Until Now (Not Yet #2) (22 page)

Epilogue

Grace

Landon caught my eye and motioned with a tilt of his head to the hallway leading into the kitchen. The celebration in the family room was rowdy, and the quiet of the empty room immediately relaxed me.

“Congratulations, darlin’. Let me see that rock.”

I pressed my back against the wall to the kitchen and held my hand out in front of us
. Holy crap.
This ring was unreal. It was official. After I graduated next month, Finn and I were moving to Chicago.

Landon whistled. “Gorgeous. That tool beat me to it, proposing so soon. I have another year of school, so my Em’s gotta wait until I graduate.” He paused and then cleared his throat, looking right into my eyes. “I always knew a special girl would settle that wild man. I’m glad it was you. Just… take care of him, okay? The pros and the Bears… He has a lot of changes coming. He’s gonna need you.” Landon’s eyebrows pulled together, and the smile fell from his face.

But my smile grew bigger. His best friend loved him too. “I’ll watch out for him for the rest of my life, Landon. He’s my blessing. I’ll never forget that.”

He grinned again. “I know that too. Girls like you and Em are different. In the best way.” He laughed softly. “Hey, how are things going with your parents? I was surprised but happy for you to see them here.”

Dean had filled me in on all the details about Landon’s parents’ estrangement from him after Christmas. I didn’t think he’d reached out to them yet.

“They’re…” I looked around the corner into the family room. Finn stood in front of my parents, animatedly telling them a story with his hands. Their faces reflected back pure joy. “Things are going well. They’ve apologized over and over again. We’ve talked over and over again. Things are still awkward. There’s still pain in the words we said and the time we lost, but we’re trying. They get to know Finn and Dean and… me. I realize now that they were missing out not knowing me. I’m worth knowing.” I paused and looked into Landon’s warm brown eyes. “You are too, Landon.”

Silence filled the air between us, and then Landon wrapped his arms around me in a strong hug. “Dean’s been a pain in my ass since we were six. Nothing better than knowing he has you though, Grace.”

“Thanks, Landon. I’m so glad he has you too.” We pulled apart, and Landon went into the family room, slipping his hand around Emma’s.

I stood still, looking at my family, old and new, in the room. I had never known a love that could bring me to my knees, but also fill me with peace.

Until him.

Until Now.

Dear Reader,

Thank you for reading UNTIL NOW. If you enjoyed Dean and Grace’s story, please leave a review! Reviews mean so much to an author.

Thank you,

Laura

Turn the page to check out Chapter One of

Someday Soon

Book
3
in the
Not Yet Series

**This chapter is unedited and subject to change.

Chapter One

Daisy

“WHAT A SURPRISE. The fat cow’s eating again.” Belinda and Marley snickered behind me in line. I stiffened, squaring my shoulders, but kept my mouth shut
. Five more days.
I had five more days to go. I placed an apple next to my turkey sandwich and handed the cashier my card.

A hand shoved me forward and I whipped my head around. “Oops.” Belinda’s smirk was so mean, I shrank backwards a little.

“Move, you oaf. You think you’re hot stuff, Daisy? You think your shit don’t stink ‘cause you got a hot-shot big brother playing football for the NFL?” Marley’s face was pinched, her voice low. “Well you’re not. You have always been and will always be a loser.”

My eyes widened at the sight of my fifteen-year-old sister, Delilah, holding a large cup of soda over the back of Belinda’s head. My older brother Damian moved next to her, with a matching cup of pop. In unison they poured the cups on top of Belinda and Marley. Both girls jumped away, clawing at their over-made-up faces as mascara and sticky soda streamed down their cheeks.

I slapped my hand across my face to hide my grin. My siblings loved to tease each other, but watch out if someone hurt one of us. Nothing bonded the Goldsmith clan like the need to protect our own.

“Let’s go.” Damian motioned with his chin and Delilah and I followed him out of the cafeteria and onto the outdoor patio. We sat at a picnic bench, the bright May sunlight warming our skin.

