A/N: Happy Monday! I cannot believe we're here for the final chapter of Can We Pretend. This fic has been a journey, and I'm so grateful for all of you for coming along with me on it. I hope you enjoy the end (and a last batch of Friends references)!
The second Jay's truck was parked in front of a dark green cabin nestled in the woods, he jumped out and hurried to grab Hailey's hand.
"What-"
"Just wait," he mumbled and pulled her toward the edge of the trees. Once they were hidden from everyone's view, he kissed her quickly and gripped her waist.
She gasped against his lips as her hands struggled to find something to hold onto until they tangled within his shirt.
"I'm sorry," he finally murmured into the kiss, pulling back enough just to rest his forehead to hers, "I'm sorry my roommate's an idiot. I'm sorry that's how you heard those words for the first time. I'm sorry if you felt like you needed to reply. I'm sorry."
"Jay," she whispered and stepped back from him. Setting her hands on the side of his neck, she tilted her head to the side and repeated, "Jay."
He breathed in quickly and said, "Yeah?"
Hailey couldn't help but smile as she brushed her thumbs along his jaw. "It wasn't perfect," she admitted softly, "But it happened, and I don't regret it at all. I do love you, Jay, I really, really do. I-I've been wanting to tell you for a few days. I mean that. I was trying to come up with something romantic because that's what you've taught me to do."
Jay chuckled and shook his head, but still smiled as he leaned down to kiss her again. "I'm sure that would have been perfect."
"It really was the goal," Hailey laughed.
"Maybe we can have a do-over later?" Jay asked, "Some place kind of private without our friends around?"
Hailey nodded and stroked the backs of her fingers along his cheek. "I'd like that," she said softly, "Maybe tonight? My original goal was under the stars."
"Under the stars?" Jay repeated with a smirk teasing his lips, "Now that's romantic, huh? Come up with that yourself?"
"Of course," Hailey laughed, "I can be romantic."
"You sure can," Jay chuckled before kissing her softly, "Now, come on, I think I have a cabin tour to give you and our friends who will not be in attendance tonight."
Hailey laughed harder while grabbing his hand. Before they could step away, she reached up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek and whispered, "You okay if I say it again now?"
A smile split across Jay's face as he looked down at her. "Only if you let me say it too."
"I'd really like that," she replied.
"All right," Jay said, turning to plant his feet on the grass, "Let's hear it."
Hailey laughed and squeezed his hands as she said, "Jay, I love you."
"And I love you," he repeated easily. He winked, gave her one last kiss on the forehead, then tugged her back toward their friends near the cars.
As they approached, everyone quieted down and stepped back from Mouse. He weakly smiled and waved at them. "Hey," he mumbled, "So…again, I'm sorry."
Hailey bit her lip over a smirk and said, "Thank you."
"Mhmm," Jay hummed and tried not to laugh.
Hailey's eyes slid over to Vanessa and Kim staring at her expectedly. She finally let her smirk show as she nodded at them.
If they were anywhere else, Hailey knew they would have pulled her aside and asked her for every detail, but they weren't. They were in front of their boyfriends, and she didn't want to make an already awkward situation even more awkward. It was what it was, and they were going to respect that until they absolutely couldn't hold it back anymore.
It ended up being just ten minutes later.
Everyone had carried everything into the cabin, and Jay was showing the guys where they could all sleep, so Vanessa pulled Hailey back from entering the living room and hissed, "You two finally said it?"
Hailey laughed and nodded.
Kim squealed and hugged her tightly. "This is huge!" she said.
Vanessa joined their hug and said, "I can't believe it actually happened."
Hailey smiled and pulled back to say, "But you were right. It definitely wasn't the perfect way that I wanted it to happen. Mouse is the one who said it first. How's that fair?"
Vanessa waved her hand and said, "It made it memorable."
"I guess," Hailey sighed.
She would have loved if they'd been able to actually say the words in private like she'd intended. The privacy would have made the moment much more intimate than just in the back of Jay's truck, but it happened and now they were dealing with the fallout. Like with everything in life.
And love didn't always have to be extremely intimate. Hailey learned early on that she could get butterflies from Jay just by standing in the kitchen drinking whiskey with him or by sitting together in the laundry room. Love wasn't just sex and whispers and lingering touches, it was laughter and goofing around and simply talking about anything under the sun. It could happen underneath Christmas lights, or it could happen in trucks. There could be the sun setting twenty yards away over Lake Michigan, or the sun might be beating down on them on her fire escape as she had a band-aid wrapped around a fresh tattoo. Wherever they were and no matter what they were doing, they'd found love in their own way.
It wasn't at the strike of midnight or necessarily when Jay was standing underneath her balcony. No one had to fight a giant or complete a quest. It was real life and proved to be much better than any fairytale or romance trope they could ever live out.
It was them.
In the most annoying way possible.
If Mouse had to be there the night they first slept together, he might as well have been there the day they first confessed their love together.
It might have been them, but it was also like some romantic-comedy Hailey typically didn't enjoy watching.
The irony wasn't lost on her.
So she let herself smile and say, "We're going to try a redo later on our own."
"Without Mouse?" Vanessa laughed.
"Without anyone," Hailey corrected, "It's just going to be us, and it's going to be just the way I wanted it to be."
"And, hey, maybe that's better," Kim said, "Now you won't be nervous when you say it again."
Hailey blushed and looked toward the stairs that Jay and the guys had just climbed before saying softly, "We've already said it again. Back there when he pulled me away after he parked."
"I knew it," Vanessa breathed, "Okay, that's good!"
Hailey laughed softly and said, "Very good. It was nice. He's not too happy with Mouse-"
"Well, obviously," Kim said, "He ruined the most important part of your relationship."
Hailey was about to reply before she hesitated.
She wasn't quite sure that was right. Was saying she loved Jay actually the most important part of their relationship? It couldn't have been. It was just one moment of their time together and was the result of everything they'd done leading up to that point. If they really did want to think of their relationship as some sort of story, she didn't want the climax of it to be them saying 'I love you' to each other. Things couldn't all be downhill from here. She refused.
"I don't know," she admitted softly, almost to herself.
If she were to think back on everything they'd gone through together, perhaps the most important part of their relationship was when their relationship actually began. They were dressed up and dancing and vulnerable in front of each other. She'd met his family, and he proved that he was going to support her as she navigated her own. That felt rather important.
