."

"I"ll call the UN first thing in the morni—" I latch onto Levi"s arm, my mouth hitting the floor. "O…M…G."

He follows my gaze, and something a lot less PG than OMG flies out of his mouth. He waves Mom, Dad, Harper, and Laney over to us.

"Mom, what are you wearing?" Levi asks, since I"m too stunned to say anything.

"There was a little mix-up at the costume store," Dad explains since Mom—excuse me, Wilma Flintstone, is not looking very cheery at the moment.

I"m not entirely sure who Dad"s meant to be, but at least he"s in the right theme, donning a distinguished Victorian gentleman"s outfit, complete with a waistcoat and top hat.

Mom-slash-Wilma folds her arms. "A mix-up that we would have had time to rectify if someone had picked up the costumes yesterday like they were meant to and not today on the way over here, leaving me with no other option but to wear this ridiculous outfit."

There"s a momentary hint of guilt in Dad"s eyes, but it"s quickly replaced by a smile aimed at me. "Someone"s been keeping me very busy."

I smile back at him.

"You"ve got nothing to be embarrassed about, Mom," Levi says, trying—and failing—to hide how funny he"s finding this. "You have amazing legs."

A giggle escapes me.

Mom glares at the two of us, but it"s a little hard to take her seriously, standing there in an asymmetrical, knee-length white tunic dress, chunky stone necklace, and red bob wig topped off with a white bone hair accessory.

Say what you will about Meredith Freeman, but when she commits, she commits.

"You could have just not worn a costume," I mention.

"Don"t be ridiculous, Evelyn. Who shows up to a fancy dress party not wearing a—?" Her eyes narrow. "Wait a minute. Why are you dressed like that? Why aren"t you in fancy dress like the rest of us?"

"Don"t know." I shrug. "Fraser"s orders. He told me to wear normal clothes."

She gives an unimpressed hmph as she surveys the packed ballroom. "Oh, no," she groans. "There"s Anita Bickmore."

"Who"s that?" Levi asks.

"She"s on the hospital board with your mother," Dad answers.

"Arts and cultures committee," Mom corrects. "She"s been hounding me incessantly to let her sister join. Now I"m going to have to spend the whole evening trying to avoid her."

"At least you"re not wearing anything that will make you stand out," I point out helpfully, but strangely, I"m on the receiving end of a very unimpressed glare.

"Soooo…" I decide to move on and address my sisters, "Who are you guys meant to be?"

"We"re both Juliettes looking for our Romeos," Harper answers.

"So, art imitating life, then?" Levi teases, earning himself a very deserved smack across the back of the head from Harper…who proceeds to totally non-discreetly cast her eyes over the ballroom.

Fraser"s brothers, Trace and Clayton, are coming tonight, and my money is on Harper being keen to spend some time with Clayton, AKA America"s favorite reality TV villain.

"Any idea why Fraser is throwing this party, Evelyn?" Mom asks me.

"No idea. I was just telling the girls I"m completely in the dark abou?—"

Before I can finish speaking, my words are drowned out by the jangle of an old-fashioned bell.

The room falls quiet, and then there he is. Fraser, standing on a stage at the end of the ballroom.

Everyone makes their way over to him.

I do, too, unable to take my eyes off him. He"s so handsome, dressed in a tailored three-piece suit. His hair has grown out over the summer break and is styled neatly, and he"s smiling, something he"s been doing a lot more of these past few months.

"Evelyn Freeman," he says into the microphone, his deep voice reverberating throughout the ballroom. "Please make your way to the stage."

"Coming through," I call out as people move out of my way.

As I get closer to him, the rapid thud of my heart echoes in my ears.

What is he up to?

I climb the stairs at the side of the stage, and by the time I reach him, he"s beaming. He places his microphone on the lectern, takes hold of my hands, and says, "You look stunning, Evie."

"Thanks. You don"t scrub up so badly yourself. Now would you like to tell me what on earth is going on?"

"All shall be revealed."

I sniff the air a few times. "Do I smell fries?"

He grins mischievously, then picks up the microphone, and turns to address the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I regret to inform you that I have gathered you all here under false pretenses."

A hushed murmur breaks out.

