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“What? Oh my God! That’s incredible! Like, it just happened?”
Her smile somewhat falters. “No. Weeks now. I just hadn’t told you yet.”
My gaze drops automatically to her hands. No ring. It confuses me, and she gives me a half-hearted shrug.
“I stopped wearing it until you knew. Everything got too complicated. Micah. You. The timing was off. It just never felt like the right moment.”
Guilt surges through me, knowing I’m the reason she hasn’t celebrated. “When did this happen?”
“The week before you got engaged to Micah, when we were in the Hamptons,” she says. “Before everything.”
My stomach twists. I think of the whirlwind that followed and how quickly everything spun out of control. My own pain became the loudest thing in the room, and I cover my mouth with one hand. “I’m so sorry. I ruined that for you.”
“No.” She shakes her head immediately, fingers reaching for mine. “You didn’t ruin anything. I was never waiting for the perfect announcement or the headline. I have him. And I have you. That’s all I’ll ever care about.”
Emotion swells in my throat and it’s too thick to swallow. I blink hard, trying to keep the tears from falling, but they visit anyway.
I squeeze her hand. “I’m so happy for you. Genuinely. You deserve real love. I’d love to celebrate with you.”
She hugs me tight, then pulls away. “Now it’s your turn.”
I smile wide. “One day. Soon.”
“Yeah?” she asks, giddy with excitement. “Harper Calloway. Has a ring to it, doesn’t it?”
Her laughter is completely contagious.
“Seems like dreams are actually coming true,” she says.
“We’re both exactly where we’re supposed to be,” I confirm.
There’s a silence between us that doesn’t feel empty. Billie doesn’t look away, and neither do I.
“I remember when you used to writeHarper Callowayon everything. My brothers were assholes, but Brody … match made in heaven.”
I’ve never been more grateful for her than I am at this exact moment.
“I’m sorry for missing your birthday,” I finally say, realizing we broke our tradition of having a shot of tequila together. “Micah wouldn’t le?—”
“No more apologies, okay? I’m just so damn grateful you’re still here to celebrate the rest of them with me,” she says. “No more survival mode. No more judgment. Only understanding. We’re moving forward, not backward.”
My eyes burn, and I blink fast, but it’s no use. Tears, full of understanding and gratitude, fall anyway, sliding down my cheeks like they’ve been waiting for permission. I wipe at them with the sleeve of my T-shirt, laughing under my breath.
“I’m about to start my period. Forgive me. I’m emotional as fuck.”
Billie reaches over and squeezes my hand. “I get it. I kinda owe you a thank-you. Since Asher and I haven’t been public, we’ve been able to enjoy our engagement without the media speculating and starting shit. It always works out just the way it’s supposed to.”
I nod, my voice caught in my throat. “It does.”
She smiles and laughs, and it reaches her blue eyes—the same color blue each of the Calloways has. “I still can’t believe after everything Asher and I have been through, I’m marrying him. He’s still a gigantic pain in my ass, but I love him.”
Laughter bursts out of me. “I’m glad you have someone who challenges you. Don’t see you being with anyone who would just roll over and do what you say.”
I don’t know how long we sit in the kitchen, chatting about everything that has happened or our relationships. At some point, I end up making a second cup of coffee, and before I finish it, there’s a light tap on the door. Billie glances at me with brows raised, and I shrug.
I open the door, and Brody places a kiss on my lips.
“You’re back already?” I ask, glancing at the clock realizing I’ve been chatting with Billie for nearly an hour.