Then again, when they slept together not too long after that first kiss, that felt very important too. After almost a year of swearing off all men, she let herself be intimate with a new guy. It'd been a big moment for her. Not that she'd necessarily been scared or nervous, but that it'd been a while and something she hadn't quite expected to happen yet.
Maybe that was more of an important moment for her rather than for Jay or even for their relationship.
Before she could even begin to think about the role Jay's mom had in their relationship, Jay came down the stairs and asked, "You wanna see where we'll stay?"
"Sure," she replied quickly and stepped back from Vanessa and Kim. Grabbing her duffle bag, she followed Jay through the living room to his parents' room.
"All right," he said under his breath before pushing the door open.
Hailey moved to follow him, and instead ran right into his back as he froze in the doorway. She grunted in surprise then said, "Jay?"
"Dammit," he whispered, "What the hell?"
"Jay?" she repeated and stepped to the side. She couldn't help but gasp as she took in the bedroom in front of them. The window off to the side appeared to have been left open from whoever used the room last, which meant several branches, twigs, leaves, and other random debris had covered the cozy room.
"Oh no," she breathed.
Dropping his own bag at his feet, Jay slowly stepped in the room to look around. Hailey couldn't see his face as he walked over to close the window, but she could tell his jaw was clenched in frustration; it matched his fists at his sides.
"Jay," she whispered again and stepped over his bag. She took a deep breath and said, "We can clean it up. It's okay. It's not…it's not totally destroyed."
He turned to look at her and shook his head.
"No, no, come on," she said quickly as she hurried over to grab his hands, "It's fixable."
"How?" he asked quietly, "There could be animals in the closet or-or snakes under the bed. I can't let you sleep in here."
"Jay, it's okay," Hailey assured, "We can look around, toss out the garbage, and it'll be fine."
"It's not fine," Jay sighed and made his way over to the closet. He opened it up and peeked his head inside. Hailey could see a few sweatshirts hanging in it, but otherwise it was empty. It brought some relief to her gut even if she was starting to think like Jay and wonder if there were animals hidden in here. "Dammit," he mumbled again, "Dammit."
"Hey," Hailey said softly and hurried over to put a hand on his back, "Jay, come here."
He turned to look toward her and her heart sank at the tears in his eyes.
"It's a mess, all right," she gently admitted, "But we can fix it. It's not destroyed."
"But my dad-"
"Doesn't ever have to find out," Hailey interrupted. She squeezed his hand and said, "You didn't break the cabin or completely wreck it. I'm fine sleeping in here once we clean it up, but if you're not, that's fine too. Do you have a tent? We could sleep outside – it might even be fun."
Jay held her eye contact for a moment before stiffly nodding. He angrily rubbed his fist at his eyes then let out a breath and mumbled, "Okay. Sorry."
Hailey shook her head and said, "Nothing to be sorry about. It's probably a bit weird to be here again seeing as the last time…"
She trailed off. She very well knew that Jay knew the last time he was here, his mom had told him and Will that she had cancer again. She didn't need to remind him of that day; it was probably already staining their short trip without her bringing it up.
Unfortunately, she was right. Jay nodded and breathed, "Yeah."
"Holy crap."
"Oh, Jay."
Hailey turned to see Kim and Adam in the doorway already wearing their bathing suits. She smiled slightly and explained, "Someone left the window open last time, so we have to clean up."
Jay rolled his eyes to himself then said, "Feel free to head to the beach. You probably saw it on the drive in; it's just down the street. You don't-"
He stopped talking as both Kim and Adam walked inside the room and began picking up the stray branches and leaves.
"Not a problem, man," Adam said. He lightly hit Jay's back before kicking a bunch of leaves into a pile.
Kim shot him a smile as well and started stacking some of the sticks next to the door.
"See?" Hailey whispered, "We've got this." She joined Kim to gather as many sticks as they could grab.
Together, the four of them quietly worked to clear the room of all the debris. To Hailey's relief, they didn't find any live animals, but there was a dead mouse under the bed that Jay quickly grabbed to throw out. Her heart stopped for a moment when she saw it even though she kept telling Jay she was fine and it didn't freak her out. Kim had sent her a knowing smile behind her own silent gags of disgust.
When Jay returned with a broom, he had Mouse, Kevin, and Vanessa in tow. They were also dressed in their bathing suits, but they happily agreed to help finish cleaning the room. It was done quickly, and soon enough their friends all headed out to put sunscreen on, leaving Jay and Hailey alone in the bedroom.
"Feeling better?" Hailey asked softly as she set her duffle bag on the bare mattress since Vanessa had tossed all the sheets in the washing machine upstairs.
Jay glanced up from searching for his swim trunks and smiled slightly. "Yeah, a bit, thanks. I really do appreciate your help."
"Any time," Hailey said with a smile. She pulled out her bathing suit and added, "As a thank you, though, you could totally put sunscreen all over me if you'd like."
Jay finally burst into laughter and said, "Oh, really? Is that a reward for you or might it be one for me too?"
Hailey shrugged and said, "Does it matter?"
Jay hummed and stepped forward to slip his hands under her t-shirt. "Maybe not," he said, pulling her shirt over her head, "Need help getting that suit on too?"
"Perhaps," Hailey said. Just as she reached behind herself to undo her bra, Jay turned her around and did it for her. As he slipped it down her arms, she smiled and closed her eyes, leaning back against him.
"How long do you think we have before our friends come looking for us?" Jay whispered while leaning down to kiss along her shoulder.
Hailey tilted her head to the side and breathed, "Not long at all."
"Damn," Jay mumbled. He lightly nipped under her ear then stepped around her to grab her bathing suit top off her bag. Holding it up, he said, "This sure doesn't look like the one you've worn to the beach before."
"I figured this was more of a…private event," Hailey said, a smirk beginning to form on her face as she looked over her shoulder at him.
Jay laughed and shook his head before helping her slip it on and then tying it behind her neck. "You really are something, you know that?" he asked, "Kind, funny, and drop dead gorgeous."
"Don't forget smart," she said.
"Oh, the smartest," Jay chuckled. He kissed the back of her neck then stepped back. "My turn?" he asked.
Hailey turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Your turn?" she asked. Holding her arms out, she added, "Do I look like I have my bottoms on?"
"You look like you're wearing too many bottoms if we're being honest," Jay said.
Hailey laughed and shoved his chest. "Fair," she said through her laughter, "But I think you're wearing way too many clothes as well. Strip down, hot stuff."
"Hot stuff, huh?" Jay laughed harder, "All right, all right, here you go."
