The Rules My Brothers Made

Epilogue

Four years later….

“Meg, are you home?”  I heard Kate yell, followed by the slamming of the front door behind her.

“In the back!”  I yelled back.  I sat up from my lounge chair and shut the book I had on my lap.  She came out to our deck and plopped down next to me on an adjacent lounger.  “What’s up?”  I asked her.

“Nothing, just got off from work.  Thinking about going to the gym, but that involves too much effort right now.”  She turned to face me.  “How’s studying going?”

“Eh, it’s going.”  I told her.  “I got the exam notification though, I’m scheduled to take the boards on June 19th.”

“Wow, that’s so soon!”  She exclaimed.  “But I’m sure you’ll do fine.  You’ll make the best nurse ever.  I’d let you take care of me.”

I laughed.  ‘Thanks.  I’m not too worried.  I think I’m ready.”  I moved my book over to the table between us.  “What are you doing tonight?”

She shrugged.  “I think Matt wanted to go see that new Matt Damon movie, but I’m not sure.  He’s coming over after work.  What are you and Evan doing?”

“No plans.  He knows I have to study so we are just taking it easy until I take this exam and can stop being such an anxious freak.”

“Smart man.”  She laughed.  “Let me see that ring again.”  She demanded as she took my left hand in hers.  Evan had proposed to me on the night of my college graduation and in true Evan style, he made it a big production.  He brought me to the Santa Monica pier, and I was on the receiving end of a flash mob with another Cher song.  I had questioned his song choice, but when I saw the ring, I was floored.  He had gone to my father and asked permission to propose, and my dad gave him the engagement ring he had given to my mother.  I hadn’t seen it in ten years, and had honestly thought she was buried with it.  It turns out my dad had been saving it for me.  “So damn beautiful.  I still can’t believe you are marrying Evan Johnson.  Remember that time he ate a paper lunch bag as a dare?”

I rolled my eyes.  “Kate, that was almost ten years ago.  I think we can let him off the hook for that one.”

“I know, but still.  It’s Evan.  So weird.”

“Thanks, Kate, but you’re a freak too.”  Evan interrupted as he joined us on the deck.

She looked up at him.  “What’s up, paper eater?”

He frowned.  “What?”

She just laughed and climbed off her chair.  “Nothing.  I’m going to go shower.  I’ll see you guys in a bit.”

“Bye.”  I called out to her as she disappeared as quickly as she came in.  Evan sat with me on my chair and pulled me onto his lap as he settled in.  “Hey, you.”  I said to him as he kissed the tip of my nose.  “How was your day?”

“It was fine.  You get a lot of studying done?”  He asked as he began to rub my back.

“Yeah, tons.  I’m taking the test on the 19th.”  I told him, leaning into him.  Four and a half years of dating, and his touch still affected me the same way it did when he first kissed me while studying for chemistry.

“Then you’ll do great.”  I gave him a questioning look.  “It’s our number.”  He reminded me.

“Oh, yeah.  I didn’t think of that.  Speaking of the number 19, I heard from the hotel.  They had an opening on January 9th.  I told them we wanted it, but I can change it if you want.  I know it’s not too far away, so if you want, we can reserve a year from then as well, but it’s a Sunday then instead of Saturday.”