I Plan on Forever (I Never 2.50)

What? She worked on this at lunch? How did I not notice it?

“I feel like we are in storytime at the library like what I take Emme to,” Haylee whispers when Lauren holds the book up to face us.

“Once upon a time…”

The crowd laughs. Okay, it’s a little funny.

“A handsome guy named Kyler happened to answer the front door to his castle to find a beautiful woman standing on the other side. She was lost, looking for her home, and happened to stumble upon this stranger.”

I press my lips together to keep from laughing. I mean, that’s not exactly how it happened, but sure, for this.

Lauren turns the page. “He was so taken by the woman that he didn’t know what to do. That night, he met with his gorgeous, smart, and funny sisters.”

Kate winks dramatically. That line has her written all over it.

“They could tell something was different about him from the moment they saw him. He tried to deny it, but their magical big-sister powers saw right through that façade.”

“Wow, that’s a big word for a kids’ book,” Zach shouts, followed by a loud grunt where his wife kicked him under the table.

Haylee gives him a stern look and points her finger toward his face and whispers something. She then leans back into him, and he smiles.

Lord knows what she said. Actually, come to think of it, I don’t want to know.

“As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted.” Lauren narrows her eyes at my brother.

She might look like she’s ready to smack him, but I know her. Both of Kyler’s sisters love Zach as if he were their brother. They joke and tease each other as if they’ve known each other their whole lives.

I scoot my chair even closer to Kyler’s as he places his arm around my shoulder, pulling me to his chest. I lean into him, resting my hand on his knee, and listen for the rest of the story, even though I have some sort of idea as to how it ends.

“The sisters couldn’t help but tease their poor brother. He had this goofy smile that they had never seen before. It was as if Cupid’s arrow struck him.”

Kate pretends to shoot a bow and arrow. I laugh, wishing Aria were here to see this. I’m sure she would cringe and correct Kate’s form right now.

“Dani had Kyler hooked…” And now Kate miraculously has a pretend fishing pole in her hand. “…since the moment they met. He just had to convince her that he was worth it.”

I glance up at Kyler, who tilts his head down to me. He smiles wildly, and I know that he was worth it.

“So, let’s now fast-forward to Kyler and Dani spending time to get to know each other. Enter the older, yet wiser, sisters. They played a little Jiminy Cricket in his ear, convincing him to ask her to dinner. What was the worst that could happen? Plus, they just had to meet this girl who had turned their brother’s world upside down.”

Kate began. “None of them thought she was going to show, but then a miracle happened—you know, like Jesus turning water into wine.”

“Did your sister just reference me showing up to Momento that night as a miracle from God?”

His laugh vibrates through my body and he places a brief kiss to the top of my head. “Shh. Let’s just go with it, baby.”

I think back to that night and how I almost didn’t show up, but there was something about Kyler. No matter how much I tried to deny it to myself, there was something that drew me to him.

“Kyler’s sisters watched their interaction throughout the night—the little glances, the little touches—and they knew they were watching a love blossom like no other. The two finally gave in to their feelings over a large order of curly cheese fries, fried mac and cheese, and a chicken quesadilla when he pulled out all the stops for a romantic first date. It was not long after that when he realized she was his forever.”

“And then a meteor hit, and they all died. The end.”

Whoa, what? What the fuck kind of ending is that? Lauren must see the shock on our faces while Kate is bent over in laughter.

“I’m sorry,” she says, trying to hide her laughter, but failing. “I’m just kidding. I read that once in a C. Lymari novel, and I just really have been dying to use that line.”

“I hope everyone enjoyed our little storytime. Now, you may have wondered where we came up with the title, but it was simple. We believe that while neither of them planned to fall in love with each other, it just happened, and now here they are planning on forever.”

Kate grabs their glasses from the table and hands one off to Lauren. “So, let’s raise a glass to Dani and Ky, and may they live happily ever after.”