Hailey smiled and sat on the bed to watch him as he undressed. As he pushed all the fabric off his body and jokingly did a spin for her, she felt her stomach flip inside her. It wasn't just that he was standing there, naked, in front of her, but that he was smiling again. Going into this weekend, she knew it wasn't going to be the easiest, even if she had planned on saying 'I love you' all along, but she also knew the weekend was going to be worth it. Seeing Jay smile and joke around with her after getting caught in his head and memories of his family was very much worth staying inside for a few more minutes while their friends got ready for the beach. This weekend was for the two of them to solidify what they'd made this past summer. In a way, she wanted it to go just like their relationship had: perfectly imperfect.
At the beach, Hailey refused to let Jay even get in the water without thoroughly covering him with sunscreen. She told him she was not going to be able to handle him being sunburned again, and everyone completely agreed. Jay begrudgingly let her spray him with sunscreen and then wipe the lotion over his face all while she complained that he was like a child. The joke had resulted in him rubbing his nose against her cheek, smearing the sunscreen on her, before kissing her quickly and spinning her around. She practically slipped from his greasy arms, but then they both ran straight into the lake with their friends, and she didn't give a second thought to putting any lotion on her own skin.
It wasn't an awful mistake while she was swimming in the lake, but everything did go downhill when she decided to lay out on the sand with Kim and Vanessa. The sun beat down on the three of them, so she closed her eyes against the rays and soaked in the heat.
"I wish we could do this more in Chicago," she murmured.
"We really should go to Lake Michigan more often," Kim said.
"That involves driving to the beach, and that's a pain," Vanessa sighed.
"I love the sun, though," Hailey said, "This feels amazing."
Kim pushed up on her elbow, shoved her sunglasses into her hair, and said, "Like you love Jay?"
Hailey smirked and turned to look at her. "It's not a big deal," she said.
"Oh, lies!" Vanessa laughed, sitting up, "It's huge!"
Hailey hesitated then blushed and said, "Okay, fine, it is. I…I still can't believe it, I'm just trying to figure it all out."
"What's there to figure out?" Kim asked, "You said it, now you live it."
Vanessa raised an eyebrow and said, "What?"
Kim shrugged and crossed her feet underneath her. "You have to live that love now," she explained, "I love Adam, and every day now I have to prove that to him and to the world. It's not easy, but it's what I'm signing up for. I really do love him and want him to always know that even if I'm not saying the words."
"That's…that's not what I'm confused about," Hailey said before Vanessa could butt in, "I'm confused about our relationship. Is it over now?"
"Over?" Vanessa repeated, "Hailey, your relationship with Jay is not over. It's just beginning."
"But how?" Hailey asked, "We said 'I love you,' what's there to look forward to?"
"How about saying it for real?" Kim suggested.
"Without Mouse," Vanessa pointed out.
"And there's also your first anniversary," Kim added.
"First holiday," Vanessa said.
"Moving in together."
"Getting married."
"Having a family."
"A dog!"
"I get it, I get it," Hailey weakly laughed, "Wow, that's…a lot."
"And it's just getting started," Kim said, reaching over to squeeze her hand.
Hailey smiled and nodded as she looked out at Jay and the guys tossing a football around in the water. She wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her chin on them.
Her friends were right. 'I love you' wasn't the end of their relationship or even the climax of it. It was just a chapter in their story. Granted, it was a really nice chapter (maybe not the best because Mouse was there and it was in a truck, not under the stars), but it wasn't bad by any means. Their book had many more things in store for the two of them, and she couldn't wait.
But then Jay came running out of the water with Mouse only to stumble and swear loudly, causing Hailey to wake from her dazed nap and wish the rest of their book could have at least waited until her dream of Jay feeding her strawberries in bed was over.
"What the hell?" Mouse laughed as he grabbed Jay's arm, "You good?"
"No, dammit," Jay hissed, "I-I think I stepped on a bee."
"Come here," Hailey said and scooted over to pat her towel, "Let me look."
Vanessa laughed as Jay settled on her towel and said, "Now Hailey can finally take care of Doctor Jay, instead of the other way around."
"You're so funny," Jay gritted through his teeth while pulling his foot up into his lap.
"Does it hurt?" Kim asked.
Jay glared at her only to be stopped quickly from saying something by Hailey putting a hand on his arm. "Leave it," she warned under her breath, "Just let me see the stinger. Maybe I can get it out with my nails."
"No, no, nope," Jay replied, "We're not doing that at all. We can just use glue."
"What are you? A child?" Mouse asked, "Do you even have glue in the cabin?"
"Probably super glue," Jay said.
"We're not gluing your foot," Hailey said as she pushed his hand away, "Just give it to me."
"What's going on here?" Adam asked as he walked over with Kevin in tow.
"For god's sake," Jay mumbled. He tried standing up just for Hailey and Mouse to push him back down.
"Jay was stung by a bee," Hailey explained, "And he won't let me take out the stinger."
"I've got a knife," Kevin said.
Jay's eyes widened, his jaw dropping the slightest of an inch.
"I like that idea," Vanessa said.
"Go to hell," Jay snapped at her.
"Hey, kindly, shut up," Hailey said with a flick to his forehead, "Give me your foot and take a breath. I'll be quick."
"I highly doubt that," Jay replied.
Hailey rolled her eyes and pulled his foot onto her lap. Bending down, she said, "I can see it; it's kind of sticking out. No problem at all."
"I hate this," Jay mumbled.
"I'm loving it," Kim said while wrapping a towel around Adam's shoulders, "It's about time you got hurt. You've been taking care of us all summer; this is just karma."
"How is this karma?" Jay asked, "I was doing good things all summer; this is bad."
"Is letting a bee sting you bad?" Vanessa asked.
"How could it be good?" Kevin countered while sitting next to her.
"Maybe it impresses the other bees," Mouse suggested.
"Exactly," Vanessa agreed with a nod.
"Oh my god," Jay sighed.
Hailey scratched her nail at the tiny stinger sticking out of his foot and grabbed his ankle when he tried pulling away. "Jay, settle down," she said softly, "It's right there."
"I really don't like this," he admitted, "I hate needles. You know that."
"Needles have nothing to do with stingers," Hailey replied.
"They're tiny just like needles; they are exactly the same," Jay said.
Hailey shook her head and continued working at the stinger while their friends continued their debate about bees and the purpose of their stingers. Finally, she managed to get it out between her fingers and quickly buried it in the sand. "There," she said under her breath, "All better."
