Page 39 of Until the End (The Lost Letters #3)
Ginny
“ F uck, you look good in a sundress.”
My gaze flits to Carson’s in the bathroom mirror. He’s leaning against the doorjamb while his eyes roam over my body. It’s as intimate as if his hands were caressing me. I finish putting my earring in before turning around to face him.
“It’s not too much? Lottie said to shoot for tea party casual.”
Carson’s eyebrows pinch. “What the fuck is tea party casual?”
I take in his jeans, boots, and three-quarter sleeve T-shirt. “Definitely not what you’re wearing.”
He groans, and I laugh at his annoyance.
“Why are we getting fancy for a housewarming party?”
I walk into our closet to find a proper outfit for him. “Because it’s fun. We never have a reason to dress up.”
“I suppose. Just no ties or anything, please.”
I grab a pair of his nicer shorts and a button-down from a hanger. “We can roll the sleeves up so you won’t be too warm.”
Carson takes the clothes from me. “Gorgeous, I’m wearing jeans right now, I’m not too worried about getting hot.” He grabs me around the waist and pulls me into his chest. “You just want to see me with my sleeves rolled up.”
I grin, not caring in the slightest that he caught me. “Maybe. You have hot forearms.”
Carson snorts. “You’re a weirdo. Let me get changed, and then we can go.”
“Can we get everyone’s attention, please?” Lottie says over the noise of our family. She has her arm around Teddy’s waist as they stand off to the side of their new living room.
The place looks amazing. They added a second floor to the old house and expanded the main floor to include an office and a library.
Aunt Natalie helped them decorate, and there’s a soothing quality to the sage green and brown accents she chose.
I couldn’t have imagined anything more perfect for the couple.
A piercing whistle gets everyone to stop talking. “Thank you, Uncle Levi.” Lottie grins.
He winks. “No problem, kiddo.”
“First of all, we want to start by thanking you for coming to our housewarming party. We’re feeling incredibly loved today.
Secondly, we wanted to say an even bigger thank you to Uncle Levi and his crew.
They did a fantastic job of bringing our dream home to life.
This house is everything we wanted it to be and more.
And lastly, we have a surprise in store. Dad, will you come up here, please?”
Uncle Cooper makes his way across the living room. He looks on the verge of tears, and I can feel the confusion in the room.
He squeezes Teddy’s shoulder, kisses Lottie’s head, and then stands behind them. It suddenly dawns on me what’s about to happen .
“No fucking way,” Gia curses.
“Eloquent, sweetheart.” Dad chuckles. Gia looks at him with a huge grin. It seems our family has come to the same conclusion all at once.
Cooper clears his throat. “As you might’ve guessed, Lottie and Teddy decided to surprise us with a wedding. Would’ve been nice to have a bit more of a heads-up, but I guess my lovely daughter just wants to see me cry.”
“You’d have cried even with sufficient warning,” Lottie quips. Cooper narrows his eyes at her, but we all know she’s right.
I reach for Carson’s hand, my stomach tying itself in knots.
He squeezes my fingers and then moves behind me to wrap his arms around my shoulders.
With his chest to my back and his forearms resting on my collarbones, a sense of calm washes over me.
I love how easily he can read me and know what I need within seconds.
“When I first met Teddy, I thought he was a stand-up guy. He had the respect of my nephew, Noah, so he easily had mine. Then I found out the turd was dating my daughter, and suddenly, I didn’t like him so much anymore.”
We chuckle at that. Cooper has always struggled with Lottie dating. Teddy is the first and only guy he’s accepted without reservation, despite what he may say.
“That is, until I saw the way Lottie looked at him and he looked at her. It’s exactly the way my wife has looked at me for the past twenty-seven years, and I can’t begrudge a man the love of a woman like I’ve had the privilege of experiencing. Even if it is my daughter’s.”
“Be honest, Cooper,” Quinn calls out. “You’re pumped to finally have a guy in the family to even out all the estrogen you’re surrounded by.”
“Hush, you.” Cooper points at his wife and then winks.
As Cooper goes through the vows, I begin to relax into Carson.
I never would’ve thought someone else’s wedding would be a trigger.
Of all people, Lottie and Teddy deserve this moment the most. They’ve worked hard to get to this point, and I should be happy for them.
I am happy for them. At the same time, my brain is screaming at me to run away. It’s saying I’m not safe here.
Thankfully, Cooper wraps up the ceremony before I have a chance to follow through on my panicked brain’s demands.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride…but keep it PG, buddy.” Cooper makes a big show of slapping his hand over his eyes while Lottie and Teddy laugh.
Teddy cups Lottie’s cheeks and tips her head back to plant the sweetest kiss on her lips.
The amount of love this man has for my best friend brings me more joy than I could ever express, and I’m glad I didn’t succumb to the panic I’m still trying to tamp down.
We cheer them on, encouraging Teddy to kiss her harder. He suddenly lifts Lottie and spins her around before setting her back on her feet.
Lottie radiates happiness, her joy infectious as she turns toward our family. Quinn and Lottie’s sister, Caroline, are the first to hug the couple. Carson waits with me while the rest of our family takes their turn to hug them, and his embrace helps ground me in the moment.
I look up at the man I love most in the world, praying he understands what I’m saying without me needing to spell it out. “I don’t want to get married. Not any time soon, anyway.”
Carson palms my cheek. “We don’t ever have to get married. As long as I have you by my side, I couldn’t care less.”
God, this man. He’s everything I ever wanted, and I’m terrified I’ll lose him.
Yet, at every turn, he’s accepted me as I am. Throughout my entire life, Carson has always stood by my side as my best friend and confidant. He’s had every opportunity to leave, but he’s always chosen to stay. He’s been there for every single high and low.
How have I never realized he won’t ever leave me?
He’s been mine from the very beginning—all I have to do is accept it.