Teagan heard her phone ping. When she checked it, she realized she had a Facebook invite. But when she saw who it was from, she sighed. It was from Delia. Teagan immediately recalled sitting on that sunny patio with Hannah two years ago, desperately trying to figure out a way to avoid attending Delia’s birthday party, to avoid seeing Shawn and the woman he’d cheated with. Teagan checked the guest list. Sure enough, Shawn was attending the party. With her.

Teagan groaned. She had no desire to see either of them. But she wanted to go and catch up with some old friends, especially considering that she was moving in a couple of weeks and wouldn’t see them much after that.

And maybe it was time. Time to face Shawn.

The evening of the party, Teagan arrived at Delia’s house alone. Hannah had RSVPed no, given her general hatred of parties and crowds. She’d offered to “show her face” for the sake of supporting Teagan, but Teagan said no. She needed to do this on her own. Besides, she was dressed in her cutest shorts and top, along with her favorite sandals. And she felt especially good with her newly pinked hair, which she wore down.

After getting some wine, she hugged Delia and visited with other familiar faces she hadn’t seen in a long time. Finally, during a lull, she went to check out the food table.

“What’s up, Pinky?” someone said to her.

The smug tone clued her in immediately. She turned and found herself face-to-face with Shawn, his beard gone but his expression still overconfident. Her heart pounded in her chest.

She offered a polite smile. “Well, hello there.”

“Fancy meeting you here,” he quipped. “How’s life?”

“Pretty good. What about you?”

He shrugged. “It’s good.” He glanced away for the briefest of moments, and Teagan followed his glance, spotting her standing aside with her eyes on Teagan. “How’s the jarhead?” he went on.

Teagan smiled, for real this time. It had been well over a year since Shawn had encountered Aaron at her door, so for him to ask that question meant he knew they were still together. Which meant he’d asked someone about it. “Jarheads are Marines, not Army, but I appreciate your inquiry about his wellbeing. He’s great.”

“If he’s so great, why isn’t he here?”

She shrugged. “He’s in Arizona. And busy, serving our country.”

That wiped the smirk off Shawn’s face. Teagan stood there, waiting for a snide reply, suddenly wondering what the hell she ever saw in him.

Shawn paused for a moment, his face taking on a more serious expression. “Hey, about what happened between us—”

“Let’s not do this,” she said, shaking her head.

“Fine. It’s just, I wasn’t happy—”

“Shawn. No confessionals, okay? We were a terrible match, and you probably saw it before I did. We never belonged together.”

Shawn stared at her. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

“There’s no maybe.” Teagan patted Shawn’s arm. “Good luck to you.”

And she walked away.

Teagan drove west through the Sonoran Desert, the warm sun dipping lower and lower in the orangey sky, casting a glow over the landscape. Only another hour and a half and she would be there. She would get to see the man she loved, to live with him, to stay until she had to return to Denver for comic con in June.

Her truck was stuffed full of necessities—clothing, hiking gear, books, toiletries, telescope, and her computer, of course. Her Denver home would still house her furniture and dishes for the time being, until she and Aaron could begin the process of consolidation. Ben would check on her place from time to time.

She’d had a great sendoff from Diana and Hannah up in the mountains, where they met for lunch. Teagan got a little teary-eyed, knowing her friends would always be her friends, but no longer would she be within a few hours driving distance from them. She didn’t realize until then how much she would miss them.

She drove fast, faster than Aaron would approve of, but she was impatient to get there. When the exit for Benson approached, the sun had set and the sky was lit up with streaks of pink and orange. It was the perfect welcome to her new home.

Her phone rang, and she knew who it was.

“Author Moving Services,” she said. “How can I help you?”

Aaron laughed. “Hey. Looks like you’re close.”

“Yup. Three miles to the turnoff.”

Aaron had asked her permission to use the location app on their phones so they could track one another. He was concerned about her being on the road by herself. He’d wanted to fly to Denver so he could help her load her car and drive down with her, but Teagan said no. She wanted to experience the trip alone, to take in the desert and ponder this new chapter in her life.

When she finally arrived, the orange and pink streaks had faded as stars began to sprinkle the desert sky. Aaron was waiting for her in his driveway. She ran over and threw herself at him. He caught her and gave her a tight hug.

“I’m here!”

“You’re here.” He paused, glancing at her hair and nodding in approval. “You pinked it. Nice.”

“I missed it, too.”

He eyed his front door. “I think someone wants to see you. He’s been acting weird all day.”

She followed Aaron inside, spotting Patton waiting near the door. “Patton! How’s my boy?”

Patton ran to her, his tail wagging like crazy. She bent down and hugged him to her as his wet nose dotted her face.

“See?” Aaron said to Patton. “She’s finally here. You can calm down now.”

Teagan laughed. She and Aaron went outside and brought in her essentials.

“Let’s leave the rest,” she said. “I’ll have plenty of time to unpack tomorrow.”

“Just let me get a few things so you don’t have to do it all yourself,” he insisted. “You can grab a beer and relax.”

She let out a mock sigh. “Fine.”

“I moved my desk into the spare bedroom for you. That can be your office.”

Teagan smiled and went to check out the other bedroom, the one that only had boxes in it before. The desk was situated against the window, overlooking the desert, and all the boxes were cleared away. She turned to Aaron, who stood in the doorway. “You’re so thoughtful. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Oh, by the way, I looked into flights to Iceland this fall. I think we can get a good deal in November.”

She couldn’t help jumping up and down at that. “I’m so excited! We finally get to see the Northern Lights!”

“I need to check with my C.O. and you need to check your convention schedule, but late November or early December should work.” He glanced at the front door. “I’ll go grab some of your stuff. Relax, alright? You’re home now.”

Teagan smiled. Aaron was right.

She was home now.