"You see, next Saturday will be exactly one year to the day since I was set up on what was supposed to be one date with Evie. But I"d been keeping a secret. I"ve been in love with Evie for a very long time. And I knew, deep in my heart, that one date would never be enough."

A chorus of sighs and awwws cascades throughout the ballroom.

"Which brings us to tonight. I wanted to do something memorable. Something unusual. Something that would throw you all off so that no one would suspect what I"m about to do."

"Yeah, you"ve done that," Beth yells out.

Fraser smiles. "Excellent."

He reaches underneath the lectern and produces a microphone which he hands over to me, as well as a…

"I knew I could smell fries," I say, which draws a few surprised and probably confused chuckles from the crowd.

Fraser shakes the packet. "I bought them this morning."

"Um, okay."

He looks sad for a moment. "They"re cold now."

"Forget about the fries, Fraser. It"s fine."

He looks up at me and sticks his lower lip out adorably. "Don"t suppose I could interest you in one?"

"A cold fry? No thanks."

"Not even one?"

"No, really. I"m fine."

"Not even, like, the top one?"

I stare out into the audience and am met with a sea of blank faces. What is he doing? Why is he so insistent on me eating a cold fry?

I glance down at the packet in his hands and almost drop the microphone. "Oh, my goodness!" I gasp.

Fraser drops to his knee, plucks out the top fry, and discards the rest on the floor.

There"s a ring, a deep, vivid, canary-yellow diamond center stone accentuated by smaller white diamonds, sparkling on it.

He takes it off the fry and reaches for my hand. "Evie, it may have taken me almost eight years to ask you to be my girlfriend, but it took me about eight seconds to realize I needed to buy this ring and put it on your finger the second I saw it."

"Where did you see this ring?"

"In a jewelry store in New York."

"You were just casually walking down the street in New York and decided to pop into a jewelry store?"

"Correct."

"This something you do on a regular basis?"

"Evie, you"re overthinking it."

"I"m just curious about your big-city shopping habits. This is important information for me to factor into the decision I"m about to make."

"You"re not going to have a decision to make if I don"t get the chance to ask the question."

"Good point. Continue, please."

"Thank you. I know this is sudden and maybe a little too soon, but I also know with everything I have in me, that I want you to be my wife. The mother of my children. The assistant coach to your junior league and para hockey teams." He swallows. "I want to share the big moments of life with you, but also all the small, ordinary, even mundane ones, too."

It takes me a moment to catch the reference. ""Sweet Nothing,"" I whisper, holding his gaze, remembering our dance at the beach.

He nods. His normally piercing eyes have become misty.

So have mine.

Because for all his grand gestures—like this amazing proposal, like buying me a hockey stadium and team, like flying across the country just because he had a hunch I might be feeling bad—so many of my favorite moments with him have been simple ones.

Like lying on the floor talking.

Like laughing as we eat burgers and way too many malasadas.

Like just being together and knowing that this is right. That we belong together.

"You make me a better man, Evie, and I want to be the best man I can be for you every day for the rest of my life."

He looks at me and smiles, and I honestly don"t think I"ve ever felt happier than I do right now.

"We don"t have to get married this year, or even next year. We can have the world"s longest engagement if that"s what you want." He takes a small breath, then resumes, "So, with all that said, Evelyn Willow Freeman, will you do me the honor of being my wife…someday?"

"Yes! Of course I will. Yes!" I sputter into the microphone.

My hand trembles and tears start to fall down my face as Fraser eases the ring onto my finger, the grease from the fries helping it slide on effortlessly.

The crowd—oh, that"s right, we"re standing on a stage in front of a ballroom filled with people, I"d completely forgotten—erupts in cheers and applause.

Fraser gets to his feet and kisses me. "I love you, Evie," he mumbles into my lips.

"I love you, too, Fraser," I mumble back into his.

We step off the stage and stand hand in hand as people come over to congratulate us.

Starting with…

"Uncle Fraser!"

Fraser lets go of my hand to scoop up Oakey in his arms. Dawn and Tim follow close behind.

"Congratulations, you guys!"

"Thank you," I say as Dawn grabs my hand and inspects the ring.

"Good choice, Fraser," she says, and there"s a sparkle in her eyes that makes me think he might have consulted her about it.

Dad and Wilma—sorry, Mom—are next, both of them a little misty-eyed.

"Now, as happy as we are for you both, unfortunately we can"t stay," Mom informs us.

