The lights of the auditorium are already dimmed, but Nick still manages to spot Caroline among the sea of parents and students packed into the seats.
"Did I miss anything?" Nick asks as he slides into the empty seat beside her.
"Nope," Caroline whispers back and hands him an extra program. "You're just in time."
Nick smiles at her as he takes the pale blue paper emblazoned with the words The Willow School for Fine Arts Winter Showcase in a needlessly complicated looking font.
It's been about two years since their separation, and they've finally settled into a good place with each other. Things between them have calmed down to manageable levels that is leagues better than the turbulent mess that their former marriage had become. They really are better apart than together. It took them years to realize it, but it's true. Other people might see the dissolution of a marriage as a failure, but Nick thinks that's far too simplistic view of what a marriage is. They both own their regrets, but they both own their own happiness too. They came out better people, better parents, because of what they went through together, and that's not something anyone else can take away from them. What they have now is good, strained at times, but they make it work.
"Shh!" Susan shushes them as a spotlight flickers to life and illuminates the left-hand side of the stage. "It's starting."
Jess steps out from behind the curtain, looking only a little nervous in her maroon Vice Principal blazer as she looks out into the crowd. She only just took up the role a few weeks ago, a semi-temporary position while her predecessor is on maternity leave followed by an extended sabbatical. Nick feels a surge of pride in his chest as Jess smiles confidently once her eyes spot him in the crowd.
"Welcome, parents, family, and dear friends to our semiannual fine arts showcase, or should I say Snow-case," she says, gesturing to the garlands of paper snowflakes strung around the auditorium and earning her a few appreciative chuckles from the crowd. Jess has her flashcards in hand, but she doesn't need them, since she's practiced her speech so many times that she's started murmuring it in her sleep.
After a few more winter-themed puns, Jess wraps up and introduces the first act before carefully stepping down from the stage. The curtains open to a group of sixth graders as they file into place on a set of risers, directed by a teacher in a dark gray cardigan. Jess appears by Nick's side a moment later, just as the music teacher begins his brief introduction.
"How was that?" she asks, nervously chewing on her lower lip.
Nick takes her hand in his, threading their fingers together. "You did great."
Jess smiles at him, vibrant even without the spotlight.
Abbi's violin class is the third act, and Nick's pleasantly surprised that it actually sounds like music instead of the screeching he's used to tolerating at these kinds of things. Not every kid can be as musically gifted as his daughter, after all. She's been practicing her pieces nonstop ever since the semester started, excited to be working on more complicated songs now that she's in the advanced class with the kids one grade ahead of her.
She'd been nervous about going on stage in front of everyone, especially since she has a longer solo in the middle of one of the pieces. Nervous enough to leave her violin and music folder behind at the loft when they left for the concert, only realizing her mistake once they arrived at the school, which meant Nick had to run all the way back across town to get it, barely managing to arrive on time.
But Abbi doesn't even seem fazed by the last-minute hiccup. She frowns slightly in concentration as she plays her solo, and even though Nick's heard it a quarter-dozen times by this point, it still manages to catch him by surprise as he marvels at just how damn talented she is.
The song comes to a close, the students' bows held still in the air as the last note dies away. Then the director drops her hands and steps aside and gestures for the audience to applaud. Abbi grins brightly as she and her classmates give a slight bow before leaving the stage.
After the concert ends Abbi finds them in the crowd, blushing slightly as they offer her another round of applause. Nick wraps her up in a hug that she only acts slightly embarrassed by. He tries not to be too hurt by it; she has to keep up appearances now that she's a teenager. That thought makes him feel incredibly old, and he gives Abbi one last pat on the back before letting her go.
"You did great, kiddo," Nick says.
"It was amazing," Caroline agrees as she squeezes Abbi in a hug of her own.
"Thanks." Abbi brushes back a lock of hair that's escaped her braid and shifts her grip on the handle of her violin case. "I have some art in the hallway, too."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Caroline asks jokingly. "Lead the way."
They ooh-and-ahh over her painting of a few fruits beside a green bottle that's so lifelike it might as well be a photograph. Well, Nick might be exaggerating just a little bit. But it really is good.