Jay yanked his foot away from her and bent down to look at it. Pursing his lips, he said, "That was hell."
"But you survived," Mouse chuckled, "How brave of you."
Jay shot him his middle finger and turned to lie back on Hailey's towel.
She laughed softly and set a hand on his forehead. "You want some water?" she asked.
"And my hat if it's right there," he replied.
"Mhmm," she hummed as she passed them over.
"Anyone know if there will be fireworks tonight?" Kim asked.
Kevin pointed out at the clouds coming in over the lake and said, "Not sure, but I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be able to see them if there were. Looks like it might rain."
"I don't think it'll be bad, though," Adam said, "I was looking at the weather earlier, and it said it'll just sprinkle tonight. Nothing that'll ruin our weekend."
"Perfect," Kim said, "I'm really hoping to relax this weekend before all hell breaks loose."
"It'll be okay," Vanessa said, "You'll be okay. We all believe in you."
"You're going to be the best second grade teacher in all of Chicago," Kevin said.
Kim smiled at him, but then said, "Thank you. I just wish that was true."
"We all think it is," Hailey said, "So what makes it not true?"
"Reality," Kim said.
"Bull," Jay said as he tipped his head up to look at her, "You've never had this job before, right? Student teaching doesn't count since that wasn't for real money. We might not be able to say we know for certain you're the absolute best second grade teacher out there, but you also can't say for certain that you're the worst. We'll wait it out, but my hopes are high. I think you're a decent person."
"I'll agree to that," Mouse said, holding up his own water bottle.
Hailey smiled and said, "Completely."
"You're going to be amazing," Vanessa said softly, "Believe in yourself. It's not going to be easy, but it'll be worth it."
"Just like everything in life," Adam added.
"How poetic," Jay said while laying back down. Rubbing his hands over his face, he groaned quietly and said, "That stinger was not easy."
Everyone laughed, and Hailey bent down to kiss his nose. "But you survived," she whispered.
He peeped his eye out and winked at her. "Did you think I was brave?" he asked.
She laughed again and said, "Now you want to be called brave?"
"Everyone wants to be called strong and brave by their girlfriend," Jay said.
Hailey hummed then said, "But I was only going to call you brave. I don't remember us talking about how strong you are. That could be up for debate."
Jay raised an eyebrow and asked, "Really?"
"Really, really," Hailey replied, setting her hand on his chest.
"Hey, hey!"
"Nope! Not doing that!"
"Not in public you love birds!"
"Have some respect."
"We're right here."
Hailey laughed and waved her friends off before closing the last little bit of distance to kiss Jay quickly. She smiled against his lips and whispered, "Worth it."
Jay reached up to hold her head down as their friends continued yelling at him. "Tell me I'm strong and I'll let you go," he murmured.
Hailey smirked against him and asked, "And if I don't?"
"Our friends will kill us."
Hailey snorted and pushed against him so he'd let her go. "You're strong," she said, sitting up, "Biggest arms I've ever seen."
Jay smirked as well and sat up to show off his arms. "Really?"
"What a damn lie," Kevin scoffed as he stood up. Flexing his arms, he said, "Jay doesn't hold a candle to this."
"What about this?" Adam asked, standing up to spread his arms out.
"I'm not even going to try," Mouse said while leaning back on his towel.
"You've got nice arms," Vanessa said.
Kim nodded and added, "They're respectable."
Mouse laughed and said, "Thanks, ladies."
Hailey glanced between her boyfriend now jokingly comparing his arms to his friends'. She knew his were clearly not as big as the others', but she was absolutely certain that his were the ones she wanted to be wrapped in for a long time.
Even though she knew that was absolutely cheesy to even think – let alone believe.
But this was Jay she was talking about, and he was the cheesiest, most romantic guy she'd ever met. She was allowed to think cheesy thoughts about him right back.
The fire got slightly out of control that night with Mouse and Adam pouring more lighter fluid on it than necessary, but the cool breeze coming in off the lake helped even it out. Vanessa had somehow never had a hotdog over the fire, so everyone was eager to help her figure it out.
"You don't want it black," Kim said as she watched Vanessa stick her pole in the flames.
Hailey nodded and added, "So be quick. Don't just let it sit there."
"And move it around a bit like this," Kevin said while slowly turning his over the fire.
"We can help you get it on a bun if you need to," Adam said.
"You have to be careful, don't want to burn yourself," Mouse pointed out.
"Okay, okay," Vanessa said, "I've got it. Thank you. I think I can figure it out."
"It's not that hard," Jay said as he came down the steps on the deck. He held up a bottle in his hand and said, "Got it, Hail."
She turned and sighed because, despite being so worried about Jay getting burned, she had managed to completely neglect herself and get burned practically everywhere – especially since she'd decided to wear that rather small bathing suit compared to her usual, more family-friendly one. "Thanks," she said softly.
Jay nodded and dumped some of the aloe in his hand.
"You don't-"
"Too late."
Hailey laughed, closing her eyes as Jay gently rubbed the green gel into her face.
"Eyelids and everything," he said under his breath, "Damn."
"It's not awful," she murmured, "I should be fine tomorrow."
"Yeah, Hailey somehow always escapes the wrath of sunburns," Kim said, "It's freaking annoying."
Jay chuckled, "Got it. I mean, we did go this long throughout the summer without her getting one, so I'm not surprised." He rubbed his thumb over her eyebrow then stepped back to put more aloe in his hands.
"I should be fine," Hailey said.
Jay shook his head and tipped her chin up to get some of the aloe along her throat. She gasped softly and her eyes fluttered close again. His fingers slowly traced along her skin until they slipped behind her neck to tease along her hairline.
"Your skin's pretty warm," he whispered.
She hummed and said, "I am hot."
Jay laughed softly and kissed the top of her head. "You are," he said, "Hottest girlfriend I've had."
"Reddest one too," Mouse interrupted, "Like a lobster."
Hailey's eyes shot open before shooting him a glare. "Not a welcome comment," she said.
Vanessa laughed and said, "But it's true. Lobsters mate for life too, did you know that?"
"What? Like they walk around holding claws?" Adam asked as he finished roasting his hotdog and sat in his chair.
"Exactly," Vanessa said. She pulled her hotdog out of the fire and had Kevin put it on a bun for her. "Hailey, your Jay's lobster, and he's yours."
"Cute," Hailey breathed while walking over to stick a hotdog on one of the poles.
