Chapter 71: Epilogue Part II
I have no idea where I want to go, but I do have a huge bucket list I want to start checking off, so I have a big task on my hands to work on once I’m back from Caitlin’s party.
When we get to the Bailey-Walsh’s residence, we find it still empty except for some of Caitlin’s neighbor friends. My dad’s truck is already here, though, since he drove my mom earlier so she could bring the cake she made. Aubrie said she didn’t want anyone else’s cake other than my mom’s. I couldn’t blame her.
Spencer and I walk inside, and we’re immediately bombarded with greetings and questions from our family. Surprisingly, besides my parents, Chad, Lauren, Ryan, and Alice are already here too.
“Uncle Spencer! Aunt Hayden! Finally!” Caitlin is the first one to get to us, jumping into Spencer’s arms, even though she’s grown so much in the past couple of years. I hear him chuckling nervously as he tries to hold her weight, and I bite my lip so as not to laugh, focusing on Aubrie’s hug instead.
“Aren’t you the cutest pregnant woman on the planet?” she muses sweetly, pulling away from me and glancing at my not-so-visible belly.
“I’m barely showing yet, Aubrie,” I say in a cheerful tone.
“Ah, but you definitely have that glow in your favor. I, on the other hand, remember being the ugliest, most annoying bitch while I was pregnant,” she grumbles, receiving a disapproving shake of the head from her husband.
“I doubt that is true,” I tell her. “I remember you being so cool about it, still working until the day your water broke.”
Aubrie dismisses me with a wave of her hand, gesturing for us to come inside.
I greet my siblings, and a few minutes later, we’re all settled at the table, eating and drinking—I have to settle for a glass of flavored sparkling water—the party is already crowded and at full power. Poppy arrived a few minutes after Spencer and I, and our table is now complete—except for Thomas and Aubrie who need to socialize with their guests.
By the time the moon is up, the last traces of the sunset painting the sky in that beautiful pinkish orange tone, everyone seated around the table is slightly drunk from all the beers, whiskey, and wine they drank. Apparently, I’ll be the designated driver tonight since Spencer decided to show his “alcohol tolerance” and prove he can drink a whole bottle of Black Label without getting drunk.
My two brothers are wasted, but somehow, they manage to remain with their stoic expressions, unbothered. I just know they are past their alcohol limit because Ryan’s cheeks are redder than normal, and Chad’s hazel eyes have this sluggish gaze as he talks to Alice. Lauren is…something else entirely. My sister drank so many different cocktails that I lost count of them after the tenth glass. She’s chattier than usual, and that’s saying a lot. For at least fifteen minutes, she’s been talking about this argument that blew up between a couple of her coworkers that left one of them with a black eye and a scratched face.
Poppy and Alice are the only ones who can be considered only slightly buzzed, sipping lazily on their wine.
Thankfully, Mom and Dad are talking to Valerie and Bob at their table, so at the moment, it’s just us here.
“Oh, I have another piece of hot gossip to share…” Lauren continues, her eyes widening in surprise as if she has just remembered something really important. “A little bird told me this thing the other day…” she trails off with suspense, taking in everyone’s faces before continuing.
I can see Poppy straightening up in her seat, already itching to hear the gossip.
My brothers don’t seem to be that interested, rolling their eyes at our sister, and Alice is just listening politely. I can’t tell if she’s eager to hear it or not.
Spencer leans back in his seat, feigning indifference, but I know he wants to know whatever Lauren has to say. I swear the man loves some gossip sometimes.
“There you go again,” Chad complains from the other side of the table. “Don’t you ever get tired of spreading stuff that doesn’t concern you?”
“I’m not ‘spreading stuff,’ brother,” Lauren retorts through clenched teeth, narrowing her eyes at him. “And it actually concerns me…indirectly. If I were you, I'd be more concerned about this as well, since it involves your little ass.”
Chad seems to sober up immediately, his eyes slightly widening at her. “What do you mean? Whatever you heard, I’m sure it’s a lie.”
“Is it?” Lauren threatens. “It also involves someone else at this table.”
My head snaps from one side to the other, trying to put the pieces together by myself, but everyone seems to be just as confused as I am.
Lauren grins, obviously proud of getting the reaction she intended.
“So, the little bird told me they saw you, brother,” my sister points at Chad, “and Poppy,” she turns to my friend, “kissing at the bar the other night,” Lauren spills, looking delighted with the information she just dumped on us.
Poppy chokes on her wine, and Chad almost falls out of his chair. The scene is hilarious, but I’m so shocked that I can’t even find it in me to laugh at it. Ryan cracks up, Alice is stifling her laugh, and Spencer is drinking from his glass, nodding at my brother as if saying, “Good job, man.” My jaw is literally hanging open, and I’m speechless.
“Apparently,” Lauren continues, “this has been going on for quite some time now.”