Pretty Boy D: Epilogue

Joss

Warm sand between my toes, sunny sky above, the rush of the ocean beside me. To top it all off, Dane and I have this entire beach to ourselves. And to think, this vacation was nothing more than an idea a few weeks ago.

Here, my head and heart are both so much clearer.

Blue: Well?

I smile at my phone when she texts, knowing everyone back home is anxiously awaiting the results. Much like Dane and I are.

Joss: Nothing to report yet, but it should be noted that we only have a two-minute wait and you’ve already texted five times.

Blue: Cut me some slack! I just keep picturing this fat-faced cutie calling me Aunt Blue!

A laugh slips out that helps dispel some of the nervousness. No, we’re not hoping it’s positive, but we’ve accepted that it’s a possibility.

Joss: Promise you’ll be the first person I text either way. That is, if Dane doesn’t get to West first and spill the beans.

She knows as well as I do that our boys tell each other everything.

Blue: Ok, good luck!

I smile at the phone and shove it back into the pocket of my jean shorts, seconds before my gaze is drawn toward our villa when the sliding door opens.

“It’s time,” Dane says with a quick nod.

Those two words have me sprinting up the stone steps, then across the patio. I’d come outside for fresh air, hoping to calm my nerves, but it didn’t help much. A million thoughts have been racing through my head—what will it say? Has the course of our lives just been changed forever?

However, the one thing I don’t question is whether Dane and I are strong enough for this. Whatever comes next, that small stick we left on the sink holds all the answers.

“You good?”

I glance toward Dane when he speaks, trailing me to the bathroom.

“Fine,” I say, which is mostly true. But then, his palm warms my shoulder, halting my anxious steps.

“Whichever way this goes, we’re good. You know that, right?”

He takes my face in both hands, drawing my eyes to his. The contact settles me a bit, all because I believe him. One hundred percent. Whatever the outcome of the test, we’ll make it.

I nod, and he seems to realize I’m being honest. When his hands leave my cheeks, he leads the way this time. We cross the threshold, and our attention fixates on the sink. Or rather, on that tiny stick resting on it. As we approach, I imagine Dane’s heart is racing just as fast and as hard as mine.

Which is pretty fucking hard.

“Wait,” he says, stepping in front of me, blocking my view before I can finally put an end to my curiosity.

My eyes widen at him, finding it hard to believe he’d postpone such a pivotal moment.

“What is it?”

“Just sayin’. This is our last chance to vlog this moment. If we let it pass, the opportunity’s gone forever. Well, at least until I potentially knock you up again.”

He earns himself another of my hard glares with the statement. For several reasons.

“You know, way, way in the future,” he clarifies with a wink that has me smiling up at him.

“As tempting as it is to let the whole world know the condom broke and this is our life right now, I’m gonna have to pass. Besides, that kind of defeats the point of us escaping Pandora.”

He, legit, looks disappointed and I know it’s not about clout or views for him. He just genuinely loves the idea of us and wants to share all our moments with our followers.

Our followers.

Shifting the focus of his brand to be about us and not just him was completely his idea. With Rose out of his life, and with me in it, he wanted to take things in a completely new direction. So, we vlog and post as a couple now—cooking videos, decorating the loft as a team, date nights, every minute of this vacation.

Well, every moment except this one.

I was pretty sure he’d see a dip in engagement after making the change, but it’s been the complete opposite. We’ve gotten several sponsorship offers we’re still trying to sort through, and his solo offers have skyrocketed, too. My uncle’s even been impressed, offering us both an internship after graduation, should we decide to accept.

Apparently, Dane’s fans love seeing the reformed playboy turned devoted boyfriend, finally settled and happy. They root for us almost as hard as we root for us, which they proved when Dane’s recording of Rose went viral beyond our wildest dreams.

The end result?

The online community completely canceled her—influencers began avoiding her like the plague, which made brands view partnering with her as a liability, the kiss of death. Already, after only a few weeks, she’s been dropped by several clients, and I suspect we’ll see the trend continue.

Guess this goes to show you don’t fuck with Dane Golden. Just ask Alex from back in the day.

Something unexpected that’s come of all this vlogging stuff is that I even find myself opening up, venturing to talk about my father, the insecurities that resulted from the toxicity in my childhood home. Hearing both Dane and I be transparent about real-life shit has helped a lot of people.

