Mistakes Were Made(108)
Cassie wouldn’t have admitted to being the hand-holding type, but she wondered if she could get away with a hand on Erin’s lower back or something. Erin looked beautiful, and Cassie wanted to touch her.
Their group was big, spread over four blankets. They said a surprisingly cordial hello to Adam and then settled as far away from him as possible, Cassie made sure of it. She was beside Erin, Parker and Acacia in front of them.
The crowd sent up a cheer when the streetlights went out and three fireworks went up. They exploded in red, white, and blue, and Cassie caught Erin’s hand in the dark.
She watched Erin’s face almost as much as she watched the fireworks. Erin was beautiful, and she loved her, and Cassie was so fucking happy.
“Oh for God’s sake, if you’re going to stare at her like that, you might as well just kiss her,” Parker said.
Cassie looked at Parker, stunned. Erin squeezed her hand.
“I’m not kidding,” Parker said as purple sparks exploded above them. “I’d rather you kiss her than go ridiculously heart eyed. It’s gross.”
She turned back to watch the fireworks and Acacia bumped their shoulders together, laughing. Cassie looked at Erin.
“Well, I mean,” Cassie said. “If Parker insists.”
Erin laughed and kissed her and Cassie felt the fireworks everywhere.
Epilogue
CASSIE
Cassie’s head buzzed pleasantly as she matched the final three jewels to beat the level.
Parker was graduating in two days. There’d be plenty of events with way too many people, but for tonight, after a stiffly polite dinner with Parker’s parents, she, Acacia, and Cassie were having a best friend night in Acacia’s hotel. They’d played like preteens in the pool, soaked in the hot tub, and then gotten drunk in Acacia’s room.
Acacia was next to Cassie on the bed, giving a spirited lecture about which exercises were best for your lats, despite neither of her best friends listening. Parker was on the other bed, which she got to herself since she was the graduate.
“Cassie,” Parker said, a snap in her voice like this was important.
Cassie locked her phone, put it in her pocket, and gave Parker her undivided attention. “What’s up?”
“Why aren’t you married to my mom?”
Acacia whipped her head toward Parker. Cassie’s mouth went dry.
“What?”
“Why aren’t you married to my mom?” Parker asked again. “Like, you’re not even engaged? It’s been like four years.”
Cassie swallowed. Her adrenaline was through the fucking roof. She was either too drunk for this conversation, or decidedly not drunk enough.
“Uh—” Good start, Klein, good start. “Because—”
“Do you not want to marry my mom?”
“No, I do,” Cassie said immediately. “I mean, like, I want to be with her forever—I don’t really care if that means we get married or—”
“You don’t care if you get married?”
Cassie felt like she was fucking this up. Acacia was watching like it was a tennis match, back and forth and back again.
“Look, Parker, you know I’m crazy insanely in love with your mom. She’s—she’s everything, honestly, and if she wanted to marry me and you were cool with that, yeah, fuck, absolutely, I would love to marry Erin.”
She’d never said any of that out loud before, had hardly even thought it, to be honest. They’d never talked about it. It wasn’t like her genes had a great track record with commitment of any kind, and Erin had a marriage go south already. Marriage had always seemed like a worthless piece of paper, really, but the idea of being married to Erin? Cassie couldn’t help the way she grinned.
“If I was cool with that?” Parker said.
“Yeah,” Cassie said. “Like. I know some people ask the father first or whatever? I’d definitely ask you.”
“First of all,” Parker started, and Cassie was certain she was about to get a feminist rant, but Acacia cleared her throat and Parker reined it in. “I won’t even get started on how fucking ridiculous it is that you would need anyone’s permission but my mom’s. And second of all, here’s my blessing. Marry my mom. I’m cool with it.”
Cassie’s face split wider with her smile. She fished her phone out of her pocket and was halfway to writing a message when Acacia pulled it from her hands. Cassie looked up at her quizzically.
“Maybe a drunk message is not the best way to propose?” Acacia said gently.
“Holy shit, I have to propose,” Cassie said. “You guys, oh my God, help me, what should I do? It has to be perfect, you guys.”
Parker groaned. “She’s not gonna shut up the rest of the night. I never should have said anything.”
ERIN
Erin knew Cassie would say yes.
After all, she’d been the one to suggest it when they were buying the lake house.
“Would this all be easier if we were married?” Cassie had asked their real estate agent.
“Well,” the agent had said, noticing the way Erin’s eyes had bugged out, even if Cassie hadn’t. “A joint bank account would have simplified the paperwork, but it doesn’t make much of a difference, and the contracts have already been prepared.”