My brother and I were called Irish twins. My poor mother got pregnant with me when Damian was only a month old. Coupled with the fact that she was already saddled with a four-year-old terror named Dean and actual twins, two-year-old Devin and Dianna, I’m shocked she’s still with us today.

Mom hung tough, in large part because all she and my Dad have ever wanted was to raise a family together. I was born nine months later and from the start, Damian and I had been tight. He looked out for me, his weird younger sister who never quite fit in. The Goldsmiths were loud, athletic, loud, and full of personality. Did I mention loud?

Regardless, Damian got me in a way the others didn’t. But he was graduating in five days, too. He didn’t need to spend his last days at Zionsville Academy watching out for me.

“Are you okay, Dais?” Delilah asked, her eyebrows furrowed with concern. “I heard a rumor that they were going to,” she used her fingers to make air quotes, “take you down at lunch. I texted Damian and we took care of the bitches.”

My stomach tightened. This was bullshit. I was her older sister and she shouldn’t have to take care of me. I could handle my own problems. I’d been dealing with mean girls since middle school. But these days, I was just over it. I didn’t have it left in me to care.

I shrugged. “I’m fine. You both shouldn’t have done that. You’re gonna get in trouble. It’s not even your lunch shift, Delilah.”

Damian picked up my apple and took a large bite. He chewed and then swallowed before speaking. “This is all the thanks I need.” He waved at a group of girls that giggled as they walked by our table.

Damian was eighteen and pretty much a carbon copy of our oldest brother, Dean. Both played football their whole lives and both had scholarships to Indiana University to continue playing ball for the Hoosiers. They were both tall, fit, blond, and had egos the size of Mount Rushmore. But they also were the most protective guys I knew, other than my dad. I loved them like crazy. I adored all my family.

Which was why none of them understood why I needed to move away. But I did. I had to leave Indiana for a while. Find myself, perhaps? Years of dealing with girls like Belinda and Marley had me doubting myself and that pissed me off. I knew a few things with confidence and one of them was that I was smart. I finished all my required courses in three years and spoke to my parents about graduating high school early.

They protested at first. What about the dances I’d miss? The parties? Fact was, I was the lone Goldsmith who didn’t do those things. High school social activity revolved around drinking and hooking up. Acting stupid and reckless. None of those things were me. I liked to read and I loved to cook.

Over the years, I’d lost friends who didn’t understand that. Belinda and Marley were two of them. We’d been best friends when we were younger, but we’d changed. They wanted to hang out at my house, sneaking my college-aged sibling’s beers and hooking up with my brothers. I had no interest in helping them achieve any of that. So while I spent my Saturdays perfecting my key lime pie recipe, they decided I was too weird to even be kind to.

In the end, my parents and I had compromised. I would get to graduate a year early, alongside Damian. I wanted to go to culinary school, preferably in an exotic, foreign location, but they wanted me to take a year off and work here in Indianapolis. I gave in when I realized that delaying my travels for one year was infinitely better than staying in high school.

“Crap, there’s Principal Mahoney! I’ve gotta sneak back into Trigonometry class.” Delilah ducked under the table and crawled to the side door. She slipped in before our Principal caught sight of her.

Damian laughed at her, but when he turned back to me, his face was sober. “Daisy, why do you let them treat you like that? The shit that comes out of their mouths is so rude. You know they’re just jealous, right?”

My heart warmed. “They’re not jealous, but thank you for saying that. I’m perfectly comfortable being different, Damian. But I’m also ready to move on. I’m over this town and this school.” I stood up and gathered my uneaten lunch.

Damian tossed his apple core on to the tray. “Okay. Stay tough, sis. See you at home.”

As I walked to the trash to dump the tray, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out, resting my back against the brick wall of the school. As soon as I saw Jon’s name, my heart raced in my chest.

I’d had a crush on Jon Roberts for as long as I could remember. Every fantasy of every love story that I had ever conjured up in my mind involved him. He was a bit shorter than the guys in my family, but at six feet, he still had a couple of inches on me. He was stockier, thicker than any guy I knew. Jon was bulky with muscle. His biceps were so big, I was sure he intimidated everyone else at the gym. I pictured those arms lifting me up into his embrace and closed my eyes.

