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Her eyes narrowed slowly. “But you’re a little bit of an asshole.”

“I am. I’m an asshole who loves you.”

She made the cutest squealing noise in the world and jumped off her stool and grabbed me into her arms. I had no choice but to be swept up by her.

“Really? You love me?” She set me down on my feet and gazed into my eyes as the most adorable smile graced her lips.

“Yeah, Echo, I love you. I think I’ve always loved you, from that first moment. It was like gravity shifted.” That was how it had felt, anyway.

“I knew it too. Knew it when I saw you. I didn’t know who you were, or anything about you, but I knew I had to be around you. Near you. I’m so lucky you feel the same way.”

I wanted to argue with her that I was the lucky one, but I couldn’t because she started kissing me and I was completely lost for a little while. There were hoots and hollers in the restaurant, and we broke apart and giggled.

“I’m so glad you’re in my life, Kiri Kentwood,” she said.

“I’m so glad you’re in my life, Echo Rosenthal. Even if you make it way more complicated.” She definitely did that. My life had been cozy and comfortable before her. There would be hard times together, I knew that. We would face obstacles together that would try and drag us apart. We’d managed to come back together after ten years though, and that was saying something.

I wanted her by my side for the next ten years, and the years after that. Wherever she was, that’s where I wanted to be.

“Do you think Murphy is going to be okay with having a few more siblings?” I asked as her fingers dug into my hips and made me think of all the things we were going to do to end this night right.

“I think he’s going to have to get over it,” she said. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”

I shook my head. “No. Not yet.”

I met Echo’s friends and she’d been right to warn me. They were a lot. I’d thought my friends were something, but hanging with Echo’s was on a whole other level. First of all, each one of them was more gorgeous than the last. I’d never seen so many beautiful people outside of a movie or an influencer group selfie.

Then there was the absoluteenergy.They all talked over each other and riled each other up and had no issues with confrontation. I sat there a little stunned as two of them went at it about what appetizers we should order.

“We fight about the small stuff so we don't fight about the big stuff,” Echo said.

“Got it.”

Once I adjusted, it was fine, but I definitely needed a few hours to recover after being around so much. Echo came home with me that night because my kitties had been showing some separation anxiety with me being gone so much.

“But you’ll hang out with them again?” she asked as we curled together on the couch and she ran her hands on my undercut.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll get used to it. They all seem really great.” That was the other thing about Echo’s friends: they were all seriously accomplished. Two of them had doctorates in fields I’d never even heard of, and one had just moved back to the U.S. after working overseas for a year for some tech company. A bunch of beautiful high achievers.

“They are, and they all really liked you. Just so you know.” She pinched one of my toes and I yelped.

“Good. They’re really intimidating, just so you know.”

“I guess,” she said, thinking about that. “I guess I’ve just known them for so long that it doesn’t register.”

“You’reintimidating, Echo.”

She didn’t seem to be aware of the effect she had on people. Eyes went wide and followed her when she entered a room. People seemed to have opposite reactions: either they checked her out, or scurried to get out of her way.

“I am not. That’s just silly.”

“You are. Have you seen your arms?”

Echo lifted one arm and flexed, muscles popping. “You mean this arm?”

“Yup, that one. And the other one.”

“These arms?” She flexed both and stuck her tongue out at me.