"The composition is very well thought out," Susan says in a hushed art-critic voice. "And the way that the paint portrays the bounce of light and shadow on the figures shows a true understanding of the medium."
"I agree," Jess hums thoughtfully. "It really directs the viewer's eye across the canvas, adding a feeling of movement, even though it's a still life."
Nick's brow furrows, not quite sure if they're doing some bit or being completely serious, especially since ninety percent of what they just said sounds completely meaningless to him. He meets Caroline's gaze, but she just shrugs and looks back at the painting. "I like the fruit a lot," she says.
"Yeah it's um..." Nick struggles for a moment. "Very green. I like it."
He cringes at his own phrasing, but Abbi still smiles at the poorly worded compliment. What really matters is that she knows he's proud of her, even if he doesn't know how to express that in some flowery, over-complicated critique.
"Thanks, Dad."
Later that night, he tucks Abbi into Jess' empty bed, and they pick up right where they left off in the latest Pepperwood adventure, where Pepperwood and Jessica Night have finally tracked down the evil mastermind Schmith. It's equal parts her story and his at this point with the way they bounce off each other, taking turns coming up with the next dramatic plot twist as they try to one-up each other until Abbi's eyes are drooping shut despite her best attempts to stay awake.
"I guess we'll have to finish up tomorrow night," Nick says when Abbi lets out a drawn-out yawn.
"Okay." She curls up underneath the bedspread. "But I get to start."
"Alright," he agrees with a chuckle. Nick smiles and gives her one last kiss on the temple before sneaking out of the room.
Jess is already in her side of the bed, reading. The warm glow of her booklight softens her features and makes him think of one of those Renaissance paintings she likes so much. He slides under the covers beside her and leans over to give her a kiss on the cheek as he settles into bed.
"Hey there, Pepperwood," Jess teases as she shuts off her light and sets the book on the bedside table. She lies beside him, their knees knocking together beneath the comforter as they face each other.
"Hey, Jessica Night," he jokes back, and then she pulls him in for a kiss, slow and easy.
Her mouth is pliant against his, and she tastes like toothpaste and the crisp bite of her mouthwash. Nick sighs into the kiss and gently rests his hand on her waist, the fabric of her pajamas soft against his fingers. It's sweet and domestic in a way that makes his heart swell in his chest, and Nick knows without a doubt that this is how he wants to spend every night for the rest of his life, curled up beside the love of his life.
Which reminds him...
Nick breaks off the kiss to look at Jess, suddenly hesitant to hear the words outside of his own head. He lets his gaze linger on her for a moment, marveling at how beautiful she is, even in the darkness of his bedroom. It's not just a physical beauty, but a beauty that comes out through her eyes when you look at her. It's a beauty that makes you believe in the world because of how much you know she believes in it. Jess' eyes slowly drift back open, and then she leans in to kiss him again, a brief brush of her lips against his. It gives him just enough confidence to finally say what's he's been trying to build up the courage to ask her for weeks.
"Move in with me," he finally says, his inelegant stammer breaking the gentle silence that's settled over the room as the words tumble clumsily past his lips. All those practice runs disappear from his memory as he stumbles his way through the rest of his speech. "Into my bedroom. Or, yours actually. Since it's bigger. And then this can be an office, or craft room, but um, Abbi would sleep here and you know, keep some of her stuff here too. That way I can have more evenly split custody because she could stay during the week and carpool with you to school."
There's a long silence between them, during which every possible fear runs wild in Nick's head. He knew this was too soon. The reason they called it was because Jess didn't want to settle down with him, or anyone. And sure, that was a year ago, and they uncalled it pretty quickly right after, but still. This is a big deal, one of those big steps that comes with all these strings attached, and Nick should've known better than to just throw out some crazy curveball like this. He might as well pack up and go sleep on the couch now and hope that they can laugh this whole proposal off in the morning over chocolate chip pancakes.
"Or not," he backtracks quickly. "It's a pretty ridiculous idea, I mean since we already live in the same apartment. We basically sleep in each other's rooms every night. It's not that big of a difference anyway." Nick forces a half-laugh that falls painfully flat. "You know what? Let's just pretend this whole conversation never even happened."
