Fall Into You (Seasons of the East Coast #2)

Epilogue

SOPHIE

New Year’s Eve

I t shouldn’t work, but somehow it does?”

I’m just as confused as Avery. We’re both sitting at my kitchen table, enjoying a warm cup of mulled wine Logan expertly prepared for us, but neither of us is particularly focused on our drinks. Instead, we’re both curiously staring at Will and Logan, standing side to side at the counter as they’re prepping the dough for the cipate. They haven’t stopped chatting since Avery and Logan arrived this morning. It’s like they’ve known each other for ages.

Yet Logan and Will are polar opposites.

“Just … let it happen,” I whisper, letting a giggle escape from me. I take a sip of the mulled wine, which is spiced to perfection. “Why is your man so good at drinks?”

“Why is yours so good at putting babies to sleep?” The moment they arrived, Will grabbed a fussy Nathan and managed to put him to sleep despite both Avery and Logan struggling for hours on their way over here.

I still don’t know the answer to that. But I certainly don’t complain. When Julian hit his six-month sleep regression at the beginning of December, I managed to keep my sanity thanks to Will’s support. And even though he’s been moved to another project at his firm now that mine has wrapped up, he frequently works remotely—at least when he’s not meeting with a client—to help me share the load with Julian.

Having the four of us united for the very first time brings me more joy than I can explain, which is why I’m so giddy at the idea of Logan and Will getting along so well. We’ll be celebrating the New Year together, and then Avery and Logan will stick around Montréal for a week before they head to Red Lake to visit Logan’s mother.

“I think this one needs a diaper change,” Avery remarks, holding Nathan in front of her face. A quick sniff and a grimace let me know she’s right.

“I’m gonna go with you,” I say, standing to pick up Julian from the floor next to me. He smells fine, but he’s due for a change regardless. We start heading towards the nursery when the doorbell rings.

“I’ll go,” Will volunteers. He wipes his flour-covered hands on his apron and I have to stop myself from swooning into oblivion at how sexy he looks.

“Are you sure?” I give him a look of warning.

“Of course.” He smiles with that wicked sideways grin. “I’ve got it. Now go.”

I shoot him back a smile and let the wave of warmth overtake me, because I know he’s got it.

I’ve never felt safer than I do with the love of my life.

WILL

I already know who will be at the door when I open it, leaving me caught between elation and dread.

As expected, Matthew stands there, each hand holding one of our daughters’ hands. His expression shifts to surprise when he sees me, but he remains silent as the girls squeal and leap into my arms.

“Good to see you girls,” I softly say into their ears while eyeing their father. I give him a small, respectful nod. To my surprise, he returns the nod.

“I’ll go get their suitcases,” Matt says right before heading back to his car.

It took a long time for Matt to start picking up and dropping off the girls by himself again. For several weeks, he relayed that responsibility to his mother, probably to avoid me. At some point, I’m guessing the animosity cooled down, and he finally deigned to show his face again.

At first, he couldn’t look me or Sophie in the eyes. But lately, it’s been getting better. This polite nod is miles from where we were in the fall.

Things are definitely tense, but at least, we’re civil. I’ll take it.

When Matt is back with the suitcases, the girls embrace their father one last time before heading towards their mom in the nursery. With a final wave, Matt shuts the door.

I don’t know if I’ll ever find it in myself to befriend him again. Right now, neither I nor Sophie are interacting often enough with him to know if he’s ever going to change. For his own sake, I’m hoping he’ll make an effort. But I won’t hold my breath.

I meet Logan again in the kitchen, and we’re shortly joined by Sophie, Avery, their infants, and the girls. We continue prepping the cipate while exchanging the most interesting tidbits we can think of. I share business advice for Logan’s freelancing gigs, he tells me how we could improve our IT systems with Sophie’s business, and I listen intently when he explains all the reasons why Baldur’s Gate 3 is the best video game of the decade. Soon, the cipate is cooking in the oven, and the rich smell of meat and broth permeates the house along with the sounds of the kids playing and our beautiful partners laughing at … whatever they’re talking about.

I lean on the island counter and gaze at Sophie, and she catches my eye; we share a look from afar that says everything that needs to be said. This moment is one of millions, nothing special, really, but it reminds us of what we’ve come to know over these last months.

There’s so much more happiness in this life than either of us had thought possible. And we get to have it all. Together.