Dane’s opened up about things with his dad, too, including how mentally preparing for the trial has affected him, and I’ve talked about finding out about my sister in a very unconventional way. Of course, I took a delicate approach—concealing Peyton’s identity—but it’s my hope that, one day, she and I can meet. When she’s ready. When we’re both ready.

It isn’t lost on me that if Pandora hadn’t been discreet about this, hadn’t let me have this one thing, my sister might’ve been hurt. While I don’t yet know her, I still feel the inclination to protect her. Even if the feeling in the pit of my stomach tells me she’s got a hard road ahead—being my father’s daughter, living anywhere near Cypress Pointe.

This thought leaves me, and I accept that we’ve procrastinated long enough. Taking a step closer to the sink, I crane my neck a bit.

“Ok, moment of truth,” I say, finally getting a clear view of the test, of the tiny window in the center of it. A sharp gasp leaves my mouth and my gaze flits toward Dane. As he studies the stick, his expression reflects his mood—anxious, nervous, confused.

“No clue what that means,” he admits with one eyebrow raised. “Why the hell can’t they just say yes or no? Did we throw away the directions?”

“We don’t need them,” I say, locking both arms around his neck as I whisper two words against his ear. “It’s negative.”

His grip on me tightens slowly, not like he’s overcome with relief, but I get the sense that he’s just happy to know one way or another. Happy to finally have an answer.

I breathe the first sigh of relief I’ve breathed in weeks, all because I now know that we have time.

Time to enjoy each other with it just being us.

Time to achieve all that we’re capable of achieving.

Time to plan how we want to build our future, our family.

My kiss cuts off his words just as he begins to speak, but he gets into it quickly despite being caught off guard.

“We have to tell everyone,” I step back to say. However, I’m pulled close again, laughing when his lips tickle the side of my neck.

“You can’t just fucking kiss me like that, then think I’ll let you walk away,” he says with a groan.

“Can and will,” I tease. “We have calls to make. Blue’s been waiting on pins and needles and I’m sure your brothers have been, too.”

After a few seconds of serious deliberation, Dane finally lets go, but not without groping my ass as I exit.

Joss: Negative!

I’ve barely made it to the hall when I send that text.

Blue: Congrats! Although, I was kind of digging the idea of our crew having a new addition.

Joss: Believe me. There is still plenty of time for that. Just… you know… not now. Thank God.

Blue: Now that you got a redo, we should totally plan to get knocked up at the same time. That way, our kiddos can grow up together.

Joss: Can you imagine how this conversation would terrify the guys if they read it?

Blue: Nah, not with us. I think they know they’re stuck with us forever.

Joss: True. But back to this totally unrealistic, obligatory friendship/ baby pact.

Blue: Seriously, though! I mean, are two girls really even friends if they don’t get knocked up in the same month?

Despite her being a few thousand miles away, and completely full of shit, I laugh and swear I hear her laughing, too. Which makes me miss her and our crew even more.

Joss: You’re insane, but I love you.

Blue: Love you back! Enjoy your vacation and call as soon as you two make it home. We’ll have another girls’ night.

Joss: Sounds perfect. Talk soon.

With that, I head back into the living room where Dane’s got both his brothers on speaker phone. There’s talk of Dane ‘double-wrapping’ it next time and other ridiculousness. Meanwhile, I’ve already got a script for birth control waiting on me as soon as we’re back in Cypress Pointe.

This is an experience we’ll never ever forget.

Distracted when I begin kissing the back of his neck, Dane wraps up his conversation quickly, and then tosses his phone to the couch. Half a second later, he turns to lift me off my feet. On instinct, my legs encircle his waist and we’re on the move.

“Where are you taking me?” I ask, not really caring. He could literally take me anywhere and I wouldn’t complain.

“Eventually we’re going out to swim,” he answers, confusing me.

“Eventually?”

“Eventually,” he repeats with a nod, squeezing my ass tight as he carries me. “The first thing we’re doing is celebrating, and what better way to celebrate not getting you knocked up than to have a couple practice rounds?”

I smack his shoulder playfully, but don’t protest.

“Ok, but you have to do one thing first.”

His steps slow and he peers up. “Name it.”

A smile touches my lips and I grip his hair in my fingers. “Tell me you love me.”

His smirk tells me I just gave him the simplest task in the world to complete, so the words just roll off his tongue. Easy. Free.

“I love you, Josslyn Grace Francois. More than any-fucking-thing.”

With that, he takes me to the suite, and I never imagined I’d ever know this kind of happiness. And to think, it only took me giving in to the one guy I should’ve always known was ‘the one’.

My best friend.