"Nick," Jess finally says, bringing an end to his rambling. "Let's move in together."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
Nick grins at her, all his worries vanishing when he sees the same excitement and affection he's feeling mirrored in Jess' face. She smiles into his kiss, and the next one, and the one after that. He can't find it in himself to be annoyed, not when he feels the exact same way, sheer joy buzzing in each and every one of cells, growing even stronger when Jess pulls him even closer towards her until he's lying on top of her as they kiss over and over until his cheeks are sore from smiling.
"I love you," he says when they finally break apart, even as their bodies stay pressed together.
Jess' hands are warm against his skin where they've slipped up underneath his shirt. She beams up at him, her blue eyes warm with affection and her lips red from his kisses. "I love you, too."
Nick's never been happier.
A few years later...
Jess is absolutely radiant as she walks down the aisle, and the sight of her makes Nick's heart leap up into his throat, his suit suddenly too tight and palms sweaty with nerves.
She's beautiful because she's Jess, and she always looks beautiful. Even when she wakes up hungover after a particularly sloppy game of True American, or after she got caught in a surprise thunderstorm mid-hike and came home with mud and mascara smeared all down her face, or when she's bright red and furious as she rants about how some parent on the PTA doesn't approve of one of her brilliant ideas, despite the fact that every teacher loved the project proposal, and the students are actually excited about it.
Nick smiles at her, and Jess gives him a wink as she steps into her place at the altar beside Nadia. The music shifts and the crowd stands to watch Cece walk down the aisle, looking stunning in the dress Jess managed to miraculously turn from a hot mess into a beautiful white and gold masterpiece that resembles one of those hundred thousand dollar gowns on that cheesy dress choosing show Jess and Cece like to watch on "girl nights" as they make their way through two bottles of pink wine. Nick glances over to Schmidt, who stares at his soon-to-be wife with a look awe that makes him smile.
He watches Jess all through the ceremony, even though he knows his attention is supposed to be on the couple who's actually getting married. But he just can't tear his gaze away from his girlfriend, the way she beams during the vows, her eyes only slightly watery as the rabbi pronounces Schmidt and Cece man and wife. It makes his chest feel tight, and he can't help but think of how she'll look at their wedding when she's the one in white, even though he has to admit that the red lace bridesmaid dress looks incredible on her. Jess catches his eye again and smiles, and Nick wonders if she's thinking of him the same way, and there's a sparkle in her blue eyes that makes him think it just might be true.
Afterwards at the reception, he spins Jess around in a slow circle to some Phil Collins' song, her head resting against the lapel of his suit and her fingers tangled up with his as they sway along in an easy rhythm. It feels like that time ages ago, back when he was still working for Meriwether, back when he thought that he'd never be able to have Jess in his life as anything more than a friend, back when he was falling hopelessly in love with her. And even though so much has changed since then, he's still hopelessly in love with Jess, except now he doesn't have to hold himself back from her anymore.
"Do you you remember that gala we went to?" he whispers in her ear.
Jess lifts her head off his chest to look at him, her eyes shimmering underneath the strings of lights flickering above them. "Yeah."
Nick ducks down to kiss her, just because he can now, and he revels in the way Jess' breath hitches in response. After a moment he reluctantly breaks off the kiss to admit, "That's what I wanted that night."
"Me too."
He grins down at her before spinning them in a quick circle that makes her laugh and hold him a little closer until they slow to a stop. There's a little voice in the back of his head that this is the moment he's been waiting for, but then he remembers that they're at a wedding, and he tucks the thought back into his pocket. They sway along to the song a little while longer, and when the music finally stops Nick turns his head to press a kiss to her temple before reluctantly letting her go. Jess smiles brightly and keeps her grip tight on his hand as she leads him off the dance floor and back to their table.
