Rewind It Back (Windy City, #5)(137)

“That sounds amazing,” Stevie says. “You all kind of live together, but separately.”

“Exactly.” Wren grins, turning to Hallie. “My house is the last to get built, so anytime you want to come decorate for me, you’re welcome.”

“I’d love that.”

“Do you need help getting anything into the moving truck?” Zee offers.

“Actually, yeah. That’d be great.” Cruz throws a thumb over his shoulder. “There are a few big items we could use some help lifting.”

All the guys move to head next door, but when I do the same, Ryan stops me. “Rio, it’s cool. You’re hosting a party. We’ll be right back.”

I narrow my eyes suspiciously. “Don’t do anything embarrassing, Shay. Wren is my friend. Please don’t go asking her a million questions about her brothers.”

He has the least innocent smile on his face. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Ryan jogs off to join the rest of the group, and I turn to find Indy, who can’t stop laughing. “He sounds exactly like you when you’re busy fanboying over him.”

When the rest of the girls disperse, some chasing after their kids and others going for a drink refill, I take a seat, pulling Hallie onto my lap as the fire roars in front of us. The sun is starting to go down and the hanging bistro lights have just flipped on. It’s perfect.

“How’d it go with your mom?” she asks.

“Oh my God, Hal. You’re never going to believe this, but she and my uncle Mikey are together.”

“Well, of course they are, baby.” Hallie laughs, gesturing in their direction. “Look at them. Look at the way he looks at her. He’s totally in love with your mom.”

I wince before I school my expression, simply because it’s strange to think about my mother with someone. But then I note exactly what Hallie is talking about when I see the way Mikey looks over at her, watching her speak to someone. He watches her like she sets the sun.

He watches her like I watch this girl in my lap.

“He is, isn’t he?”

“Kind of makes you wonder,” Hallie says. “He never married. He never brought anyone around in all the years I knew him. Maybe he’s always felt that way about your mom.”

“What are you saying?” I ask with a laugh. “That my dad just got there first?”

“I could see it. He and your dad never got along. It’s not that far-fetched to think he may have been pining for her all this time.”

“Okay, let’s stop romanticizing my mom’s love life. And God . . .” I grimace. “Don’t ever let me use the words ‘love life’ and ‘my mom’ in the same sentence ever again.”

Hallie chuckles against me, her head resting on my shoulder.

We sit there a while, silently observing the party around us. Everyone is having a good time, flowing in and out of the house.

Our house.

“We did good, Hallie Hart.”

Her smile tilts. “We did do good. This is the first of many.”

This house will host future birthday parties and celebrations, maybe even a few family dinners. We’ll have our friends over. One day, our kids will have their friends over, and I’m looking forward to giving our future family the same sense of home and community that Hallie and I were raised with back in our old neighborhood.

Hallie slips an arm over my shoulders as she sits in my lap, and while she watches the party happen around us, I can practically see the same picture being painted in her head of our future here.

“I love you, Hal.”

She turns back, smiling at me. “I love you, Rio. Always have. Always will.”

Hallie leans her head against mine as I hold her.

Before, when we were kids, I felt lucky. Love fell into our hands. We were neighbors turned friends who eventually fell in love. But this time, it feels like we earned it. We get to be in love because we worked for it. We decided to forgive and understand one another.

This second chance doesn’t feel like luck. It feels like a reward.

“Look who made it,” I say as Hallie’s dad and brother walk out into the backyard.

I go to stand, but Hallie doesn’t move from my lap.

“He looks good, right?” From this distance, she watches him.

He does look good. He looks healthy and sturdier than the last time we saw him. There’s more color to his skin. He’s gained a bit of weight.

“He looks really good.”

A relieved smile ghosts her lips, and when I go to stand, she stops me again. “Wait. Rio, look.”

I follow her line of sight to watch as my mom and her dad make eye contact from across the yard. Mr. Hart freezes in place, as does my mom.

As far as I know, they haven’t seen or spoken to each other since the day they both found out about their spouses, regardless that they were great friends prior. I didn’t exactly think this through when I invited them both here.

It sounds like the music has cut out. It feels like the yard has emptied. All I can do is focus on the two of them and pray that this goes okay.

Mr. Hart’s face lights up with a smile, and I watch a mirrored one lift on my mom’s lips before she quickly crosses the yard to meet him.

They hug. They hug the way you do when you see a long-lost friend again, because that’s exactly what they are.