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Story: Love Like This
“Good thing they all get along.”
Hadley grinned at the recent memory of her dads playing corn holein pastels at the last Adair outdoor cookout. They’d all had the best time andstayed up well past midnight on the Adairs’ back patio, getting to know eachother and drinking wine.
“You don’t let her get away again, you hear me?” Sonny had saidover her shoulder to Hadley, once they were alone in the kitchen. “That childdoesn’t know what’s good for her all the time. But you?You’regood for her.”
“Aww, Sonny,” Hadley said, and pulled her into a hug. “That meansa lot to me.”
“You know what means a lot to me? You and my daughter so happytogether. I’ve never seen her like this, all breezy with grins, and it’s allbecause of you. I knew it the minute I saw the two of you together in my livingroom. So, listen, if I have anything to say about it? You’re not goinganywhere.”
“We are in agreement, because I plan to stick around.”
“Good! Now will you help me carry this sangria outside? You grabthe glasses. I’ll grab the goods.”
“Yes, ma’am. I will happily do that for you.”
Since returning to LA, things between her and Spencer had onlycontinued to blossom. With the new line selling remarkably well at Silhouette,Spencer had been able to take a breather from the world of fast-paced onlinesales and pay others to handle that end of the business for her. Instead, shespent her days and nights dreaming, designing, and meeting with retailers tobuild the brand. Not surprisingly, Bertrand rethought their offer and extendedSpencer the opportunity to work from LA.
She turned them down flat.
“There’s too much I want to do to answer to anyone else’s artisticvision at this point,” Spencer explained the week prior, as they’d movedanother box into Hadley’s—correction, nowtheirapartment.
“You don’t need anyone else at this point. I think you made theright call,” Hadley told her.
“You do?” Spencer asked, dropping the box and snagging Hadley bythe waist. “You think I was right? Say it. Say I was right.”
“Sometimes you’re right.”
“Damn right I am.”
“You’re cute when you gloat.”
“Prove it.”
The constant touching and kissing really got in the way of theirmove-in process but, honestly, Hadley wasn’t complaining.
She smiled at how wonderful it was to have Spencer with her forgood each night. Not to mention, with Minnie Mouse around, the complex stillhad a resident mascot. Fat Tony would be moving with Isabel and Taylor out ofSeven Shores and into a gorgeous house they’d purchased and upgraded justblocks away in Venice. With Isabel mere moments away, Breakfast Club wouldremain intact!
“Time for cake!” Isabel’s dad called, pulling Hadley back into thehubbub of the wedding. They gathered around the one-tiered cake with flowerscascading over the side as a clap of thunder hit loud and ominous overhead.Everyone looked skyward at the foreboding cloud above.
“Uh-oh,” Taylor said. “We should likely hurry.”
“It’ll hold out,” Gia said confidently, with a shrug.
Elle nodded her agreement. “We see those guys all the time on thebeach. They never amount to anything.”
But thirty seconds later, the heavens opened up just as Taylor fedIsabel the first bite of cake. While it may have been human instinct to duckunder the tablecloth, or run for cover, no one on that beach made a move to goanywhere. Instead they looked to each other and smiled and laughed whilepassing out soggy cake—which they happily ate. The hired violinist didn’t bidthem farewell, but rather popped an umbrella in the sand and continued to playa variety of recognizable covers.
Because she couldn’t help herself, Hadley started to dance in thedownpour. Her feet were covered in wet sand, her hair was drenched and herdress clung to her body, but underneath it all, she felt celebratory and free.Moments later, Spencer joined her, followed by Autumn and Will, who tried tocatch each drop. The rest of the attendees must have thought it looked likefun, because a full-on dance party cropped up on that beach.
Hadley had never seen anything like it.
She twirled Gia as she danced past. She dipped Elle. She spun Kateunabashedly. Finally, she kissed Spencer even though she could barely see herthrough the summer shower. “I love you,” she said.
“In the rain, on a train,” Spencer said, and kissed her again.“Side note, we’re going to have to work harder to top this wedding now.”
Hadley nodded at the truth of that statement as Spencer pulledAutumn into her arms for a spin. The rain continued and the music played on.Puddles splashing, guests laughing, and brides kissing would be the subjects ofthe epic photographs they’d look back on later.
They had a time like no other time. Isabel and Taylor had neverlooked happier as they kissed in the rain, surrounded by their friends andloved ones.
For Hadley, it felt like they were all, at last, coming into theirown. The Breakfast Club, her best friends, had assembled together two yearsago, each in the midst of a search. Whether it had been for career, family,love, or self-confidence, they’d each made their own way and found what they’dlong been looking for. They were fuller people now, bursting with color andrich with knowledge and life experience. But Hadley understood that not asingle one of them could have arrived where they were now without the help,support, and friendship of the others.
Now their Breakfast Club was a little bigger, and on its way tomore and more members. She almost couldn’t take it. “I love you, Venice!”Hadley yelled to the waves, hands extended in the air. Her soul soared, herheart sang, and her life could go in so many different directions. As long asSpencer was there, too, she was ready to buckle up for that ride.
She turned back to her friends, who pulled her into their circleas the rain continued and Isabel showed them all how to shimmy, to comedicresults. The day had been an epic one and would go down in the history books asone of the most memorable of their lives.
They were still talking about it when Elle announced she waspregnant a year later while holding hands with a beaming Gia. They brought itup again the night Isabel won her first Emmy for writing a key episode onThe Subdivision. WhenWill started walking and flirting with little girls at the coffee shop, Autumnwarned him that beach weddings tended to get crazy, so he should think that onethrough. The day of Spencer’s first major runway show when she proposed toHadley in front of hundreds of people, she promised her a wedding that she’dnever forget…with maybe just a little less rain.
The journey of life was a winding road that never seemed to hintat what lay ahead. Regardless of where it took them, or what happened, theirlittle group would travel that road together, coffees in hand, theme nights atthe ready, and beach gatherings galore. There was no doubting they’d show upfor each other. You could count on it, rain or shine.
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