A tear finally broke free, and I lifted a finger to wipe it away. He laughed before he dropped an arm from around my neck to wipe at his own face. “This is stupid. I’m crying. But not because I’m upset. I’m so unbelievably happy because I never thought I’dfind this. David, I’m so in love with you, too, and I’m so sorry that I made you wait for me like I did.”
Now we were both laughing, and I couldn’t keep this going or we’d just continue with all the sappy things, so I did what any self-respecting man would do in the situation and sealed my mouth over his. Because this was me and Malcolm. This was the start of us. This was our forever.
Epilogue
Malcolm
Three Months Later…
The apartment was beautiful. It was a little smaller than my place back in Chicago had been, but it didn’t matter. This was about starting over. A new chapter. New beginnings.
A soft breeze blew the curtains from the open patio door as Dad helped David unload the last of the boxes from the car. We’d picked out the furnishings together, and they’d arrived a few days ago. The place already looked lived in before we’d even set anything else up. David said it wouldn’t have been right had he done everything, and while it would have been easy to just relocate all of my furniture, it was more fun to blend our styles.
Holy. Hell. This was real.
If you had told me a year ago that I’d be happily unemployed and moving in with the man of my dreams, I would have thought you’d lost your damn mind. My job had been going great, but I’d still been stuck on the path of being forever stood up. All it took was getting stood up that last time for a stranger to notice me at another table and take over my failed date.
“Hey, gorgeous.”
I jumped as David’s hand landed on my shoulder. He laughed because he’d startled me out of my thoughts.
“Ye—yeah?” I stammered, looking around the room in a frantic attempt to figure out what I’d missed.
“Your mom and dad are getting ready to head out. Did you want to say anything before they leave?”
My eyes widened before I ran out into the hall where my parents stood at the bank of elevators. I hurried over to them, right as the doors slid open.
“Thank you for coming today. We really appreciate all the help.”
Mom shrugged before pulling me into a hug. “I’m just happy to have you closer to home. That man is good for you. Don’t mess this one up.”
I laughed nervously because if she only knew all the ways I’d almost sabotaged things along the way.
The second the doors closed, the other elevator opened, and a pretty woman with long blonde hair in a ponytail disembarked. She looked far too professional for this part of Waukegan. Her pressed pencil skirt, blazer, and high heels said this woman meant business. If we’d been back in Chicago, I wouldn’t have even questioned her appearance, but it seemed so out of place here. She checked a small wristwatch before walking down the hall and I followed at a distance to hopefully not come across as a creeper. I needed to get back to the apartment somehow.
My brow furrowed, and I frowned as she stopped right in front of my door. She huffed and wrinkled her nose before she raised a hand to knock.
“Can I help you with something?” I asked.
She jumped back, pressing a hand to her chest, turning familiar blue eyes on me. Eyes that I’d gotten to know all too well over the last several months. The front door swung open, surprising the woman again as her gaze darted between me and David.
“Audrey?”
“Jesus, David. I wasn’t sure I had the right place. It’s so damn quiet and then this guy stopped me in the hallway…”
At that point, both David and I were laughing, while Audrey did not look that impressed.
“It’s not funny. Then you laugh at me. What the hell is this place, anyway? You said, ‘Move to Chicago, Audrey.’ Not whatever this little Podunk town is.”
I placed a hand on the small of her back to move her to the side to get into the apartment. She tensed under my touch until she realized who I was.
“Oh. Oh, my God. You’re him. And here I am standing out here yammering away like a fucking idiot. Audrey Garrison. You must be Malcolm.” She held out her hand, which I gratefully took, but surprised her again by pulling her into a hug. She squeaked, but then returned the embrace, giggling.
David had told me a lot about his sister, and I’d even had the chance to talk to her over the phone a few times, but we’d never met face to face. Shortly after quitting my job, he’d come clean about the problems he’d been having with his parents. They’d initially helped him and Audrey get started, but then drove their own business into the ground. They’d been trying to manipulate the siblings into saving them, and David’s move to Chicago had primarily been about trying to escape them. It was a bonus thathe’d met me in the process. When he knew things were going to work out, he convinced his sister to move as well.
“I didn’t know you were going to be here today,” I said as I finally released her to get a better look. While she seemed overly professional, she looked just like her brother. Most days, it was an effort to get David out of a suit as well.
When I looked over at the aforementioned man, he was blushing and looking away.
