Your Forever Love (The Bennett Family 3)

“So, you’re giving up?” Alice says.

“No, Alice. I’m doing what I can so I won’t be too heartbroken in a few weeks.”

“Are you okay?” Summer asks. For a split second, I toy with the idea of brushing her worry off as I did with my brothers, and say I have my big girl panties on. But truthfully, I’m not okay. And maybe it’s time I took Eric’s advice and stop with the bravado around my family.

“I’m not,” I answer. “He’s sweet and attentive, and I love every second I’m spending with him and his daughter. And I’m terrified that they’ll be going back to Boston.” Voicing this out loud has the unexpected effect of making the knot in my throat feel less tight.

/> The girls are silent for a few seconds, and then Summer says, “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of you.”

“Yeah,” Alice says. “We have your back, sis.”

Caroline claps her hands and, in a stroke of genius, says, “Time for a subject change.”

“Hear, hear,” I agree. “Shoes?”

“Oooh, yes,” Alice says. “I bought the best pair the other day.”

We spend the rest of the night talking about everything under the sun, and I manage to relax. Come September, I will be heartbroken. I know that. But knowing I can rely on my friends and family makes this slightly easier. Just slightly.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Pippa

The next morning, mayhem reigns in the Callahan household. Julie wakes up late and goes into a frenzy as she starts packing. Eric is in a frenzy too, panicking more about Julie’s departure with every passing second. He’s adorable.

I spend some time talking to Ava on the phone, consoling her after she texts me with the sad news that it was a false alarm, and there will be no baby Seamus after all.

When it becomes clear that Julie and Eric are driving themselves crazy trying to pack, I put my foot down, instructing Eric to go in the living room and relax, and I help Julie.

“I don’t think you’ve forgotten anything,” I tell Julie a few hours later. We’re in her room, inspecting her full bags one last time.

“I’m so excited to go.” She almost squeaks out the words.

“I can see that.”

She’s been talking my ear off the entire afternoon about all the things she and the girls are planning to do. I’ve tried to sneak in as much advice as I could during our conversation, but I’m not sure she listened to any of it. She’s riding high on enthusiasm right now. A loud honk resounds from outside the house, putting an end to our inspection. We ticked off everything that was on the to-pack list twice already, anyway. She’s good to go.

“They’re here.” Julie claps her hands. My cousin Jamie is picking her up. He’s driving her and his three daughters to my mom’s. Two of the girls are Julie’s age, and the oldest one is sixteen. Predictably, she doesn’t appear to be looking forward to spending an entire week with twelve-year-olds.

I pick up Julie’s wheeled suitcase. She slings her backpack on her shoulders, and then we head out of her room.

Eric is outside the house, chatting with Jamie. The younger girls sit on the hood of the car, eating ice cream and talking loudly. They slide off the car when they see Julie, and she runs to greet them.

“Ready, girls?” Jamie asks.

They all answer with overenthusiastic nods and cries of yes.

“Let’s get going,” my cousin says.

The moment the car is out of sight, we walk back inside the house.

“So,” I tell Eric coyly. “I’m going to change.”

“Why?” he asks, perplexed.

“To prepare for our date, of course.” We deemed today to be date night ever since Julie told him she wants to go to my mom’s.

“You look great. Though I like you naked best.”