But something about the saying twisted her stomach. It just reminded her of how worried she'd been earlier about the climax of her relationship with Jay. If they really were mated for life, it felt so strange that everything was downhill from here. That couldn't be what love was. She refused to think that or believe it.
Love had to be bigger than the words. It's what she'd originally thought all along, so she needed to hold on to that. She couldn't let herself get caught up in a never-ending future that pointed south. For one, that was depressing. Love was not depressing; that she was sure of. What love had to be, though, was positive. She had no doubt it was hard, but it had to be worth it. Her friends were right: there was so much to look forward to with Jay. That was everything she needed to focus on – in addition to living in the present, and, right now, the present with Jay was a pretty great place to be.
"You wanna do it yourself?" Jay asked as he came behind her and set the aloe on the picnic table, "I'm willing to make two at once, if you'd like."
Hailey hesitated then turned toward him with a smirk. "Are you going to burn it?" she asked.
"Oh, ha ha," Jay said. He chuckled then kissed her cheek before sticking two hot dogs on one of the poles and heading back toward the fire.
She watched him with a small smile as he stood next to Adam and struck up a conversation about heading out to fish in the morning. The idea of him leaving her in the warm bed to go stand outside stirred all the emotions in her. On one hand, she would have loved to spend hours upon hours cuddled up in his side. On the other, the thought of him relaxing in the peace of the early morning alongside the lake sounded so serene. It was probably good for him to get out on his own. In a way, she almost wanted him to go do it so she could sneak down there after he left and just watch him.
"You two gonna sneak away soon?" Vanessa whispered as she walked over with her hotdog.
Hailey blinked out of her gaze filled with Jay and looked at her. "Uh, maybe," she said.
Vanessa nodded and looked around. "I'm sure there's a lot of romantic places to head off to. Maybe the beach?"
"We'll see," Hailey said, "I'll let him take the lead."
Vanessa raised an eyebrow. "Even though you wanted to be the one to initiate it?"
Hailey shrugged and said, "I'll get the next one. Like you said earlier, there's a lot to look forward to. I have to keep telling myself that. I don't want to get stuck in some rut like my parents – even like his parents. If we really are meant to last forever, then I want forever to be something to look forward to. It scares me, but I think it'll be worth it because he's worth it."
Vanessa smiled and hugged her to her side. "You're right about that. Plus, I'm loving this cabin; you two need to keep dating so we can come back."
Laughing, Hailey pushed her gently and said, "Shut up."
"Just the truth," Vanessa laughed.
"Order up, Hail!" Jay called back, "You mind grabbing some buns."
"Hey, what'd we talk about?" Mouse said, "Hands to ourselves."
"Oh, grow up," Jay chuckled.
Hailey laughed harder while walking over with two hot dog buns in hand. "You called."
"Mhmm," Jay hummed, quickly slipping the hot dogs in the buns she was holding, "Thank you."
"Thank you," Hailey countered, "This looks good."
"You've done it before, right?" Jay asked.
"Cook a hot dog over a fire? Of course," Hailey said, "I went to a couple bonfires in college, especially at the start of the school year."
Jay nodded and pulled over two chairs for them to sit in. Once they'd both taken a couple bites, he nodded over his shoulder and said, "Wanna take a short walk after this? I want to show you something."
"Yeah," Hailey said softly, "I'd like that."
Jay smiled in response then continued eating his hot dog. He finished before she did, so he turned her chair with a smirk then pulled her feet on his lap.
She laughed and nudged his stomach lightly. "What're you doing?" she asked.
Jay shrugged and brushed his fingers along her anklet. "Checking to see if you got burned here too."
"Oh, very funny," Hailey said.
Jay chuckled and rested his head back in his chair before jumping into Kevin and Kim's conversation about s'mores: "You're disgusting if you think it's anything but plain Hersheys and plain graham crackers."
Kim scoffed and said, "You're so boring, you know that, Jay?"
"I'm not boring," he retorted, "I'm classic."
Hailey laughed and shook her head.
"What?" he said, "That's traditional to do a plain s'more. Did you hear her? She said you should add peanut butter to it."
"That sounds delicious," Hailey said with a nod, "I'd try that in a heartbeat."
"No," Jay replied despite his fingers still gently rubbing around her ankles.
"I'd put jam on a s'more," Adam said, "Doesn't that sound good? Like strawberry or raspberry jam?"
"I'd probably have seven of those," Mouse agreed.
"Why don't we have a s'more competition?" Vanessa asked, "Or even just a bake-off? Do we have s'mores stuff?"
"I bought a ton," Hailey said, "It's all inside."
"Then tonight, we toast," Kevin announced with a gesture of his beer, "Worst s'more maker has to do shots or something."
"Oh, if we're doing a whole truth or dare thing where people make me drink mayo or some other crap again, I'm out," Mouse said, "Y'all are gross."
"No mayo drinks," Kim laughed, "Just good old-fashioned vodka. Everyone down?"
Hailey hummed as she finished her hot dog while everyone else agreed. Before she could say anything, Jay pushed her feet off his lap and stood up with his hand out. "Yes?" she laughed.
"Come on," he said softly, "Let's go for that walk while they debate s'mores."
Hailey smiled and took his hand, so he could pull her to her feet. Ignoring their friends catcalls and whistles, together, they headed off toward the edge of the woods.
"It's safe, promise," Jay assured.
"What is?" Hailey asked, peering down the small path they were standing in front of.
Jay pointed up and said, "The tree house."
Hailey's eyes widened as she followed his finger and breathed, "Oh." They were at the base of a pretty big oak tree and looking up at a large tree house nestled amongst the branches. From here, she couldn't see what it looked like inside, but the ladder made its way right into the middle of the hideout before disappearing into the leaves.
"I'll go first and just double-check that there aren't any raccoons or anything," Jay said before stepping up onto the ladder.
"Be careful," she replied.
"Yup."
Hailey bit her lip as she watched Jay climb up into the tree house. Her gut told her to trust him: the ladder was nailed to the tree trunk and nothing looked like it was rotten or wearing out. Her brain, on the other hand, told her she should be scared. Jay had told her he'd made this tree house a long time ago with his grandpa. There wasn't any way it was up to modern code for houses.
"Okay," Jay said once he made it to the top. He leaned down to stare down the middle hole. "All clear."
Hailey took a deep breath then let her hand grip the rungs on the ladder. She'd thought it earlier, and now she needed to live it: love wasn't going to be easy, but it was going to be worth it. She had a feeling climbing this tree house was going to be the exact same thing.
