Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
I stared at him for a long moment before looking around at my family, but none of them seemed to know what was happening either. Had he experienced a head injury sometime in the night? Did I need to call for a paramedic? “Uh… yes? Quite a few times…”
Hugh pursed his lips as if considering me. “No, I don’t think so. But you seem very sweet. Charming. Good-looking. And your pickup lines are ten out of ten for sincerity, which is extremely important to me.” He tapped his lips thoughtfully. “I might be willing to date you.”
I blinked uncertainly. “Oh-kay?”
He took a step toward me, then another.
“As it happens, I’m just getting out of a… relationship of sorts, myself. Expired at midnight.” He shrugged as if to say what can you do? “The guy I was dating—Oscar Overton, have you heard of him?—was famous for this silly little superstition. You see… legend has it that if you break up with Oscar Overton, the next person you date will be your soul mate, your happy ever after.”
I let out a shuddering breath. The closer he came, the more clear the teasing light in his eyes became, and the faster my heart raced. Was he saying…? Did he mean…?
I forced myself to speak. “The legend is pretty powerful,” I admitted in a croak. “It’s been proven time and time again.”
Hugh nodded, closing the distance between us. Then, he held out his hand to shake. “I’m Hugh Linzee. If the next man I meet is going to be my soul mate, I’ve decided I want it to be you.”
I stared at his hand in disbelief. Could it really be that easy? I felt my face begin to tingle. “I love you. Please don’t leave.” My words were half-croaked as emotion clogged my throat.
“Never,” he said softly but firmly. “You’re my happily ever after, Oscar Overton. And you know how much I’ve always wanted my very own HEA.”
I grabbed his hand and yanked him in until his chest crashed into mine. My arms wrapped tightly around him as I kissed him with relief and desperation.
“I love you,” I said again and again against his lips.
“I love you too,” Hugh said with a smile. He nuzzled his face into my neck, his arms just as tight around me as mine were around him. “And you were worth the wait.”
EPILOGUE
HUGH - SIX MONTHS LATER
Hugh
Where are you? Your mother set out the flower vases as the centerpiece on the head table and now Birch is getting emotional again.
Marigold elbowed me. “You really going to text people on your wedding day?”
“I’m already married,” I murmured. “And I’m trying to find out where the hell Oscar went. People are going to begin arriving soon.”
Oscar
I had to grab something from my car. Be there in a sec. *red heart emoji*
Marigold peered over my shoulder. “Oh-em-gee, my standoffish brother just heart-emoji’d you? Will wonders never cease.”
“He’s not standoffish. He never was,” I said, sliding the phone back into my pocket and glancing around the event space. The barn looked similar to the way it had been decorated for Hyacinth’s wedding, but all the doors and windows were thrown wide open, and the summer sun slanted in, lighting up the jumble of wildflowers spilling out of jelly jars and pottery crocks in the center of each table. It was completely unlike the formal wedding reception I’d always imagined for myself… and also completely perfect.
Over the past several months I’d fallen even more in love with the Vermont property. Not only was it the center of Oscar’s big, loving family, but it was also the place we’d made many memories together. Oscar had made it a point to bring us out here whenever I had breaks between photography jobs, and we’d even gone into the town of Stowe to do some HEA interviews for my TikTok account.
The morning after Hyacinth’s wedding, I’d woken up early, unpacked my suitcase into Oscar’s enormous dressing room, and taken my camera out to catch some shots of the sunrise as a special treat for Hyacinth and Dirk.
For Valentine’s Day, Oscar had taken my favorite shot to be framed. Now, the Vermont sunrise photo taken the morning of our new awakening lived in its place of honor over the mantel in our New York apartment.
But as much as I loved it, nothing beat the real thing. It was why I’d wanted to spend the summer in Vermont and celebrate our commitment here.
Marigold nodded toward the open barn doors. “Behold, your husbeast. And he comes bearing gifts. I thought he already got you a wedding present?”
I glanced at the wrapped parcel in his hands and recognized what it was. “That’s not for me. It’s for your parents. And, yes, he got me an original Gregory Colbert. It’s in my studio in the city. When you come over next time, remind me to show it to you.”