The Second Chance Year(81)

So, this is what it’s like to be loved by someone who appreciates who I am, not just who I could be or should be. Not just who they want me to be.

“After that,” Jacob continues, “there was never going to be anyone else for me.” He gives me a lopsided smile and shrugs. “I waited two decades to hear you say you love me, and it’s going to take a lot more than two to get tired of it.”

“But what about Paige?” I ask. “Owen said you were happy.”

Jacob shakes his head. “Owen and I talked about it after you left your message. I think I led him to believe Paige and I were more into each other than we really were. I think I wanted us to be more into each other than we really were. But the truth is, both Paige and I were trying to get over other people, and it was convenient to hang out with someone who lives next door. But our hearts weren’t really in it.”

“But you kept bringing her home for the holidays.”

Jacob shrugs. “Her family lives in California. I didn’t want her to be alone.”

He was being a good friend. Of course he was.

“So, you and Paige are over?”

His lips tug into a lopsided smile. “She didn’t even like me enough to spend a couple of weeks playing Olivia Rodrigo on repeat. It took her about three days to start dating a guy named Brandon who she met on a dating app.”

I choke back a laugh. “Paige and Brandon met on a… dating app. Wow. That’s—” Some serious cosmic intervention. “That’s amazing. Good for them.” I have a feeling Alex is going to meet that Instagram woman any day now.

Somehow, despite my meddling, everything worked out exactly as it was supposed to. Out across the café, Owen is wearing Mrs. Kaminski’s feather boa, and she has his beanie hat pulled over her gray bob. José Luis leans over to adjust their poses so he can sketch their portrait on a napkin. Kasumi and Zoe are giggling over Kasumi’s phone, no doubt playing my tell-off video again, counting how many retweets it’s gotten.

I turn back to Jacob. By some miracle, Jacob is here with me. “I love you,” I tell him again. And then I grab his hand and we hop off the stage, making our way over to everyone who matters most in the world.





Epilogue


January


I wake to the sun slanting in the window and the events of the night before on my mind. Telling off Xavier. Partnering with Zoe at Higher Grounds. And Jacob. My heart melts like icing on a cinnamon roll when I think of Jacob onstage, playing the piano and singing just for me. I still can’t believe he performed in front of everyone, and it almost feels like a dream.

The star-shaped midcentury chandelier above the bed sways gently, as if it’s nodding along to this assessment. A breeze from the window ruffles the curtain in agreement. It’s the one I always leave open a crack because otherwise, the old radiator in the corner will leave me roasting when I wake up.

I roll over, my eyes still adjusting to the sunlight, and gaze at the man sleeping next to me. A year ago, who would have ever guessed that Jacob and I would be…

I flush at the memory of what happened when we came home last night. Let’s just say that some combinations go perfectly together, like chocolate and peanut butter.

His back is to me, rising and falling beneath the covers. He’s pulled the duvet all the way up to the crown of his head, and I reach out to tug it down so I can wake him with a kiss. But something stops me. Something familiar about this moment.

I’ve woken like this before, with a man sleeping next to me. Just like the last time, it’s January first, and just like last time, his face is obscured by the duvet.

I bolt upright.

Was last night a dream? Or—oh no—even worse. Have I gone back to the start of my second chance year… all over again? Panicked that I’m stuck in a horrible Groundhog Day loop, I grab the duvet and fling it aside, exposing the man’s bare shoulders and back.

He slowly rolls over. “Sadie.” The man’s eyes drift open. “What are you doing?”

I reach over and squeeze his arm to make sure he’s real. “Jacob? Oh, thank God.”

He smiles. “Were you expecting someone else?”

“No.” I flop back against the pillows, a laugh rumbling in my chest. “No, absolutely not.”

Jacob snakes an arm around me, pulling me close. “I can’t believe I’m here with you.”

“I can’t believe it either.” And with my pulse still stuttering, I roll over so I can see his face. “Jacob, what day is it?”

He blinks. “Thursday, I think.”

“No, I mean the date.”

“Um.” He looks at me sideways. “I think New Year’s Day generally falls on January first.”

Of course it does. But—“What year is it?”

“Really?” he asks with a laugh.

“Just tell me.”

Jacob says the year, and I smile broadly, settling back against him as his familiar scent drifts over me. I feel movement at the foot of the bed and look down to find Gio carefully making his way across me to curl up on Jacob’s chest. He turns on the purr, and Jacob smiles and scratches his head.

It’s a new year. One I’ve never lived through before, one with endless possibilities. The past is behind me, and I’m finished with trying to change things that don’t need to be changed.