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Hisdream.

Their eyes locked across the garden. A sea of people disappeared. The laughter faded. All he saw was her.

She reached him slowly, each step careful. And when she finally stood before him, he whispered, voice barely holding steady, “Hi.”

Krystal smiled, cheeks flushing. “Hi, baby.”

***

After the I-dos and the kiss that made Stella fan herself dramatically, and had Kara, Ellie, and Anya whooping like they were at a concert instead of a wedding, the reception kicked off in full force—with loud music, endless champagne, and food stations that looked like they were stolen straight out of a royal palace.

Krystal was laughing near the fairy-light arch with Ivy, Sienna, and Jane when she suddenly paused mid-sentence, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Wait... where’s Lorenzo?”

Cue chaos.

Across the room, Lorenzo was pacing by the chocolate fountain like a man on a mission, frowning at a very nervous-looking waiter.

“She’s pregnant,” he said firmly, gesturing like he was pointing out a fire hazard. “She can’t have soft cheese. That tray shouldn’t even be near her.”

The waiter blinked. “Sir… it’s ten feet away.”

“Exactly. That’s too close. What if a breeze blows it near her plate? What if someone gets confused and offers her brie?” He turned sharply, eyes scanning the crowd like a bodyguard on high alert. “Is anyone holding wine near her? No? Good.”

From behind, Krystal approached, utterly confused. “Lorenzo, what on earth are you doing?”

He spun around, visibly startled. “This entire place is a hazard! Someone even gave you a drink with caffeine! You didn’t drink it, right? Please tell me you didn’t.”

Krystal blinked, holding up her glass. “It’s lemonade, Lorenzo.”

He let out a breath like he’d just defused a bomb. “Oh, thank God. I’ll still have the chef change it. Just in case the lemons were… too strong.”

She stared at him, deadpan. “Why do you still treat me like I’m a delicate woman?”

Without hesitation, he blinked. “Because you are?”

Krystal rolled her eyes and spun on her heel, moving away quickly—cradling her lemonade like it was state-protected evidence—before he could snatch it out of her hand too.

Back near the bar, Lorenzo still hadn’t moved. His jaw tightened every time Krystal laughed—he couldn’t even see the damnmocktail from this distance. What if someone passed her the wrong glass? What if she didn’t know the difference between a mojito and a martini?

“Do you need binoculars?” Mason asked dryly, lifting a brow.

“I need her to sit down and not exist within a 10-foot radius of fermented liquids,” Lorenzo muttered, narrowing his eyes again. “Do you think someone might mistake her drink? What if she grabs the wrong glass—”

Mason stared at him blankly. “Brother. She’s talking to three women who would burn the world down if anyone even breathed wrong near her.”

Lorenzo didn’t look convinced. “She’s just… I don’t even think she knows what rum is. I once saw her hold a wine glass upside down. She probably thinks vodka is a perfume brand.”

Just then, Ellie happened to walk by, catching the tail end of his muttering. She snorted, covering her mouth to hide the laugh. “You do realize Krystal once pretended she was sleeping with Damion just to make you jealous, right?”

Lorenzo didn’t even flinch. “She was framed,” he replied flatly, in the tone of a man who had already decided on his version of reality and would die on that hill. “She didn’t know what she was doing. Damion—” he grit his teeth, jaw ticking, “—definitely filled her head with that nonsense just to get under my skin. She’s innocent. End of discussion.”

Ellie let out a full-on snicker as she walked away, shaking her head. “Delusional. But cute.”

Krystal and her friends had heard every word.

Ivy doubled over laughing. “What the hell is going on? Why does he still think you’re the most innocent person to ever walk this earth?”

“I don’t know!” Krystal cried out between fits of giggles. “It’s been over a year since we got back together, and I haven’t even pretended for a second! I don’t know why he still thinks I faint at the sight of alcohol and think condoms are breath mints.” Krystal took a deep breath, pausing to breathe. “It’s like he’s in love with a Disney princess version of me that only exists in his head.”