"There you go!" Jay cheered, "One step at a time. You've got this."
She laughed and pushed herself further up the ladder until she finally poked her head inside the tree house. "Hello," she panted.
"Here," Jay chuckled, stepping back to help her climb inside.
Looking around, Hailey noticed it was rather bare inside presumably from its lack of use. There were a few maps drawn on the walls with permanent markers and names carved into the wood. She stepped off to the side where Jay is cool was carved right above the phrase Will is cooler. Laughing softly, she lightly ran her finger over the words before turning back to Jay. "I love it," she said softly.
He chuckled and shrugged while putting his hands on an old wagon wheel set up like a steering wheel right in the middle. "It is pretty cool," he said, "I remember building it like it was yesterday. It was actually my idea to put the wheel in here."
"Oh, really?" Hailey said with a smile as she stepped over to slide in front of him. She lightly ran her hands over the worn wood before beginning to spin it slowly.
"Yeah," Jay breathed, wrapping his arms around her so he could place his hands on hers, "It took a whole summer, but it was a lot of fun. I was probably seven. Will helped, but my grandpa kept calling me his partner in crime. I liked it."
"That's a nice memory to have," Hailey said. She rested her head back on his chest as they began sliding their hands along the wheel together and asked, "What's his name?"
"Hmm?"
"His name. What's your grandpa's name?"
"Oh," Jay said quietly, "Rory Byrne."
Hailey nodded against him and closed her eyes. She tried picturing an elderly man with a generic face coaching a young Jay on how to cut planks of wood and nail them together. "I'd like to meet him," she whispered.
Jay kissed the top of her head and said, "I'd like that too."
Hailey hummed softly as she opened her eyes. She carefully got out from in front of him and returned to walking around the tree house. Making her way to one of the windows, she leaned against it so that she could make out the lake in the distance.
"It's peaceful out here," she said.
"Yeah," Jay said, "I love it."
There was that word again. It brought a smile to her face. Jay clearly loved a lot of things: this cabin, his family, Mouse, the White Sox, and her. She needed to keep reminding herself of it. It was real. Jay actually loved her. He'd said it and he meant it. It was not a bad thing. It was good and safe and secure. Just like him.
In the car, she might have said the words herself, but they were rather lame words. The car had been kind of hot and smelly. Mouse was there. It felt forced in a way despite being true. It wasn't perfect.
She would have liked to have been out at the beach with Jay when she said it. Ideally, they would have been standing there in the sand at sunset. Maybe their friends would have been there, but they would have been far enough away to not here anything, yet close enough to take pictures when they inevitably kissed.
Hailey scrunched her nose at the gross romance of her thoughts. She didn't need pictures of her kissing Jay with the sun setting in the background.
But maybe, deep down, she wanted them.
The next time they'd said the words for real was in the trees next to his cabin. They were much more private this time with their friends further away, but it still wasn't perfect. It didn't have that ease around it like she thought it needed, and they were still hot and a bit worn-out from the car ride. It was better, but it could be improved upon.
Now…maybe now was her time.
Turning from the window, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and put a hand out. "Jay," she said softly.
He chuckled and walked over to grab her hand. "Yes?" he asked.
"We're under the stars," she whispered.
"We are," he replied, slipping his free hand into the back of her hair.
Taking a deep breath, Hailey tried settling the nerves bubbling in her stomach so she could gather the courage she needed to finally, truly, tell Jay what he needed to hear – what she wanted him to hear:
"I love you," she began slowly, "In a way I never thought possible. You support me – all of me – and encourage me to be who I am. You keep me safe, even when my parents are involved. Plus, you've taken care of pretty much every single injury I've had all summer."
Jay laughed and nodded. "You're a bit clumsy."
"Maybe," Hailey said with a laugh of her own, "But it's okay because I have you. You've proven that you're not going anywhere, and that's what gave me the strength to say those three words. I-I've been hurt before and thought love was fake and all those romance tropes and anything related to Shakespeare was dumb, but you showed me it's not, or that it doesn't have to be. We might not live in a fairytale and things aren't always easy, but it's perfect in its own way, and I like it like that. I like your family and your friends. I like when you do the crossword in the morning even if you can't get the answer for a good ten minutes. I like when you come home from work with tons of stories to share about whoever you helped and when you pace the room with a smile on your face while talking to your mom on the phone. I like how your eyes look when you get sunburned, and I like the way your hair looks when you just wake up. I love you, Jay, all of you, and I'm, admittedly, scared about what's to come, and it's not because of you, but because I don't want to lose you. I want to do this right. I'm scared, but I'm excited. You're mine, and I'm yours, and I'd really like it to stay that way."
She could hear her heart pounding out of her chest. She hadn't planned on pouring everything out on the table for Jay to see and hear; it just happened, and yet she didn't regret it. She was glad Jay heard what she truly believed. He needed to know that his flirting and teasing and dates and all the romance worked: she fell in love with him.
Unabashedly.
Unequivocally.
In love.
Jay's fingers curled around her neck as a smile ghosted over his lips. His cheeks had turned a soft red in the falling twilight, and his eyes seemed to shine in a way that Hailey thought maybe she went too far and upset him.
But then he shook his head barely an inch, parted his lips in thought, and let out the softest of breaths. Chuckling, he quickly pulled her against him to catch her kiss in his.
Hailey let out a quiet noise upon the impact and brought her hands up to grip the shoulders of his shirt. Easily, she sank into him, letting him hold her up in his arms – just like he always would.
She couldn't hear or feel anything besides him. Behind her closed eyelids, everything she saw was a reflection of her relationship with him.
Sipping whiskey with him in her kitchen. Talking with him while doing their laundry together. Playing beer pong with him after he'd massaged her neck while watching a baseball game. Daring each other to do the silliest of acts in the heat of the blackout. Napping with him on the couch and then falling asleep on him in the hospital waiting room. Sharing a glass of water outside a bar. Spinning around with him in the middle of a dance floor.
Falling apart beneath him, on top of him, with him over and over and over.
Kissing him in the privacy of their cars and in the rain and in front of their friends.
Over the course of the entire summer, they became each other's. Through family struggles and work frustrations, fights between friends and more tequila and beer than they could imagine. They'd survived.
And it was only going up from here.
Jay eventually pulled back, but was still close enough that, when he talked, she could feel every word brush against her skin.
