I picked Chubby Hubby and a spoon. She had the Chunky Monkey. After she sat down next to me, we both started eating the ice cream.

When we had demolished about half, I was ready to talk a little. “Did you guys help him do all this?” I waved my spoon around the room.

She nodded. “Yeah. I handled your clothes and makeup and they did the heavy lifting and sourcing the furniture. But Austin picked out the art and all the little touches.”

There were four paintings on the wall, each more beautiful than the next. There were a few pieces of art on the tops of the dresser and near the window. I noticed the window had a reading nook, packed with some of my favorite books and some I had never seen before.

It was all too much. Thinking of Austin thinking of me while he prepped to move to France—it was overwhelming.

Tinsley rubbed my shoulder. “Baby girl, you were so good to him. So good for him.”

I ran my tongue over my teeth and took another scoop of ice cream. “Not enough, though.”

Parker returned to the room, hair still dripping wet. He was wearing cotton shorts and a tank top. “What’d I miss?”

He grabbed his spoon and then sat crisscrossed on the floor in front of us. He riffled through the brown grocery bag that was near my bed. “All I got was vanilla? Dammit.”

Tinsley took a heaping scoop of her ice cream and plopped it on top of his as soon as the carton was open.

We silently ate the ice cream for a few minutes before Parker peered up at me in a way that reminded me of Axel. I gave him a spoonful of mine as well.

He mixed it up and took a bite. He said, “Heaven,” around a mouthful of ice cream.

I fully intended on becoming a boneless, crying house hobbit for the rest of my days, but Tinsley and Parker seemed to have other plans.

And again, I thought of how Austin had literally given me his friends so I wouldn’t be alone.

I loved him so much. I loved him still. And I’d always love him.

30

AUSTIN

Working for Stars Unlimited in France was more than I anticipated. Instead of Paris or a big city, I was in a small village that the company’s founders grew up in. I had a tiny cottage by a creek. In the morning, I’d hear the water and it helped settle me. It was different than the city noises. Coffee outside was a must.