Hardin moves to New York
After Ever HappyHardin’s move to New York City brings him and Tessa into a shared home after a period of deliberate distance and long-distance visits, but it does not erase the independence or uncertainty they have established. The move closes some of the physical distance between them while leaving their future, including marriage, unsettled.
Background and Distance
After Tessa moved to New York City with Landon, she and Hardin continued seeing each other casually, on terms that accommodated their separate lives. Hardin did not pressure Tessa to move to Chicago, and she did not ask him to leave for New York. They visited when they could, with Hardin making the trip more often. His sudden work trips to the city made Tessa suspicious, but she was glad whenever he arrived and wanted him to stay when he left.
The Move and Their Shared Home
About a year after Landon’s wedding, Hardin moved to New York City. They settled in a decent apartment in Brooklyn. Although Hardin was making a lot of money, he agreed to a place Tessa could help pay for, making their home a shared expense rather than one chosen solely to match his means. Tessa worked at a restaurant between wedding-planning work and classes, and Hardin complained only minimally.
An Unsettled Commitment
Living together did not settle the question of marriage. They were still unmarried, a state that frustrated Hardin, while Tessa remained divided: she wanted to be his wife but no longer felt that she needed the label she had once believed essential. The move therefore marks a practical commitment to sharing daily life, not a final agreement about what their relationship must be called or where it must lead.