"You're beautiful," he whispered, "You are incredible and gorgeous and this amazing person both inside out. I love you, Hailey, I do. I love you so much. You've become someone I can't live without. You taught me so much about life when I thought it was falling apart. Maybe you gave me a huge challenge with love, but every day with you was worth it. I was never going to stop until I proved to you that it was worth it – that you are worth it. You're worthy of love, and I'm going to prove that to you and show you love every day; I swear to you. Nothing about our relationship is over, I promise you. We're just getting started."
Hailey blinked past tears and laughed slightly. Nodding, she fisted his t-shirt in her hands and whispered, "I love you."
Jay kissed the side of her lips then lifted her hand to press another kiss to her tattoo. "As long as you've got this, I'm yours."
Hailey laughed as a few tears fell down her cheeks. "And if I get it removed?"
Jay hesitated then laughed and said, "Then I'll have to tattoo it on my own arm so we still have it."
Sniffling, Hailey smiled and rubbed her thumbs over his cheeks. "Deal," she whispered before pushing herself up on her tiptoes to kiss him again.
Jay's hand spanned the entirety of her lower back as he held her close against him. Stepping back after a moment, he said, "I think we need to go back to our friends eventually."
"Why ruin a good thing, Halstead?" Hailey asked.
Jay laughed harder as he brushed her hair back. "Not trying to ruin anything, babe, but I am hoping that our friends don't drink all our whiskey without us. I happened to bring a bottle for you, which means I want to actually enjoy that with you."
Hailey raised an eyebrow and said, "You brought me a bottle?"
"Yeah," Jay said softly, "Same brand that we first shared together. I…before Mouse spoiled the whole love thing, my plan for telling you was to first share a glass of our drink then tell you how much you mean to me and then say it."
Hailey hummed, "I would have liked that. I'm sorry we couldn't do it your way."
"There's time," Jay said. He kissed her cheek then whispered in her ear, "Promise." Winking at her, he stepped back and knelt down next to the hole in the tree house. "Coming down?" he asked.
"Yes," she said, "But you go first? Catch me if I fall?"
"Always," Jay replied. He sent her a wide smile before slipping down onto the ladder.
Hailey watched as he disappeared then spun slowly with her hands on her head. They'd done it.
And it was perfect.
Their friends knew the second they returned to the fire that something was up, but they had sense enough not to say anything. Hailey greatly appreciated it. She liked the feeling that her moment in the tree house with Jay was hers. She didn't want to have to share it with everyone else besides him.
Love might be real, but that didn't mean it needed to be public all the time.
Luckily for her, Kim and Adam had grabbed everything they could possibly need for their s'mores competition and set it all up, so all it took was one challenge from Mouse and they had set to work.
As she stood next to Vanessa and Kevin while toasting her marshmallow, Jay kept passing behind her and brushing his hand along her back. It brought a smile to her face each time that easily widened whenever she'd look up to meet his gaze. He winked at her and finally settled between Mouse and Adam to work on his own s'mores. She couldn't look away from him.
The way the firelight flickered against his face brought out the freckles from the sun across his nose and the tan he'd managed to achieve between getting burned every other weekend. He looked like summer personified, and it was everything she wanted to ever remember him looking like. The smile teasing his lips and the way his laughter was evident in his eyes – it was all perfect.
"Hey, Hailey," Vanessa whispered beneath the music and crackling of the fire.
"Hmm?" she hummed, finally breaking her eyes from Jay's.
"I'm happy for you," Vanessa said softly, "I know I've said it before, but it's blatantly obvious right now. Your happiness is…it's well-deserved. I didn't know if I'd ever see you like this again, so it's really nice to see."
Hailey felt her cheeks turn red, not from the fire or her sunburn, but still smiled and leaned closer to tap her shoulder to her friend's. "Thank you," she said, "It feels nice to be happy – especially with him."
Vanessa's smile widened as she turned back to the fire. Rotating her marshmallow, she said, "Who would have thought the day you said you needed a guy with a good head on his shoulders and big arms that you'd actually find one?"
"The gods were listening," Hailey laughed.
Vanessa laughed with her and said, "Apparently. Hit the nail on the head with him. He's everything you wanted and everything you didn't know you needed."
"Look at you being romantic," Hailey teased.
"You're rubbing off on me," Vanessa jokingly scoffed.
Hailey laughed again and lightly shoved her arm. "Shut up."
"Never," Vanessa shot back, smiling as she stepped back from the fire. "Now, sit back and watch the new s'mores maker win this challenge."
"If you say so," Hailey said, "But I'm coming for you."
Vanessa stuck out her tongue before turning to walk toward the picnic table.
Breathing in the smell of the smoke, burnt marshmallows, and something that smelled distinctly like spilt beer, Hailey stared at her own marshmallow fully knowing she was going to lose their challenge, and yet she didn't care. She was happy enough without a fake s'mores trophy to her name.
She guessed that love did that to her.
Perhaps the night would have gone perfectly had Hailey not decided to run back into the bedroom before the sunset to grab Jay's sweatshirt for herself. It was when she turned from the closet that she saw the brown mouse sitting on top of their bed. She blinked and stared at the small animal right next to Jay's pillow before swallowing a lump in her throat. Slowly backing out of the door, she tried keeping her breathing steady, but she could feel fear bubbling in her stomach.
"Jay," she said as she stepped off the deck.
Turning back toward her, he said, "Yeah?"
"Um, there's…uh…there's a mouse," she said.
Jay stared at her and said, "What?"
"Yeah," she breathed, "On our bed."
"Oh, hell," Jay mumbled while rushing past her with Mouse on his heels.
"You saw a mouse in there?" Kim asked.
"I'm sure it's nothing," Adam said.
"Yeah, maybe just from the window being left open," Kevin assured.
"It's still a mouse on the bed that I'm going to sleep in," Hailey snapped, "How the hell am I supposed to sleep in a bed that had a mouse sitting on it?"
"It's nature," Adam tried weakly.
"Oh, shut up," Hailey said.
The backdoor burst open with Jay running out yelling, "I got it! I got the mouse, Hail! We're safe! I got it!" He headed straight to the woods with a plastic container in hand holding, what Hailey assumed, was the mouse.
Laughing, Mouse followed him out and stopped at the end of the steps. "He was calm, promise."
Hailey shook her head, pursing her lips and turning away.
"Okay, that…that's taken care of," Jay breathed as he returned. He set the now-empty container on the deck and said, "Let's-"
"Jay," Hailey cut him off, spinning to look at him, "I…I love you."
"There it is," Vanessa whispered.
"Hot," Kim added.
