The One After [SHAWN MENDES]

Chapter 142

"What are the girls doing tonight?" Shawn asked as we drove to my dad's place.

"They're going back to SpiritHouse since that's where the romance started for them."

"No ghost tour?"

"Not that I know of." We'd discussed going as a group again and inviting Brian and Meg to join us, but with the wedding, my move, and the NY trip, things were a bit too hectic.

He reached over and lovingly squeezed my thigh. "You feel okay, hon?"

"I have cramps and I'm tired, but otherwise I'm great."

"You're not saying that to keep me from worrying, are you?"

"It's just my period, so even if I was miserable, there's no cause for concern. I'll be fine in a few days. Honestly, it's good I got it now and not the day of the wedding," I told him.

"I grew up listening to my mum and sister complain about their cycle, so I know it can be bad. If at any point tonight you feel like you've had enough, let me know and we'll go home."

"I love you," I told him as I fought back tears of gratitude.

"I love you," he echoed.

When we arrived at my dad's, I was surprised to see that he and Jennifer were dressed up. They looked absolutely adorable as a bumblebee and a flower.

"Happy Halloween!" Dad said happily. "There's pizza from Ollie's in the kitchen; let's grab some so we can greet the kiddos!"

"Have you had many trick-or-treaters so far?" I asked.

"A dozen or so," Jennifer answered.

We all got plates of pizza and some drinks before going out on the stoop to eat. My dad put blankets down so that we weren't sitting on the cold concrete, and he placed a space heater behind us to make it comfortable. The weather was fairly mild for the end of October, (undoubtedly due to climate change), but now that the sun had set, the temperature was dropping. I was glad I'd put a coat in the back seat of Shawn's Tesla in case it got even colder.

"I'm baking the layers of the wedding cake on Thursday, and decorating it on Friday," Dad told me. "I'll deliver it on Saturday around noon, so have a spot picked out for it."

"It's going to go on Shawn's sideboard. The dining table will have the buffet of food and the kitchen island will serve as the bar."

"Bobby said it's not too formal an occasion even though it's at night," Jennifer said. "I might wear a red cocktail dress. Is that appropriate?"

"That will be perfect," I assured her.

"Are you wearing a suit and tie?" my father asked Shawn.

"Your daughter requested that I wear a navy blue suit she likes, but she wants me to go without a tie," he answered.

He looked handsome in anything, but I loved it when he was all dressed up and had a button-down shirt undone just enough that his chest hair was visible.

We talked a bit more about the wedding, then the conversation switched to our New York trip, and after that, my big move. This segued into my dad announcing that Jennifer was officially moving in with him. I knew they spent every night together already, so this wasn't a shock. I started to choke up because I was overjoyed that my dad had a second chance at love and was so happy.

As kids and their parents came and went, Shawn was recognized by quite a few people and happily posed for pics with them. The volume of teens increased rapidly, probably because they were sharing his location, so we thanked Dad and Jennifer for dinner and got ready to go to Pickering before it became a problem.