Labor Day

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The entire town had come out for the Labor Day festival, or at least it seemed that way to Declan. Main Street was jam-packed with venders selling lemonade, ice cream, mini donuts, and pretty much every other festival food one could think of. Kids ran around with balloons, their faces painted in a variety of superhero renditions. And from somewhere down the street, likely coming from the Grizzly Paw, strains of music floated over the air.

Declan took his time winding his way through town, waving at everyone he knew and even those he didn’t. It had been a long time since he’d had a real home, but he couldn’t think of any place better than Cedar Springs to put down roots. Especially considering that’s where Evie and Jonah were.

It had only been a few weeks since he’d made their engagement official, but he still got butterflies when he thought of Evie and how close he’d come to walking away from the best thing he’d ever had. Not that he ever had to worry about that again.

No way.

That was all definitely in the past.

He strolled by the newest addition to town, Scott Harding, the owner of Scott’s Stop, who was set up outside of his café, handing out mini sandwiches.

Noticing him, Scott waved him over. “Can I interest you in a panini?”

“Absolutely. Some of the best in town.”

Scott grinned. “Some?”

“Okay,” Declan agreed. “Definitely the best we’ve had here.” He accepted Scott’s offering. “How’s it going anyway? Enjoying the festival?”

“Absolutely. Although, I have to admit., I don’t even know what we’re celebrating. Cedar Springs sure likes its parties.”

Declan laughed. “It’s true. Any excuse for a party. Even if it’s the end of summer. And tonight, it’s the big premiere of Mr. Summer on the great lawn outside of the Grizzly Paw. You can’t miss that.”

“That’s right. I definitely won’t miss that. I’m the new guy, after all—I need to be seen at all the coolest parties.”

Declan laughed. Scott might be the new guy, but he was fitting in just fine with everyone. “I’m just on my way now to pick up Evie and join the rest of the family for the celebration. I’ll see you later?”

“Absolutely,” Scott said, and then he hesitated. “You wouldn’t happen to know if your little sister will be there, do you?”

“Chelsea?” As if he were talking about anyone else. Declan remembered Chelsea mentioning Scott Harding a few weeks ago in a vague sort of way. “She’ll be there. And she’s not working, so I’m sure she’d be available for a dance later.”

The other man laughed, but Declan didn’t miss the flash of interest in his eyes. “Sounds good. I’ll see you later then.”

Dec shook his head as he walked away. He needed to stop thinking of Chelsea as a little girl. She could make her own decisions, and from what Declan could see, Scott seemed like a good guy. Chelsea had definitely had some issues with love in the past. It was the whole reason Declan had asked Ian to take her in for the summer and give her a new environment to start fresh. It hadn’t been an easy transition for either Ian or Chelsea, but not only had they both managed and finally gotten to know each other, they actually discovered that they liked each other. It was a win-win as far as Declan was concerned, bringing all his siblings together, finally.

All except Amber.

But she was busy getting her degree and getting ready to make her way in the world. Last he heard, she was headed to visit a friend in some random small town—Hope Falls, Nebraska, of all places—before starting a new job in the fall. Maybe he’d be able to convince her to come up for a quick visit? He made a mental note to give her a call and see whether he could make that happen.

But first, Evie.

His fiancée stood outside her shop surrounded by people in her small booth where he knew she was selling Live, Love, Lake merchandise and handing out suckers to the kids. Judging by the crowd around her, business was brisk but the moment she saw him, she excused herself and left her employee, April, in charge, as she came over to give him a kiss.

“Looks like things are going well,” he said. “Pretty busy?”

“We are. It’s been great and so much fun. But I’m almost ready to get out of here. April has it covered.”

“You’re sure?”

“Absolutely. She’s really stepped up this summer. I couldn’t do it without her. Besides, we’re meeting Tony and Lauren down at the lawn to watch Jonah in the three-legged race in twenty minutes.”

“I wouldn’t miss that.”

“Right?” Evie laughed. It was so good to see her laugh, especially when discussions of Jonah’s dad came up. The whole issue for custody had sorted itself out, with Tony and Lauren agreeing to a less drastic custody situation to ease Jonah into a shared arrangement. They all agreed it was best for him to see as much as his dad as he wanted, and together the four of them were able to work out a very friendly situation where they actually all worked together, putting Jonah first. Declan never would have imagined it would have worked out so smoothly, but he was incredibly glad it had.

So much had changed in such a short time. Hell, his entire world had been turned upside down since returning to Cedar Springs.

