Better With You (Better Love 2)

24

“Are you nervous?” I ask Bailey as we walk, hand in hand, through the cemetery.

It’s a surprisingly beautiful day for February in Illinois. Clear blue skies and a high of 55 degrees, when just last week it was below freezing and icing. It’s almost like it was handcrafted for this day, this event. A new memory painted by a talented artist.

“I’m not sure,” she says, twirling the bouquet of white flowers in her other hand. “I think so. I think I’m also excited and scared.”

“Why scared?”

“This is something I’ve been working toward for so long, and it kept falling just out of reach. I guess I’m still worried it’s not real. Like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

I halt our walking and turn her to face me, then pull her hand to my mouth, kissing her knuckles.

“It’s real, Sundance. It’s happening. Enjoy it. Be proud.”

She smiles up at me, the fucking galaxy in her amber eyes, and when she raises on her tiptoes, I pull her close and kiss her with everything in me. Because that fear? I understand it. It’s exactly how I felt about her‚ how I still feel. Like it’s all too good to be true. Like I’ll somehow fuck it up again.

She must see something in my expression because she takes my hand, opens it, and presses my palm to her cheek.

“It’s real. I’m here. I’m yours. Be happy.”

I kiss her again, until we’re both a little breathless, and then we resume our walk. The others have already gathered around the grave. I didn’t even notice they’d passed us. When we join them, Ivy wraps her arms around Bailey and rests her chin on her shoulder.

“It’s perfect,” Ivy says, and everyone agrees. “It’s absolutely perfect, B.”

“It is, isn’t it?”

“I like the paint pallet and the brush,” Jesse says. “It’s badass.”

“The quote is great, too,” Kelley chimes in. “You picked a good one.”

“Thanks, guys,” Bailey says, and she steps forward to place the flowers on the grave. Then Jesse pulls something out of his jacket pocket and hands it to Bailey. She barks out a laugh, and I look to Ivy and Kelley, who are bundled up together and smiling like fools.

Bailey turns to me and flashes the small item at me.

“Pot brownie,” she says and rolls her eyes. Then she kneels and digs a little hole off to the side of the headstone. Weird. I’ll have to ask about that later.

As I’m watching her, Jesse steps up next to me and eyes me with his hands in his pockets.

“Dollar Store Thor,” he greets with an arched brow.

“Slipper Dick,” I say back, and we stare at each other, unblinking, until we break into laughter at the same time.

“I cannot with Slipper Dick.” Jesse chuckles. “It’s like cock sock but make it geriatric.”

I snort. Despite our rocky start, I really like Jesse. I really like all of Bailey’s friends. The few weeks after my mom died were rough, and they came through and showed up for me as if we’d always known each other. They’ve even welcomed Talia into the fray, which was admittedly awkward as shit at first.

I mean, my ex-fiancée and my future fiancée hanging out like best buds?

Fucking strange.

But the weirdness wore off pretty quickly, and now it’s just comfortable and familiar. It feels kind of like we’ve all been together forever.

After Ivy places her own bouquet of flowers down, she hooks her arm with Bailey’s and they turn back to the cars. They start whispering, voices too low for me to hear, so I fall back in line with Kelley and Jesse.

“What are they scheming now?” I ask the guys.

“Fuck if I know,” Jesse shrugs. “I’ve stopped trying to figure out Perky and Prickly. They’re complex individuals.”

Kelley chuckles and shakes his head at his friend.

“It really could be anything,” he muses. “My guess is it either has something to do with Jesse’s recent med school acceptance, my birthday, or something with Cassie. They’ve been texting her a lot since we got back from winter break.”

“Yeah, they even made a new group chat and won’t let us in,” Jesse adds. “Rude.”

“Does Slipper Dick feel left out?” I joke.

“Yes, he fucking does,” Jesse snarks, and then sticks his tongue out at the girls’ backs. Kelley and I both laugh at him.

When we get to the cars, Ivy and Jesse climb into Kelley’s Jeep, and Bailey and I get into my Audi.

“We’ll follow you guys?” Kelley asks through the rolled down window.

“Yeah,” Bailey answers, and we back out of the parking spot. “You remember where to go?” she asks, and I flash her a smile.

“Your town is like five streets, babe. I think I can find it.”