"Why not?" I ask with a grin, knowing full well Mom will be wanting to escape from here as soon as it"s socially acceptable to do so. Literally everyone is staring at her outfit.

"You"re not as funny as you think you are, Evelyn."

Fraser"s parents are up next. "You"re going to have gorgeous babies. I"m friends with a fabulous photographer. He doesn"t normally do baby photo shoots?—"

"Mom," Fraser interrupts his mother. "First, we"re not even married yet. And second, no baby photo shoots."

"Oh, sweetie. I"m not saying it"ll happen now. Pedro is booked out years in advance."

Fraser lets out an exasperated sigh.

I thread our fingers together, and once his parents have left, I whisper, "I love that your family is just as crazy as mine."

His brothers are next. "Congratulations, little bro," Trace says, and boy, he"s looking and even sounding more like their father every time I see him.

Clayton greets me with a hearty hug, lifting me off my feet. "I"m so freakin" happy. Thank you, Evie, for taking this lug off our hands."

All three Rademacher brothers are ridiculously tall and handsome men, but I definitely lucked out and scored the handsomest.

Still, that doesn"t mean I"ve completely forgotten about my sister.

"Have you guys seen Harper, by any chance?" I ask, directing the question more toward Clayton.

"Can"t say that I have," he replies.

"He"s been too busy taking selfies with fans," Trace supplies.

Clayton shrugs and flashes a bright smile. "Gotta give the fans what they want."

It"s so wild to me how different Fraser and his brothers are.

Trace is super serious, business-focused, and travels all over the world. Clayton has a seemingly boundless supply of energy and adores living his life in the public eye and playing into his bad-boy persona.

While Fraser values his privacy and wants the same thing I do—a simple small town life filled with hockey, love, friends, family…and malasadas.

"Well, she"s keen to say hi, so make sure you catch her," I say to Clayton, which is followed by a gentle poke from the man standing beside me.

"You"re officially more of a meddler than Levi," he whispers once they leave.

I repeat what I said to Clayton to Harper when she and Laney come over, but reverse it, saying Clayton is keen to see her. Watching her eyes almost pop out of her head made the harmless lie totally worth it.

Then Hannah comes over, nursing yet another drink, joined by Culver. They spent most of the summer together. If they weren"t lifelong besties, I"d be starting to suspect that something was going on with them. But surely not. They"re so deep in the friend zone, they"re practically family at this point.

"Congrats, man."

"Thanks, man."

Hannah and I giggle at the display of bro-ness as she bundles me in a big, warm hug.

"I am so happy for you, Evie," she says, rubbing my back, then letting out a small hiccup.

"Thanks. I"m happy for me, too."

I want to check in and make sure she"s okay since I"ve only ever seen her tipsy twice in my life, but more people are making their way over to congratulate us. At least she"s with Culver, who wraps his arm around her as they head toward the dance floor.

After what feels like forever, we"ve finally spoken to everyone.

We move away from the side of the stage. The band is playing a mid-tempo number, so Fraser lifts my hand, presses a gentle kiss onto it, and asks, "May I have this dance?"

"Sure."

His eyebrows shoot up.

"Why are you so surprised?"

"I was counting on having to ask at least seven times. I even have notes on my phone outlining reasons why you should dance with me."

I swat his chest. "You do not…Do you?"

He grins. "Even though there are no truth fries to be found, I can"t lie to you…Yes, I have notes. And yes, they"re thorough."

I throw my head back and laugh. "Hey, if you want to risk public humiliation by dancing with me, who am I to stand in your way?"

"That"s the spirit."

He leads me onto the dance floor, wraps his hands around my waist, and we start swaying to the music.

"What a year it"s been," he says.

"Oh, yeah. Anything interesting happen?"

He chuckles. "Let"s see. It started with a fake date…"

"And ended with a real proposal."

"It sure has. I meant what I said up on that stage, Evie. You make me want to be a better man."

"You already are the best man ever. I mean it. You"re so much more open than you were a year ago. I mean, hello, a public proposal. Last year Fraser wouldn"t have done that at all."

"You don"t mind I did it so publicly?"

"Not at all. I love that all our friends and family were here to share the moment with us."

"That"s what I wanted, too. And you don"t mind that I did it a week before our one-year anniversary?"

