Epilogue

Fletcher

About four months later . . .

"Are you sure I look okay?" Ronan is fidgeting with his collar, and it's the cutest damn thing.

"Aw, are you afraid of Blair?" I tease. He doesn't need to worry. She absolutely loves him and was thrilled to find out that he was fully on board with her plan for us. She immediately invited him over for dinner and fussed over him, just like she does with all her kids.

Ronan looks far too serious when he says, "Of course I am. That woman would bury me all by herself. I have no doubt." She wouldn't. He's one of her kids now, but still, this really amuses the hell out of me.

I remove his hands from the collar of his button-down shirt and take them in my hands. I kiss the tip of his nose. "That's only if you hurt me," I say with a menacing grin, and he just glares at me, but then I see the hint of a smile. He knows I'm messing with him.

And I know he isn't going to hurt me. I feel it deep in my soul. Now that he's opened himself up to love, he's all-in. I don't sit around and worry about losing him anymore or him letting me go. There's a peace there now. I know we're solid. That he's it for me, and I'm it for him, no matter how young we are. No matter what, this is it for us.

"Blair is just happy to have all of her babies home for Christmas," I assure him as I knock on the front door of my parent's house. Why I bother knocking, I'm not really sure, but Ronan insisted.

It's been a hell of a ride these past few months since we finally got our shit together. I kept my word and stayed far away from his office—even only helping Annie out by meeting at the library because she knows what's up.

She was more than happy that we finally got it together and are an official couple. I did have to help her out in classes as her TA, but thankfully, I kept my head down and my eyes to myself any time I was even close to Ronan's classrooms.

There was no way I was going to mess this up for him. We kept our distance until my last final—well, on campus anyway—he spent a hell of a lot of time at my apartment during the times we weren't on campus.

But now, I've given up my place and moved in with him. It's bliss. I mean, that's probably cheesy as hell, but I really don't care. I get to wake up every single morning in his arms, and I get to shower with him often. It is my absolute definition of bliss.

His dream has become mine. I love our house. We've been making plans to remodel one of the bathrooms and the kitchen. We've talked about extending the backyard patio. We're making it ours.

I'm not worried about attending Rockford at all. It was never about the place for me. He has a life at this college, but I never really set roots down here. All I need in this world is currently under the roof of this house and standing right next to me.

I squeeze Ronan's hand as Blair pulls open the door, looking fabulous as always in black pants and a cashmere sweater. "You're finally here! I was getting worried. About to come drag you both home." She pulls me into a hug and then Ronan, squeezing us both tight and letting us into her home—my home. It will always be my home too.

And now that she's pretty much adopted Ronan—because he's family now too—it's his home also. That's just how Blair is.

"We were doing our best to keep her distracted," Rhett says as he and Grayson greet us as we take off our coats and hang them on the coat rack.

"It wasn't working," Grayson chuckles.

"Hush," Blair says as she cups my face in her small hands. "I just missed you."

I laugh as she presses a quick kiss to my forehead. "I saw you last weekend," I say and smile. "But I missed you too."

"Hey, son," Rhys says as he walks into the foyer. "Ronan." He actually half-smiles at my boyfriend, and I'm taking that as a win.

Ronan greets him, and then Bree comes in to give us both hugs and complain that we aren't eating yet. Max and Ian run past us in a blur toward the dining room, and we follow the chaos that's my family, walking with our hands joined and sitting down next to each other at the table.

We eat the meal Blair had catered, and we laugh and talk about Bree's experience in New York and how I'm transferring schools soon. Grayson and Rhett are talking about adding more to the lake house and how someday, they really want it to be their permanent home.

It's all so very normal.

And then Ian tosses a roll at Max from across the table, and instead of Blair getting mad, this woman... she scoops up some mashed potatoes in her spoon and flings it across the table at Ian.

It hits him square in the cheek, and Rhys groans, but he's happily amused. "Really? Can we not have one dinner that doesn't end up on the floor?"

Blair then hits Rhys right in the face with potatoes, and then it's on. Most of our holiday dinner winds up everywhere, but no one is mad. Everyone is laughing like crazy, having a blast and not taking life too seriously.

That's what Blair taught us.

That love makes you stronger and that life isn't that hard or serious, it's what you make of it.

I hold up a roll that's already been buttered and threaten Ronan with it, and he shakes his head at me. "Don't you dare."

"Why? What are you going to do to me if I do it?" I say, waggling my eyebrows.

He laughs and grabs my hips, shaking his head at me. "Don't do it."

"Will you still love me if I do?" I tease.

His face goes completely serious now, his intense eyes on mine. "I'll always love you. No matter what."

I lean in and kiss his lips softly, but then pull back. "Good." I smash the roll onto the top of his head and run, but he catches up with me quickly, catching me, and smashes some potatoes on top of my head. We laugh and kiss as the chaos ensues in the dining room.

I never thought I'd be here. It seemed so dark and lonely when I was a kid. I never thought I'd have happiness like this or anything even close to it.

But because of Blair... Because of my family. And because of Ronan, I now know what being blissfully happy means.

It's not easy. It's not supposed to be. You have to fight for what you want in this life, and I'm happier than I've ever been.

I'm not that scared kid anymore, and my smile isn't fake. I don't have to try to convince the world I'm happy.

I just am.