Not even fifteen minutes later, Jess is summoned away to deal with important Maid of Honor business, leaving Nick alone to guard her purse as he sips on his beer. Nick watches her go, and his mind drifts back to his earlier daydream. The vineyard is nice and all, but it's far more suited to Cece and Schmidt than their own tastes. It might be crazy, but there's a part of him that wants to get married at the loft. It's where he and Jess fell in love, after all. Maybe up on the rooftop, where they had their first kiss. He can almost see it in his head: the rows of white chairs meticulously set out to face a fancy floral archway and them saying their vows to each other against the scenic city skyline.
"Hey, man," Schmidt says, interrupting Nick's thoughts as he drops down into the empty seat beside him.
"Hey." Nick grins at him. "How's it feel to be a married man?" he asks, fully expecting some ridiculous aphorism or cocky joke.
But to Nick's surprise, Schmidt just beams as he answers, "Really, really good."
It's been nice to see the way Schmidt's grown into himself over these past few years, how he's given up on the defensive posturing, and instead lets himself be open with others. Schmidt's still his needlessly dramatic self, but he's given up the worst of his douchebag attitudes, much to the appreciation of those in his friend group.
"Congrats, man," Nick offers sincerely and holds his bottle up to clink against Schmidt's glass of champagne. "I'm really happy for you two."
"Cheers." Schmidt takes a sip of his drink, and there's a mischievous gleam in his eye that makes Nick worried. "And I guess it won't be long until it's you and Jess up at the altar."
Nick chokes on his beer. "What?"
"I found the ring in your pocket," Schmidt explains with a knowing smirk. "When I accidentally grabbed your jacket after the wedding photos."
Shit. Nick should've known not to bring it with him here, not with Schmidt's tendency to snoop around in other people's business. He wasn't even planning to propose tonight, not on the same day of their best friends' wedding, but he's been carrying the damn thing around in his pocket for the past five months. It's practically habit at this point. And he can't risk Jess finding out the surprise by stumbling upon it in his bedside drawer one morning.
"Yeah," he admits with a sheepish shrug. "I'm proposing."
"Alright!" Schmidt cheers and leans forward to clap his hand on Nick's shoulder. "Proud of you, man."
"What's going on?" Winston asks as he appears on Nick's other side.
"Nick's proposing," Schmidt explains before Nick has a chance to answer.
"Hey, congrats! That'll make all three of us married men, huh?" Winston grins and raises his left hand, ignoring Schmidt's slightly annoyed eye roll.
Winston eloped with Aly just a few months ago in a frenzied whirlwind engagement that started at Cece and Schmidt's engagement party. The two had been together ever since that fateful game of True American nearly three years ago, a dynamic duo both off and on the streets as some of the LAPD's best officers. It hadn't surprised anyone that the eccentric couple would dash off to get married on a whim.
The whole thing started when Winston accidentally told Aly she would "make a beautiful bride" and promptly regretted his choice of words when she made a sudden dash for the door. After several hours of panic, he finally went to apologize and discovered that it was simply an ill-timed case of food poisoning. The two ended up running off to Vegas a few days later, once Aly's stomach had finally settled. They've been bragging about married life ever since, much to the discontent of Cece and Schmidt, who were engaged first, after all.
"Why are we celebrating?" Aly asks as she joins them at the table. "Other than the obvious."
"Nick and Jess are getting married."
"Really?!"
"Hey," Nick cuts in quickly, trying to regain some semblance of control over the quickly spiralling situation. "She hasn't said yes yet."
"As if she'd say anything else," Schmidt scoffs.
Nick shrugs and sticks his hands back into his pockets, his thumb rubbing over the corner of the small velvet box. "Yeah, I know."
He should've asked months ago. There have been a lot of perfect moments he could have asked her since then. Like that time early one Tuesday morning when they had been sitting across from each other at the dining room table. Nick had looked up from his eggs and realized that there was nothing more he wanted than to marry her. The feeling had been so strong then, but he had to make up an excuse to leave so he wouldn't blurt out the question. He thought it had been too small for her, not a good enough engagement story for her to tell other people.
There had also been that time when they visited Jess' parents right before Christmas, and Bob stopped him in the kitchen at 2 a.m. to say Nick had earned his blessing and gave him Jess' great-grandmother's ring. He definitely should have done it then. Bob had even put together a whole romantic tour of Portland for them, but Nick had chickened out. Instead he's dragged it out, worrying himself sick over when a more 'perfect' time to propose would come up.
