Epilogue
Morgan
Three weeks later
"I swear, Morgan, I just can't get into New Girl," Gia says with a sigh.
"You haven't given it enough time yet. Some people don't like it at first, but it really grows on you. Schmidt is hilarious. Please give it another chance."
"Fine, only if you give Breaking Bad another chance. God, that show is pure genius."
"Deal." I say with a smile, as I un-pause the New Girl episode I was watching when Gia decided to join me.
I have been out of work for the two weeks since I was released from the hospital. During the day, when I was by myself I was reading, but when I wasn't by myself, I was binge-watching Netflix with Ruby and Gia or cuddling in bed with Dex.
Dex and I have been spending a lot more time together since the accident. Our relationship feels different now. It feels more real, and the intensity of the relationship isn't scary like it had been before. Maybe it's because at any given moment you can lose everything. It makes living life all the more important. I had made the decision to get Dex back, but after everything that happened on my way to his apartment, there was no turning back. I was all in. I wanted to live every day to the fullest, and I wanted to do that with Dex by my side. Fortunately, he felt the same way.
It was actually kinda funny that first week out of the hospital. Dex took a week off from practice and pretty much moved into our apartment. This drove Gia nuts because she felt she was the one who needed to be on "Morgan duty." Needless to say, there was a little bit of head-butting between the two of them. To my surprise, though, it all stopped when Simon started coming over. There was almost always more than three people in our tiny apartment that first week, but Simon started showing up during the day and sat in the living room…with Gia. They didn't do much talking. They’d be on their laptops or watch TV, but they seemed to be content in each other's company.
When we were holed up back in my room, Dex and I tried to figure the two of them out, but neither of them wanted to share much detail about their past. From what we put together, they had been good friends, probably more. Then when Gia’s family suddenly moved, she left the friendship behind and never contacted Simon again. The fact that they could sit in the same room, even on the same couch for hours at a time without talking, and seem content, was impressive.
Right now, I’m seated on the couch when beside me, my phone whistles, and I look to see that Dex is on his way with pizza. It is a Friday night, and the team has been practicing like mad to make up for the week Dex took off. We haven't had to deal with any travel yet since we got back together, but we have a plan. While I don't think I'll feel as insecure when he's off winning tournaments as I did before, I'm still a little nervous. He pretty much knows his tournament schedule for the year, so I'll be able to plan time off in order to travel with him. I have an ample amount of vacation days, and for a couple of the big tournaments, I will actually be able to get my trip paid for through work, as long as I cover the entire thing via social media. I consider myself pretty darn lucky for that little bonus.
"Have you noticed that Ruby hasn't been around much when Link is around?" Gia says, with a questioning tone from where she is lounging in the recliner.
"You know, I have noticed that. Did they get in a fight? She hasn't said anything to me, but she does tend to have something come up whenever we plan something with the group."
"Maybe he hit on her one too many times."
"Or maybe she likes him? I've always thought she might have a thing for him," I add, thoughtfully.
"Hmm. Maybe it's time for a girls’ night. Do you think you could detach yourself from Dex for a night?"
I throw a pillow at her right as there's a knock at the front door. Laughing, I hobble over and open it. I should be using my crutches, but well…I'm not.
Like always, when I see Dex for the first time after being apart for even a few hours, my breath hitches. He's the most attractive man I've ever seen with his tall, lean build and perfectly tousled hair. It might also be the smile that he saves just for me that always does me in.
"Hey, babe." He leans in and kisses my cheek sweetly as he walks in.
"Hi," I say with a hiccup and giggle.
He lifts his eyebrow in question, "What did I miss?" he asks, and places the pizza down on the coffee table before he takes a seat on the couch where I had been camped out.
"Nothing, just Gia getting a face full of pillow." I plop down next to him, and it's already second nature for me to snuggle right into him.
"I was asking Morgan if she would be able to handle being unattached from your hip for a girls’ night. In response, I got a pillow thrown at me. I'm just not sure if that was a yes or no," she says in a mocking tone, but playfulness dances in her eyes.
"Ah, well, I am pretty hard to stay away from, but I get the need for a girls’ night."
I turn slightly and give him a chaste kiss. "I think I can handle a night without you Lover Boy, but it won't be easy."
He smiles and steals a more intense kiss, then I hear, "Ugh, get a room already. It's only been like twelve hours since you saw each other." Fortunately, she isn't really put out and looks like she is trying to hold back laughter.
"Fine. This will be continued," I say to Dex, my tone and eyes full of promise. Then I add, "Let's eat this pizza," as my mouth starts to water when I open the pizza box.
As we dig in, Gia asks around a mouth full of pizza, “So, are you excited to meet Anna this weekend?”
I nod, “I am. He’s told me a lot about her and she sounds great. I’m really happy for him. I’m a little nervous. But I’m also nervous for him to meet Dex.”
“Ah, you know I’ve already met your Dad, right? In the hospital.” He shivers as he responds.
I laugh and Gia continues, “Yeah, but he didn’t want to have anything to do with you then,” she teases.
That’s true. When Dex was introduced to my Dad, I’m told he was rather disinterested in him.
I give Gia a glare before adding, “In my Dad’s defense, he didn’t know why we broke up and things were pretty bad there for a while in the hospital.”
We all bristle at the memory of the event.
“But even after you two made up, Mr. Lawson was still pretty prickly towards you, Dex,” Gia says finishing her first piece of pizza.
“Yeah, but now it’s my job to prove to him that I deserve his little girl. And I’ll do everything I can to do that. I’m thinking strategy here, and if Anna likes me, your dad will come around eventually,” he says, sounding sure of himself.
I chuckle as I lean over to kiss his cheek, “I agree. But ultimately, it doesn’t matter what my Dad thinks. You are the one I want, and I love you. He’ll deal with it.”
He smiles and turns his head murmurs an “I love you, too” and kisses me on the lips.
“Ugh, gross. Pizza kisses are just as nasty as public make out sessions,” Gia says after making fake gagging sounds.
I smile and Dex laughs as he says, “It’s not public if we are inside an apartment one of us lives in. I swear, you people are always claiming public indecency.”
My heart swells as I realize there’s nothing better than sharing the best darn pizza ever with your best friend and the man you love.