Face palm.
“That’s lovely, sweetheart.” Tess squeezes my hand. “Your mom must be so proud of you.”
I manage a nod through the tightness in my chest, clear my throat to move past it. “What day did you say you’re leaving?”
Bri fans her hands over the fresh polish on her stepmom’s toes. “Saturday.”
“You guys should totally come,” I tell them.
Tess is quick to object. “Oh, that’s sweet of you, but we wouldn’t want to?—”
“No, please. The more the merrier, honestly. My mom comes every year. Dinner and dancing for a great cause, it’ll be fun.”
The two women exchange a hopeful look, then glance at Rowan who gives them a nod. Dubs is too engrossed with the chess board he can’t make sense of to notice.
“It’s black tie though,” I add.
Dubs snaps his fingers without looking up. “Did someonesayblack tie? Lundy, baby, this is the night everything changes for us. Count us in, Hannah.”
Bri huffs a laugh at my confused look. “London Bridge,” she explains before mumbling, “He wishes,” under her breath.
“Famous last words, babe. Wait till you see me in a tux.”
Rowan sighs. “Your pawn can’t go there.”
“You said pawns can move forward two spaces.”
“Only on their first move, otherwise it’s one space. But they capture diagonally.”
“You just made that up!”
“I did not.”
Dubs’ crazy eyes dance over the board. “Arbitrary! This whole goddamn game is a bunch of arbitrary rules that make no damn sense.”
He ponders for a moment and reaches for his bishop.
“Can’t do that either.”
“What the hell, man!”
While the two of them hash out the difference between a rook and a bishop for the millionth time, I turn back to the ladies. “Please come.”
Tess looks to Bri whose face beams. “I guess we need to go shopping.”
The house is quiet,everyone tucked into their beds for the night. And like every night before, Rowan and I lie facing each other, bodies entwined under the blankets as his hand moves a familiar path over my legs, arms, and back.
“So, tomorrow,” I breathe.
“Tomorrow.”
“How are you feeling?”
He takes a deep breath. “Good. I know it was a surprise, everyone showing up here, but I think Mom needed to be back at the lake house again.”
“When was the last time she visited?”
He considers for a second. “About eighteen years ago, I guess.” Thecorners of his eyes twitch. “Wow. Didn’t realize how long it’d been until I said it out loud.”