He was right, of course, and Auggie was in fine form, telling stories and holding court. She touched his arm briefly and kissed his cheek before continuing on to Joan and Arthur. Both gave her congratulations again and she smiled her thanks.

Everyone standing there knew it had been a long six years to get where they were, but it had been worth it. Thanking Joan and Arthur again, Annie turned and caught Jai's eye. She hadn't been avoiding him, necessarily, but she hadn't been actively seeking him out, either. As he approached, she gave him a soft smile.

"You look beautiful," he started and she ducked her head.

"Thank you."

Reaching up, he pushed her hair back over her shoulders and pulled her into a gentle hug, which she didn't fight. "You look so happy, Annie. I'm glad that you two made it work."

Annie felt tears well up in her eyes again and she had to bury her face in his shoulder to stop them from falling. Nodding, she murmured, "Me, too."

He hugged her tight, kissed her somewhere in the vicinity of her neck and held her for a moment before letting her go. "You should have seen the look Joan gave me..." he started and Annie burst into laughter, knowing exactly what he was talking about.