There was a reason Belinda and Marley called me names referring to my weight. I looked different than any other girl my age in high school. I wasn’t fat, I knew that. But I was … curvy. Everywhere. My breasts were large, a full D cup. My hips were round and my ass stuck out. Some guys loved it, yelling comments when I was at the mall or out walking down the street.

I hated it. Why couldn’t I look like Dianna or Delilah or my Mom? They were skinny bean poles, petite with tiny breasts and no butt to mention. They fit in. No parts stuck out like a flashing neon sign. None of them had to hear cat calls or the lewd comments posted on Instagram or Snapchat when I dared to post a picture.

Part of what fueled my fantasy about Jon was that he was the only guy I knew who looked like he could handle me. His hands were large, and when I pictured him holding me close… I fit. With him.

But those were only fantasies. Jon was Dean’s best friend. He was also twenty-three. Being that I was still seventeen for another two months, my fantasy had no chance of ever happening. There was also the small fact that he had no clue how I felt about him. Or if he did, he ignored it. He clearly felt nothing but friendship towards me.

Opening my eyes, I looked down at the phone.

Jon:
Hey. How’s your day going?

Me:
Not great. I’m so done with school.

Jon:
Girls bugging you?

I had made the colossal mistake of confiding in Jon late last summer about how bad my so-called-friends had gotten. The texts, phone calls, and messages on social media were reaching a frustrating peak. He’d talked with me for hours one night while Dean hooked up with Stephanie in our basement.

We had sat outside, looking at the stars and I had unloaded on him. Jon sipped his beer and listened to me. Really listened. He was the only non-family member who had ever done that for me.

He told me that I was special. Pretty. And that he could say that or my parents could say that, but none of that would matter until I believed it about myself. He told me to steel my heart and my head from their comments and focus on the real me. On what I loved to do and who I wanted to be.

I remembered every second of that conversation because that was when I realized I loved Jon.

And that he would never, could never feel the same.

Me:
They were. D & D poured soda on their heads. Cooled them off. Ha!

Jon:
Nice. Plans later?

Me:
Nope. Cooking dinner for the fam. Chicken cacciatore, homemade noodles, asparagus with hollandaise sauce. You want some?

Jon:
You had me at the noodles. See you later.

A little game I played with myself was to guess what food would make Jon come over for dinner. It wasn’t too hard. Since his graduation from IU last month, he’d moved back home. Even though Dean was living in Chicago, getting ready to train with the Bears, Jon still joined us for dinner many nights a week. My parents loved him.

We all did.

My love for him just didn’t feel familial or platonic anymore.

Interestingly, Jon would be in the same predicament as me next year. His plan was to attend law school, but first he needed to save up for a year, working as a law clerk at a downtown law firm before taking his exams and applying to schools.

An hour later, the final bell rang and I headed out the front doors of the building. Damian and Delilah had texted me that Principal Mahoney was sending them to detention for the soda pop debacle. No one was surprised, but my siblings would take a month of detention to protect me. I wished they didn’t have to.

I turned right, walking toward town. When I needed to cook, I’d wander around the specialty grocery stores for a few hours, using my babysitting money to buy vinegars and herbs that excited no one in the house but me. I’d call my Mom when I was ready, and she or my Dad would pick me up, helping me cart my edible treasures home.

I crossed the street, leaving my school day behind me. I walked for a few minutes before entering the parking lot of our local grocery store. A low whistle off to my side startled me. I froze, bracing myself for the comments or jeers.

“Need help picking out the best asparagus?”

Leaning against the door to his truck, keys twirling around his finger, was the most delicious sight I’d ever laid eyes on.

Jon.

I swallowed, my mouth and throat dry. “Jon?” My voice was squeaky.

The corner of Jon’s mouth lifted in a grin. He wore black sunglasses, so I couldn’t tell if he rolled his eyes at my nervousness or found it funny. He straightened, walking to me slowly.