And, if he's being completely honest with himself, he's more than a little afraid. After everything with him and Caroline he's hesitant to take this next step with someone else, afraid that he'll ruin it just like that last one. He knows that this time is different, that he's older and wiser, and this isn't some kind of rushed decision to save a relationship built on a shaky foundation in the wake of an unexpected pregnancy like it was the first time.
He and Jess have been together for over two years now, and their relationship has grown and matured just as they have. Jess is the principal of her own school. Nick took over for Tran when he retired from the firm at the end of the last fiscal year. His daughter is starting her first year of high school this August, and she's settled into the stability of having two families. Time is flying by, and he's had Jess by his side for all of it. This isn't some puppy love between them. It's old-ass dog love.
Jess walks up to their group a moment later, and Nick shakes all the thoughts of the proposal out of his head, so he won't accidentally blurt out something stupid.
"Hey guys!" she says brightly as she looks around the group. "Why's everyone smiling so much?"
"We're just so happy to see you," Schmidt says, his eyes tearing up as he ignores the death glare Nick gives him.
"So, so happy," Winston agrees as he squeezes his wife's hand, and Nick wants to slap the knowing smile off his face. Leave it to their ridiculous friends to blow this for him.
"Huh." Jess laughs nervously. "Well, if you guys are done being weird, they're getting ready to do the cake cutting."
"If you'll excuse me, I've got to go find my wife," Schmidt says as he hops up from his seat, and there's an extra excitement to the way he says it that overpowers his earlier annoyance and brings a smile back to Nick's face.
"You ready, best man?" Jess says teasingly as she hooks her arm with his.
"You got it, J-Day." Nick leans in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek as Jess laughs.
"Copy that, Nick-Knack."
Jess stares out the window on the car ride home, seemingly lost in thought as she watches the passing streetlights, absentmindedly tapping her fingers against the passenger's side window. She hums along to the song on the radio until it fades out and switches to some local ad. They haven't said much since their final goodbyes as they left the wedding, but Nick doesn't mind. After the hectic energy of today he's grateful for a little quiet.
"Does it feel like everyone's getting married lately?" she asks casually, breaking the silence.
"I guess," Nick agrees hesitantly. They're at that age where it feels like everyone he knows is celebrating something: an engagement or wedding or new baby.
"Cece and Schmidt, Winston and Aly last April, Caroline and Susan at the end of the month, My dad and his girlfriend got engaged early this year. I can barely get into our fridge these days." Jess laughs at her own joke. "I mean, who's next?"
"How about us?"
Jess looks over at him in surprise. "What?"
"Let's get married," Nick says. His heart is pounding in his chest as he grips the steering wheel like a lifeline and brings the car to a sudden stop on the side of the road.
"You're joking, right?" Jess asks with another laugh.
Nick switches on the hazard lights, and then unclicks his seatbelt so he can pull the ring box out of his pocket, and Jess' eyes go wide when he opens it to reveal the silver engagement ring.
"Oh my God, you're not kidding," she breathes out, hands flying up to her mouth in shock.
He hesitates for a second, wondering if he should get out of the car, that way he could get down on one knee and do this the right way. But then again, this is already pretty much the exact opposite of the right way to do this kind of thing. Nick swallows down the lump of fear in his throat and pulls the ring out of the box.
"Jessica Day," he says, trying to ignore the way his hands are trembling. "Will you marry me?"
"Nick," Jess starts, looking at him with watery eyes that glimmer with affection. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to have babies and eat good food and laugh and take care of each other, and I want it to start tonight. It's you and me. It's always been you and me."
His heart is still pounding, his cheeks aching from smiling at her. What she's saying, that's all he wants. There's nothing that he wants more than to have a weird, wonderful life with her. He wants to get married and take care of her. He wants to have her by his side for whatever curveball life tries to throw their way. It's all he's wanted for the longest time, what he'd been so convinced she'd never want from him. But here they are: in the poorly lit street in front of a run-down Del Taco, and it's not the perfect proposal story you'd hear in some movie, but it's theirs and that's what makes it perfect.
