Paige patted his cheek. “For my favorite son-in-law? Of course.”
“Now you stop?” I asked.
Paige sent me a wink, then gestured to Molly and Noah. “Proceed.”
Molly started unwrapping a small box but gave me a warm smile. “We’re just happy for you.”
“I know,” I told her. I took a seat on the couch by Claire and held my arms out for the baby. She handed him over with a tiny smile. His warm body cuddled close, I inhaled the top of his head. “Gawd, we should bottle this smell. We’d make a fortune.”
I held my nephew away from me, laughing when he gave me a coy little smile.
Claire nudged me with her foot. “How was it?” she whispered.
I blew gently in Gabriel’s face, grinning when his eyes widened, his gummy mouth opening in happy surprise. “The wedding was great,” I answered. “Which you know, because you were there.”
She rolled her eyes at my evasion.
“What is that?” Noah asked.
Molly studied something in her hand, but I couldn’t make out what it was. “It’s a ring, but I can’t tell what the design is.”
“Is there a card?” Paige asked.
Noah snatched up a small white envelope and ripped it open, tugging out a card. His gaze darted to Molly. “I think you should read this one.”
Molly took the card, and her eyes widened. She handed the ring to Noah, then looked at each one of us.
She let out a deep breath and started reading.
“In Spain, you can find orange blossom trees everywhere you look. It’s why they’re the flower most traditionally used in weddings here. For Spaniards, or those of us who have made this place home, the orange blossom represents joy and happiness, especially for a newly married couple.” She paused, and Noah moved his chair closer so he could wrap an arm around her shoulder. “This ring was given to me by my husband’s mother on the day we got married, and I asked her blessing to send it to you. I’ve found happiness in this path of my life, and I hope you have too, Molly. Thank you for your invitation. I know I didn’t deserve it. Beyond my wish that you experience the same joy that this flower represents, I think the best gift I can give you is to let you and your sisters live on the path that you’ve created since I left.”
The room went silent, and I snuggled my face into Gabriel’s downy soft hair. I wasn’t sure how I felt, but I couldn’t help but think about what I’d said to Aiden after hearing Brooke’s words. It’s not about deserving, about who’s perfect or worthy. It’s about finding the right person and choosing them.
I looked around at my family and smiled.
“How do we feel about this?” Paige asked carefully.
“We?” Claire said with a smile.
“Yeah.” Paige gestured vaguely. “You know, the collective we. You. Whatever.”
Molly took the ring back from Noah and studied it. “It’s pretty. I think I’m just finding it a little funny that we kept holding our breath to see if she’d come, but her answer was sitting right here in a pile of presents for probably the last two weeks.”
Lia sighed. “Spain, huh? With a husband?”
“I guess.” Molly studied the note again, then handed it across the table to her.
Claire held her hand out, and Gabriel grabbed it. “I think it’s a good sign that she’s aware enough to know that her presence, even if it was invited, might not be the healthiest thing for all of us. Maybe she’s growing up,” she said with a rueful smile.
I handed Gabriel back to Claire when he reached for her, and then blinked up when I realized everyone in the room was staring at me.
“What?”
“Feel like punching something?” Paige asked.
I took a deep breath, brows lowered. “No, not really.”
Molly smiled.
My fingers picked at the hem of my shirt. “Just seeing the big picture, I guess. We’re all on the paths we were supposed to be on.” I shrugged. “It’s hard to stay angry with her if that’s the case.”
Molly traded a look with Lia, and Lia traded a look with Claire. Paige’s smile curled up slowly.
“Oh my gosh, what?” I asked.
“There’s only one reason you’d be so chill right now,” Lia said. “You totally got laid last night.”
Noah threw up his hands and walked outside.
I met her gaze with a lifted eyebrow. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
My sisters dissolved into laughter.
Paige held my eyes. “How many pieces of cake did you have last night, Iz?”
Slowly, I held up three fingers.
Paige grinned, and I hid my smile behind my coffee again. Maybe someday I’d share details, but for now, they were all mine.
Chapter Thirty
Isabel
“Mine is still crooked.”
Aiden tilted his head to the side. “It’s not …”
I gave him a look.
“Okay, yes, your cake is crooked.” He knocked a kiss on my cheek as he moved his perfectly level cake next to it. “It’s a little impressive how bad at this you are.”
“Thanks,” I answered dryly.
He swatted my butt. “You still successfully baked a cake.”
I eyed the baked good in question. “I don’t have to decorate it, do I?”
Aiden came up behind me, big hands curling around my hips. “Yes.”
He couldn’t see my face, but I was glaring.
“We could make it double duty,” he suggested.
“In what way?”
His head dropped, and he spoke against the back of my neck. “First time licking frosting off someone’s body.”
“Sold.” I whirled, gripping his T-shirt in my hands so I could tug his head down for a kiss.
And that was the way of it, the way of us, for a couple of weeks after Molly’s wedding. Because of Anya, we had short windows of time planned in advance so that we could achieve a few firsts together. Only one of those, she’d joined us, not realizing that he and I were considering it a date because he only touched me when she was in another room.
Logan invited us to a Wolves game, and we watched from the front row, just behind the Wolve’s bench. Anya spent most of it, staring wide-eyed at the players and staff. Twice, he’d snuck a kiss, but that was it.
Roller skating had ended in him falling three times because he couldn’t keep up with me.
Also, I’d worn short shorts that he said were “categorically unfair” when he was supposed to be keeping his balance.
His family knew we were dating, but I hadn’t talked to any of them since we started, mainly because we wanted Anya to be involved whenever I went to his parent’s house the first time.
That changed just beyond the two-week mark.
I sat behind the front desk the day after we baked our cakes at my apartment, updating some new member files. Someone opened the door, which was unlocked because I was teaching a class in about an hour's time.
Glancing up with a polite smile, I froze when I recognized her from Aiden’s picture.
Her hair was pulled up high on her head, and she had a gym bag slung over her shoulder. “You must be Isabel.”