Lacey rolls her eyes. “Fine,” she says with a groan before giving Rivers a warm smile. “I’m still clear of any sign of leukemia, just as I was last year, and the year before that, and the year before that. You know, one of these days, you’re going to have to stop worrying about me.”
“That’s not possible,” he tells her as Tully walks up behind with my little Ethan.
Spencer points her out instantly and draws her into his arms. “Hey,” he murmurs fondly as she hugs him back. “How are you doing?”
Tully glances across at Rivers with adoration shining brightly in her eyes. “Better than I could have ever imagined.”
“Good,” he tells her, looking at Lacey in a similar way, reminding me for the millionth time that everything turned out exactly as it was meant to. “Where’s Lily?”
“Fast asleep,” she explains. “She had a rough night. She’s just started teething and it’s been a little uncomfortable for her.”
“That sucks,” Spencer says before looking down at the sleeping baby in her arms in awe. “I’m proud of you, Tully,” he tells her. “You had it rough for a while and I’m sorry I couldn’t make it better for you.”
“You were perfect, Spence. You held me together and I’ve never been so grateful for that.”
They smile fondly at each other before Eddison announces that lunch is ready and everyone starts finding their seats.
Conversation flows from one end of the massive table to the other and back up again with everyone wanting to speak over one another. I’ve never been at a table so damn loud before. I’m surprised Elijah and Ethan are sleeping through it, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
It’s a perfect day for Tully and Noah on their birthday.
Violet asks Tully about the wedding plans and she instantly gushes, “My dress arrived on Wednesday,” she says with stars in her eyes, making Rivers’ head whip in her direction.
I went with her on Wednesday afternoon to her fitting while Noah stayed home with the boys and it was honestly the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen. It fit her like a glove and I was instantly jealous as I had about twelve fittings before my dress would fit perfectly. At one point, I was nervous that it wasn’t going to be finished before the wedding, but my seamstress pulled it together and made it happen.
Tully tells Lacey all about it while talking in girl code to ensure Rivers doesn’t understand what the hell she’s trying to say, and honestly, it works like a treat. I’ve never seen Rivers look so lost in my life.
The girls get overly excited that Tully and Lacey throw themselves out of their seats and hurry down the hallway with Aria rushing behind. I don’t doubt that Tully is about to show off her dress and I roll my eyes. So much for the whole surprise thing, but then there’s absolutely no comparison at seeing the dress on a hanger to seeing her as a beautiful, blushing bride.
I absolutely cannot wait. It’s going to be an incredible day.
With the girls gone, Eddison steals Rivers’ attention and they start talking jobs. Rivers loves being in the military and with his particular skill set, the military have asked if he’d be interested in taking on a short term teaching role, but at this stage, he doesn’t know if he’ll accept it as it would mean brief times away from his family.
But truth be told, we all know that eventually, he will. The training facility isn’t too far away from here. He could go and do his job, come home for a month or two and then repeat when the new students come through. It would honestly be perfect for them as Tully and Lily could go too.
As Rivers chats about his options, Noah looks to Spencer. “So,” he says. “Looks like you’re next.”
My attention swivels around to Spencer to find him holding back a grin. “What?” I question, narrowing my eyes on him as a smile rips across my face. “Please tell me that you’re about to say what I think you’re about to say.”
Spencer’s gaze flicks toward the hallway before looking back at me and Noah while the rest of the table falls into silence, wanting to hear his response. Spencer cringes before the excitement takes over and he gives in. “Yeah, alright,” he says, digging in his pocket and producing a little black box that gets handed across the table to me. “I guess you’ll find out sooner or later, but I’ve been planning on proposing for a while.”
I bite down on my lip to keep myself from squealing as Noah booms out a laugh and stands. He leans across the table to slap a hand on Spencer’s back as I tear into the little black box with Violet looking over my shoulder.