Hailey shot her a glare and her middle finger before continuing, "But I don't think I can sleep in that room if there are mice running around on the bed."
Jay swallowed a lump in his throat then slowly nodded. "I don't think I blame you," he said quietly.
Everyone was quiet for a beat with Hailey staring at Jay trying to think of something she could say to not sound like a complete bitch. She did not want to wake up with mice all over her bed – or worse, she didn't want to be awake, spending time with Jay, and look over to see a mouse staring straight back at her as he made his way down her body. Staying in that room sounded like hell.
"Well, uh, Kim and I can take the couch," Adam suggested, "You two can have our bed."
"Yeah, we don't mind," Kim said softly.
"No, no, you don't…that's fine," Jay said. He ran a hand over his hair then nodded to himself. "I've got this," he said, "You guys go down to the beach, and I'll fix this."
"You don't have to do that," Hailey said quickly.
Jay shook his head and reached out to squeeze her arm. "I've got this."
"I'll stay back and help," Mouse said.
Jay nodded. "Thanks."
"If you're sure," Hailey said.
Jay nodded again then kissed her cheek. "See you in an hour or so."
Hailey smiled slightly before pulling his sweatshirt over her head. Following Kevin, Kim, Vanessa, and Adam to the beach, she glanced over her shoulder a few times at Jay and Mouse whispering to each other.
"Come on," Kevin said when he noticed she wasn't keeping steady with the rest of them, "I'll take some good pictures of you all that you can post with some caption about the best summer ever."
Hailey relaxed with a laugh and jogged to catch up with them. "You're an ass," she said.
"An ass with a good eye for photography," Vanessa said, "Haven't you noticed how good my feed has been lately?"
"And you're saying that's not because of my pictures?" Kim teased.
"Sorry, but no," Vanessa laughed.
Smiling, Hailey wrapped her arms around her middle and followed along. She wouldn't mind a few pictures of herself to sprinkle within the batch she was planning on posting of Jay in a few days.
The sunset wasn't perfect as the clouds rolled in with the impending rain, but it made for some rather cool colors in the sky that Hailey was convinced she could stare at forever. She would have loved if Jay was there with her, and yet she was still excited to see what he had planned for her upon her return.
"Hey, hey!" Adam called out as they entered the backyard, "We're-whoa."
Hailey stopped and gasped softly as well. While they'd been down at the beach, Jay and Mouse had set up a tent near the fire and strung Christmas lights around a nearby tree to add to the ambiance of the backyard.
"Set up an air mattress inside with our pillows – freshly washed – and sleeping bags. Everything has been double-checked for mice, promise," Jay said.
Hailey weakly laughed and stepped forward to grab his hand. "This is even better than that bed inside," she said softly.
Jay chuckled and kissed the side of her head. "I hope so."
"Well, that sure is adorable," Kim said, crossing her arms, "I wish I had a mouse on my bed."
"No you don't," Adam stated.
Laughing, Kim walked over to plop in one of the camping chairs. "Come on," she said, "Let's all have a few drinks and relax before the rain comes in."
The others went to join her, but Hailey stayed and wrapped her arms around Jay's middle. "You're adorable," she whispered, "Couldn't resist some sort of romance, could you?"
"For my girlfriend on the night we said we loved each other?" Jay chuckled, "Of course. Even got that fancy whiskey hidden in there too. Mouse tried taking a swig, but I kicked his ass over it."
"Oh, really?" Hailey laughed as she turned to look up at him, "My big and strong boyfriend did that?"
"Yeah," Jay said, laughing with her, "But I did tell him he could have a sip tomorrow; we just needed to have some first. Thought it'd be a nice payment for him helping me to set all this up."
"I guess that's fair," Hailey replied.
"You think you can stay in there with me tonight?" Jay asked, brushing her hair behind her ear.
"Didn't I just say you were big and strong?" Hailey teased, "I'll be safe in there, I know it."
A smirk spread across Jay's face before he leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Yes, you will be. You'll always be safe with me."
That night, the rain did come like they all expected, but Hailey barely heard it. For one, the buzz filling her ears helped drown it out. Whether it was from the few sips of whiskey she'd had or the way Jay's fingers felt dancing along her bare skin, she wasn't sure, but it was addicting.
The other buzz in her ear was Jay continuously whispering how much he loved her. He said it against her ear, into her kiss, and down her throat. Over and over and over again.
"I love you."
"Love you, so much."
"Did I tell you I love you?"
"Love you, Hail, I love you."
It felt incredible.
The way his lips slid along her skin followed by his fingertips pressing into her, drawing moans and whispers of her own from her very core.
From her heart.
"Love you forever."
"Jay, I love you."
"I love you too."
"Always, Jay, I'll love you always."
The freedom of saying the words and knowing they were going to be returned truthfully was unlike anything she'd felt before. She was alive, and she was loved. She wasn't quite sure how things could get better than that.
But she knew they would.
Their story wasn't over. They did have marriage and future vacations and anniversaries and maybe even babies to look forward to, but it didn't matter. She wanted to live in the moment with Jay. They had so much to come in their future, but it didn't hold a candle to the night that were having right then.
If she always focused on the future and the what ifs, she was never going to be able to focus on the now. In her eyes, every night was going to get better. Maybe there would still be tough days and hills to climb, tears and fights that were going to sting, but her love for Jay was just going to grow. Their love, their bonfire and flame, was going to burn brighter and brighter each day they were together. Nothing could change that. That's what love was. It was one of the truest things she knew to exist.
Because Hailey Upton didn't just believe in love.
She was in it.
A/N: I can't wait to hear what you all think. Again, thank you everyone for being patient with me and loving this fic even more than I ever expected. It was a lot harder to write than I anticipated, but it was also much more rewarding. I've truly loved this version of Upstead and Intelligence.
Thank you Abby for giving me this idea all those months ago. Merging two of our favorite shows has been incredibly fun, and I wouldn't have been able to do it without you.
Thank you Annie for continuously encouraging me as I wrote and listening to all the highs and lows. I'm grateful to have the best writing buddy there is.
Thank you Cami and Britt for all the screams and cheering and support every single chapter. You both bring the biggest smile to my face each week.
And to everyone who's read whether you've left notes or DMd me or anything. You've all helped make this fic one of favorites I've ever written. Thank you.
Oh, and because this fic got longer than anticipated, it wouldn't really be Can We Pretend if there was a bonus chapter. So I'll be back next Monday with the epilogue :)
All the love, Beth