Except, somehow, it did get better.
I watched Calla as she attempted to screw in a bolt on the set of monkey bars she’d purchased for her nephews. For the past hour, she had been outside Liam’s house, grunting and cursing at the wind, attempting to put together a way too expensive, possibly never going to be used parkour set for the boys.
Dallas and Miles would’ve appreciated a twenty-dollar bill as much as the giant play set, but Calla liked being the cool aunt. In fact, Calla liked it so much that she had been calling Layla, Rachel, and Marigold to see what the rest of them were bringing to ensure she’d one-up them.
Selfishly, I stayed back and enjoyed the view of her in the tiny denim shorts that rode up every time she jumped to make sure the monkey bars weren’t loose. I had set up the base of the structure, but I liked sitting back and watching her do the rest herself.
Leaning back in the Adirondack chair on Liam’s newly extended back porch, I smiled. I was feeling grateful for my sunglasses. They allowed me to take Calla in as much as I wanted without getting crap from her brothers.
“Does she know the party doesn’t start for another hour?” Marigold asked as she stepped through the open French doors with two water bottles.
Her hair was a mess. She looked exactly like the mom of twin nine-year-old boys who’d spent the entire day setting up for their party.
“I think so? She’s been at it for going on three hours, and she still hasn’t figured out how to get the last piece in to screw that top bar.”
Probably because I’d hidden it in my back pocket when she wasn’t looking. I wanted to watch this scene play out a little longer.
Marigold sighed happily next to me as she watched her former sister-in-law piecing together the giant set. She handed a water bottle to me, and I took in the label. Marigold had covered the label with a custom one: Spiderman wearing a Call Of Duty mask and holding a football under one arm.
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Uh, what’s the theme?”
Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair. “Chaos, Nathan. The theme is chaos.”
It was hard not to laugh. Karma was probably going to come back to me for laughing, but it was comical watching her run around like the sky was falling if the napkins weren’t set right.
Liam stood from where he had been fixing a spot where the stain “didn’t match perfectly.” I guess he and Marigold had different opinions on getting ready for a party.
“What do you need from me?” Liam asked, sweat dripping down his forehead just below his backward cap.
Marigold rolled her eyes. “No, by all means, your stain is all I’m worried about. Not like you’ve got fifty children coming over expecting a magical birthday party since Adeline Phillips tipped the fire department to come to Andrew’s party last month. The standards in this school district have now been set so high we might as well have hired Tom Holland himself to be here as Spiderman.” She huffed and stomped a foot before turning to the door.
I glanced back to Liam, who was smirking as she walked away, his eyes trained below her waist. It was a look I was all too familiar with myself.
Which reminded me…I turned back to Calla, who had somehow managed to get the final bar to hang without the bolt I was hiding in my back pocket. She was swinging upside down from the bottom bar, her hair dangling almost to the ground and her smile wide.
“Having fun?” I shouted her way.
She shrugged. “Monkeying around.”
I snorted and got up from my chair and headed toward her.
“Party is in an hour. Want to relax for a bit before the real chaos starts?”
Calla grinned at me and, grasping the bar with both hands, flipped and dismounted gracefully. “I should probably help Marigold.” She said, peering over my shoulder. “I’m sure Liam’s driving her insane.”
I spun, following her line of sight. On the other side of the glass French doors, Marigold was holding a spatula out like she was going to slap her ex-husband with it. Liam was grinning at her, and I could practically hear the sarcasm dripping off every one of his words. He did it just to rile her up.
Behind Marigold, Mama B was holding a tray of beach cookies out like an offering.
Side by side, Calla and I chuckled. The more time I spent around the Wells family, the more I felt like I fit in here. Truly fit in.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. The vibration was louder than usual since the device was pressed up against a velvet ring. To be clear, I had no intention of proposing at a kids’ birthday party. I was more romantic than that. I had bought a four-carat diamond ring, even though Calla would happily accept a candy ring. But she deserved the best.
Luke had helped me pick it out three months ago, and when the salesman mentioned the price of the ring, he almost fainted right there beside me. Business had been good for the past six months. Ever since a TikTok Calla had posted of me playing guitar with three kids in my class had gone viral, my lessons were booked out months in advance. I accepted as many new students as I could, but I was resigned to starting a waiting list. There just weren’t enough hours in the day. Even after I finally left West Oak.
Quitting in front of Chad and Janise had been glorious, especially when I shouted, “Per my last email!” as I strode out of Janise’s office. I didn’t really understand the sentiment, but Luke said they would know, so it felt right.
Calla handled all my social media, along with working full time for the Phillies. She’d done amazing things with my brand, and once that TikTok video took off, I had a massive following almost overnight. There were even a few BuzzFeed articles going viral that mentioned me. It was unreal, but we were thankful. Thankful that we were both given the opportunity to chase our dreams.
And now, my newest dream was to officially—and legally—make Calla mine. I was ready to slide this ring on her finger and call her Mrs. Huxley.
But again, not at a children’s birthday party.
Calla combed her wild hair and headed to the house. My gaze lingered on her form, my attention snagging on the way her hair caught the light of the sun above her, creating a dance of caramel and rich chocolate strands.
The sight had me reminiscing about the first time we met and how her laughter had echoed in my ears like a melody I couldn’t get out of my head. Every shared adventure, every stolen kiss, and every whispered promise played like a movie in my mind. A soft chuckle escaped me as I recalled the last year and all the time we had spent watching the world go by, lost in our own little universe. The feeling of her hand in mine, the warmth of her body against my side—it was all imprinted on my heart and etched into my soul.
“You coming with me?” I blinked out of my reverie to find her watching me with a smile.
I’d go anywhere she went. Instinctively, I slid my hand into my pocket and grasped the small box.
“Yeah, I am.”
