Trouble (Dogwood Lane 3)

It’s then, in that moment, that I know: Dogwood Lane isn’t where I belong. I was wrong.

This isn’t the place that my soul has searched for my whole life.

He is.

EPILOGUE

AVERY

Two weeks later

Rocket Razzle?”

Alexis stands next to the table, a pen and notepad in her hands. She waits on me to give her my order as our friends, my friends, chatter around us.

Penn sits next to me with his hand on my thigh. He’s always touching me. I’m not sure he even notices it. Sometimes it’s just his knee against mine under a table, and sometimes his shoulder bumps mine or he pokes me as he walks by. I think he needs that connection, so I don’t shoo his hand away, even though it’s too humid tonight to touch anyone.

Even him.

“Yes, definitely the Rocket Razzle,” I say.

She nods as she scribbles her note and heads back inside the restaurant.

I sit in my seat and look around the table. Dane and Neely are at the other end with Mia sitting at the head. She’s such a pretty little girl, especially with paint in her hair from helping me with the mural this evening.

The library project has expanded into almost a community affair. Once news broke about what Meredith was doing, everyone wanted to do their part. It’s amazing to watch a town rally like they have. All it took was someone with enough willpower and spirit to make it happen. She said we are going to talk about the animal rescue project next weekend when we go to Nashville for our girls’ night out with Haley.

Trevor sits next to Dane and gazes adoringly across the table at Haley. I’ve never seen someone as happy as she is. No matter what is going on, she’s ready to jump in and help with a smile on her face. Right now, the smile is because of one of Claire’s jokes.

“Um, Claire,” I say, nodding toward the end of the table. “There are little ears here.”

“Oh, shit.” She clamps a hand over her mouth. “Sorry, Mia.”

Mia doesn’t look up. She just bops her head around as she flips through the pages of a book.

Dane laughs. “She has those ear things in and is listening to music.”

“Good idea,” Claire says. “I’m going to get some of those for the next time I have too many Razzles and end up staying with Penn and Avery.” She looks at us and smiles wickedly. “You two are loud.”

Penn shrugs, totally taking that as a compliment.

My first instinct is to blush. But when Penn squeezes my knee, I realize I don’t have to be embarrassed. It’s true.

We are loud. The entire house is loud when we’re together, and that’s more often than not. He’s hinted about me moving in, but I think it’s a little too soon. Yet I stay there every night, so it’s probably for naught.

“I’m sorry,” I tell Claire. “If you were dealing with eight inches, you’d be loud too.”

The table erupts, some of them laughing, others telling me not to encourage Penn’s antics. Penn, on the other hand, wraps his arms around my shoulders and drags me into his chest.

He nuzzles his head into my hair. His chest bounces as he laughs. A kiss is pressed on the top of my head before he rests his chin there.

“I love you,” he says, still laughing.

My entire body stills.

Matt whips his head to us. Claire looks our way, too, thinking she heard what she did but not being sure.

I heard it. And even if he didn’t quite mean it—even if he just said it in a way that I say it to Claire or Harper—he said it.

My heart swells so big I think it might burst. A grin splits my cheeks as I try to contain my reaction to something that’s not entirely embarrassing.

“Did you just tell her you love her?” Matt blurts out. “Holy shit.”

“He did, didn’t he?” Claire’s jaw hits the table as the rest of our friends angle themselves so they can see the unbelievable.

“Um, yeah,” Penn says, pulling me tighter. “I did. Got a problem with it?”

I don’t.

Wrapping my hands around his arms, which are crisscrossed over my chest, I hold on to him for dear life. The jellyfish looks up at me. I think back to what he said, about how the jellyfish is a reminder to follow his instincts. And how, even then, he had the wherewithal to wrap it around the dice.

Maybe he knew back then we were fated to be together.

I squeeze him tighter.

Neely smiles, holding a french fry dipped in ranch dressing in the air. “Did we just witness his first declaration of love?”

“What makes you think it’s his first?” I ask. Although it is. And they all know it.

“Because he said it and then his eyes looked like giant saucers,” Matt says. “And I’m around you two every day, and I would’ve heard it by now.”