"Why would I mind that?"

His eyes darken. "You know, the curse and all."

"What curse—ohhh, the twelve-month curse. You know, it totally slipped my mind."

Guess that"s what happens when you find yourself a great guy and are in a stable, honest, and healthy relationship. You don"t worry about silly things like getting dumped after a year.

"Good. I"m glad. That"s why I wanted to do this a week before our one-year anniversary. I wanted you to go into that special day feeling secure, knowing I would never leave you."

This. Man.

Can he get any swoonier?

"The curse is broken, Fraser. You"re my forever person."

His face lights up with a bright smile, and then we kiss.

With all my heart, with every fiber of my being, I know Fraser is an incredible, kind, thoughtful man who would never deliberately hurt me or deceive me.

Or dump me after a year of dating.

Or publicly humiliate me by breaking up with me on live TV.

That all feels like a lifetime ago.

He lowers his voice so no one dancing near us can hear. "And are we still all good on the waiting thing?" he asks.

"Of course. Why? Have you changed your mind?"

"Every single day about a hundred times a day," he replies jokingly. "I want you so much, Evie. You"re the most beautiful woman in the world. But I know it will be so much more special if we wait."

His words ebb through me like a slow-moving river, and I feel the soul-deep rightness of this decision for us. Because part of me wants to race ahead, too, but like he said, it"ll be so much more special if we hold off until our wedding night.

"You mentioned something about a long engagement?" I say.

"I did. I don"t want you to feel pressured or rushed."

"You know, I"d still be happy with eloping to Vegas."

He chuckles. "So that hasn"t changed since high school?"

"Nope." I smile, then reconsider. "Let"s put the tacky Vegas wedding into the maybe pile."

"Fair enough."

"Just promise me we"ll get married the way we want to get married, okay? If we want something small and intimate, then that"s what we"ll do. I can just picture our mothers getting together to organize the wedding of the decade, and that"s literally the last thing I want."

"Same here. Although, when it comes to your mother, I"ll let you handle her."

"Awww, you still scared of her?"

"Completely. Even dressed as Wilma Flintstone."

"That was a terrifying sight." I slide my hand through his hair. "I realize we haven"t exactly done things the traditional way. But I wouldn"t go back and change a single thing."

"I would…The family dinner, hello."

"Oh. Yeah. That was bad."

"Horrifically bad. I can"t even look at a jalapeno without breaking into a sweat."

"Don"t worry. I have a lifetime to get you used to handling a little heat."

"Nope. That one is totally non-negotiable."

"We"ll see." I smile, staring into those beautiful blue eyes I"ll get to stare into for the rest of my life. "I love you so much."

"I love you even more, Evie." Fraser leans in and kisses me, long and hard. "I can"t wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

The night flies by in a blur.

We dance with family and friends. We talk. We laugh. We drink. It"s the most magical evening ever.

And then it"s all over.

The cleaning staff start moving in as Fraser wanders over to me, his jacket casually flung over his shoulder. "Do I need to get you home before midnight or else you"ll turn into a pumpkin?"

"No. But you do need to get me to an In-N-Out or I"ll turn into something worse."

He laughs.

"What can I say?" I continue. "Dancing burns a lot of calories. I am famished."

Fraser smiles, extending his hand to help me up from my seat. "That"s my girl."

My whole body flushes with happiness.

He doesn"t do it often, but I love it when he calls me his girl.

It"s an intoxicating combination of strength and possessiveness. It doesn"t make me feel weak or less than. If anything, it fills me with a sense of empowerment, like I can do and be and achieve anything I set my mind to.

We hold hands as we make our way toward the exit when a high-pitched giggle rings out in the air.

Fraser glances over at me. "Was that you?"

"Yes. A hidden talent you have yet to uncover about me is that I"m a ventriloquist. Did you see my lips movi?—"

The giggle rings out again, louder this time.

Fraser points toward the corner of the room. "It"s coming from over there."

We walk toward the sound coming from behind a row of tables and chairs stacked in the corner. We reach the end of the tables and peer over.

"Whoa," I exclaim.

"No way," Fraser says, breaking out into a huge grin.

Because there, lying on the floor, side by side, laughing hysterically—possibly because they"re both tipsy—are our two best friends, Hannah and Culver.