"So is that a yes?"
"Yes!" Jess exclaims. "Oh my God, yes! Nick!"
He slides the ring onto her finger, and there's no denying that it looks perfect there. Nick looks up at her face, her smile luminescent and blue eyes sparkling with the happiness that he can feel all the way to his core. Jess laughs, and then her hands are on the lapel of his suit, tugging him towards her so she can kiss the grin right off his face. His back complains at the way he has to stretch over the cupholder to reach her, but Nick doesn't care, he just wraps his arms around Jess' waist and tries to get as close to her as he can as they kiss.
They're getting married.
A few years later...
"Okay," Nick says for what feels like the hundredth time that afternoon. He racks his brain, trying to remember everything on the list that he'd forgotten on the kitchen table before they left. "You've got your student ID, your post office key, your dorm room key. What about your class schedule?"
"Dad." Abbi only sounds slightly exasperated. "I get that online."
"Right." Nick shakes his head. Damn computers. The kids do everything on them nowadays. "Right. I knew that."
Abbi rolls her eyes fondly. "Sure, Dad."
He looks around Abbi's new dorm room, all of her posters carefully pinned to the wall, her textbooks in a careful stack beside her desk lamp, her clothes all packed away in the closet and her bed freshly made. It's still slowly sinking in, now that she's completely unpacked and he's realizing that she's not riding back to LA with him, that she's going to be staying here for the next year.
"You sure you've got everything?" he asks one final time.
"Yes," she insists.
"Alright," Nick concedes before finally walking out of the room with a sinking feeling in his stomach.
His daughter follows close behind him into the hallway, locking the door to her room behind her. Nick's eyes linger on the little paper sun with her name carefully written on it that's taped to her door alongside a "Welcome to UChicago!" pamphlet. They make their way down the winding stairs to where the rest of their family is waiting for them outside: his ma, his brother Jamie, and Jamie's wife and their four kids.
"You all moved in?" Bonnie asks her granddaughter with a proud, sad smile.
"Yep." Abbi smiles back, beaming with excitement as she twirls her brand-new lanyard between her fingers.
They all pile up into the two cars and head off for one final meal together before Nick heads back to LA, and Abbi starts her first week of classes. Jess is waiting for them outside of the restaurant, and she pulls Nick into a tight hug once he's finally within reach.
"How was your flight?" he asks once she finally steps away.
She grins brightly at him, and Nick really missed seeing that in person instead of over the phone. "Good. How was the drive?"
"Long." It had been a fun father-daughter road trip, but there's no denying that more than thirty hours behind the wheel of a U-Haul was more than enough to drive a man crazy. Nick gives her a kiss, sighing at the familiar press of her lips to his. He lingers just a moment too long, because it's been days since they kissed, and he's earned it. They finally break apart and Nick smiles down at her, feeling some of the weight that's been pressing down on his shoulders lift away. "But fun."
"That's good." Jess smiles before turning towards the rest of the group. "But where's my favorite college student?!"
Abbi sheepishly steps forward and is promptly pulled into Jess' embrace.
"I'm so proud of you!" Jess says excitedly.
"Classes haven't even started yet." Abbi laughs.
"I'm still proud," Jess insists as she squeezes a little tighter.
Abbi laughs again, as she hugs her back. "Thanks, Jess."
The meal is loud and a little too rambunctious, but that's just par for the course when it comes to the Miller family. Nick keeps looking over to where Abbi's seated next to his Ma, trying to make peace with the fact that this is really happening. She's going to college. His little baby girl, all grown up and moving out on her own. He still can't believe it. It feels like just yesterday that they brought her home from the hospital, back when she was so tiny that he could hold her with just one hand.
Jess seems to notice the distance in his eyes, because she reaches under the table to grab on to his hand and give his fingers a squeeze. "You alright?"
"What? Yeah." Nick gives his head a slight shake and takes a sip of his water. "Just feel old, is all."
"She's gonna be fine."
"Yeah."