Evie slipped her arm around his waist and he pulled her close to kiss her on the forehead. Things may be upside down, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Evie had been to almost every single festival in Cedar Springs since she was a little girl, but this year, the Labor Day festival had been special. Maybe because she was finally one of those couples she used to secretly turn up her nose at who went from booth to booth, being silly and acting like children because they were so in love.

Yes, she thought as she watched Declan get a small red heart painted on his cheek. They were definitely one of those couples. And she loved it.

After watching Jonah and his buddy Brandon come in second in the three-legged race, she left Jonah with Tony and Lauren to enjoy the rest of the activities. She’d come to peace with the couple, who’d clearly worked out their own differences, and as much as she still didn’t like the idea of sharing Jonah, it was easy to see how much her son was benefiting from the relationship.

She’d never begrudge him that. Besides, even after all the crazy drama, Evie found herself actually starting to like Tony and Lauren. Maybe they could even consider themselves friends one day. That would be the ultimate goal, but Evie wasn’t going to push anything. She’d let it play out naturally.

She and Declan made their way over to the Grizzly Paw where the McCormick family was gathering in preparation for the big premiere. The energy was high inside the local pub, and Evie was instantly swept into it with everyone else. She’d been so worried that the family would be upset for their engagement deception, but she needn’t have worried at all. Just like everything else the family went through, the McCormicks took it all in stride.

“You look beautiful,” she said to Gwen, who was dressed in a simple green sheath dress that complemented her eyes and hugged her curvy figure. “Are you excited?”

“I’m crazy nervous.”

“It’s going to be awesome. Everyone is talking about this show,” Evie said. “You guys are all going to be superstars after this.”

“Oh God, I hope not.” Milena appeared next to them. She, too, looked stunning in an elegant black pantsuit with bright turquoise jewelry. Evie couldn’t help take pride in their outfits, considering she herself picked them out.

“Bite your tongue,” Gwen chastised Milena. “Superstardom would be awesome.”

“Speak for yourself.” Milena groaned. “I’m quite happy just the way things are.”

It was no secret that Milena struggled with the limelight that came hand-in-hand with dating Cal McCormick, the star of Mr. Summer. She’d done very well in ignoring the tabloids and the constant speculation and gossip, but that didn’t mean it all didn’t get to be a little too much at times.

“You’re going to be great,” Jade said to Milena as she joined them. “There’s no doubt about Cal’s superstardom already, and as hard as it is for you, I also have no doubt in your ability to handle it all.” She squeezed the other woman’s shoulders. “Stop worrying.”

Milena smiled and it was genuine. “I know. You’re all right. And of course I want everything to be a huge success.”

“And it will be, too,” Evie joined in.

“Absolutely,” Gwen said, and then her attention was drawn to the side where Chelsea was leaning against the bar.

With a smoking-hot guy in tight jeans and a t-shirt that hugged his biceps just as perfectly, leaning over her.

“Who is that?” she asked.

They all turned to stare at Chelsea and the guy who was leaning in very, very closely, clearly fascinated by whatever it was she was saying.

“Oh.” Milena spoke up. “That’s Lucas Lee.”

“Lucas Lee?” Jade said his name slowly. “He sounds like a movie star.”

“He’s not.”

“How do you know him?” Evie asked. “I’ve never seen him before.”

“He’s the developer for Cedar Springs Heights,” Milena said. “I’ve been working with him on the new development. He’s pretty new to town.”

“Well, he hasn’t wasted any time making friends,” Gwen said. “Chelsea looks pretty taken with him.”

“They do look pretty close,” Evie agreed. “But I thought she was dating Scott Harding?”

“I’m not sure if they’re officially dating,” Jade agreed. “But I did think something was going on between them.”

“Well, it looks like Scott’s got a little competition,” Gwen declared. “Should be interesting.”

Evie was about to say how interesting might not be the best choice of words, but right then the men joined them, and Declan’s arms wrapped around her waist.

“I saved us seats in the back,” he said.

She twisted around so she could look at him. “In the back?”

“So we can make out.” He laughed and pulled her into a kiss. “Just kidding. Ian reserved us seats right up front. Are you ready?”

Evie had never been so ready, and not just for the premiere of the show that would no doubt launch the careers of some of her favorite people. Her heart was full, with her son happier than he’d ever been, and surrounded by family and friends, in the arms of the man who loved her more than anything else in the world. In this moment, Evie Rose was more than ready. For her future and everything else that life would bring.

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