Nick knows it's true. Abbi is a brilliant, beautiful, amazing young woman, and she's going to be great here. There's no doubt in his mind that she's going to knock this whole thing out of the park. And if not, well, she's got his Ma and the rest of his insane extended family to keep an eye on her.
But still, she's his daughter, and she's going to be halfway across the country as she tries to figure out how to live life all on her own. He can't help but be nervous.
Jess gives his fingers a reassuring squeeze, and Nick lets out a long exhale, one he's been unknowingly holding for the past few weeks.
"You've got everything you need?" Nick asks one final time outside her dorm.
Abbi laughs. "Yes, Dad. I'm fine. I've got everything."
Nick sighs, and then pulls her in for one final hug. He wraps his arms tight around her middle and presses her into his shoulder, wondering just when she got so tall. "Call me if you need me," he whispers into her hair.
"I will," she whispers back, a nervous edge to her voice. "I love you."
She's going to be fine, he reminds himself as he reluctantly lets her go and takes a step back.
"Tell Mom and Susan I miss them," she says as she walks up the step to her dorm.
"Bye, Abbi!" Jess yells, leaning out the window of their rental car. "Good luck!"
"Bye, Jess!" Abbi yells back, waving as she swipes her ID to unlock the door. "Bye, Dad! Love you!"
"Love you, too," Nick says, a complicated mess of feelings in his chest knotting up as he watches her disappear into the building and then turns back towards the parking lot. He climbs into the passenger's seat, and Jess starts the car, looking at him with her easy, bright grin.
"You ready to go?"
"No," Nick answers honestly. Jess squeezes his hand again and puts the car in reverse.
They spend the next few minutes in silence, passing by empty academic buildings and groups of families helping students move in. Nick watches them disappear in the rearview mirror as they drive further and further away from the campus.
"Ruth was excited about Reggie staying over," Jess says once they're finally on the highway. "Cece says she's been asking for a younger brother or sister for a while now."
"Schmidt's gonna end up getting her that kitten, isn't he?" Nick jokes, feeling a fraction lighter.
Jess laughs. "Like he wasn't going to cave eventually."
Their two-year-old son is spending the next two weeks with his Uncle Schmidt and Aunt Cece while Nick and Jess travel back across the country and do a dozen different cheesy touristy things that Jess has been planning for the past three months. She's painfully bored whenever school's not in session, and she's poured every ounce of her now abundant time to go full travel agent on this vacation.
Nick lifts their joined hands up to his mouth and presses a kiss to the back of Jess' knuckles. "Happy anniversary, by the way."
Jess briefly looks away from the road to smile at him. "If I wasn't driving, I'd kiss you right now."
"Just put it on cruise control."
"That's not what that does!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
"When was the last time you checked?"
"Nick!"
"Jess!"
She laughs, bright and vibrant. It rings in Nick's ears as Jess leans over to give him a quick peck on the lips before turning back to focus on the road, while Nick leans back in his seat with a satisfied grin.
"I love you."
"I love you, too, you idiot."
Author's Note:
Wow. Just, wow.
This fic has been one wild and unexpected journey, and I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that it's finally finished. Writing this brought me closer to some of my now dearest friends, and I never would have imagined that y'all would respond so positively to all of this.
I want to thank my beta-reader dreamsofsleep for being so amazing and kind and helpful, because without her this never would have been half as good as it turned out to be.
I want to thank Hannah and Erin, my two friends in real life who didn't laugh at me for writing this. You're the sweetest, loveliest ladies on this Earth and I'm so happy to have you in my life.
I want to thank Car ( newgirlystuff) and CJ ( jakeyjohnson) for constantly bitching at me for updates and insisting that I make Nick and Jess bone. There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not ridiculously happy that our mutual obsession with a tv show brought us three snakes together.
I want to thank Viv ( omgcrazypenguinkid) for being the most incredible and delightful reader a gal could ask for. You're too sweet to me. 3
Alyssa, I love you. Now Perish.
And finally, I want to thank everyone who read this story and supported me on this crazy journey. Your sweet and thoughtful replies made even my worst days brighter. I've read and reread even the smallest notes on each chapter, and your love and support helped me keep my head up and made me feel really and truly appreciated.
Thank you.
Merrill :)