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He rolls his eyes, then strolls flawlessly to Carlee, and I go to Lexi, who immediately sees through it.
“Pretend,” I say, running my fingers through her hair.
She pulls away, her stormy expression showing her irritation, but then she relaxes against me. Not too close though—Easton would flip his shit.
“I’m testing something.” I keep my gaze forward, then glance at her.
“Sometimes, I want to kick your ass. Like right now, for example, for forcing me to be in on your scheme,” she says.
I pull her into my arms and dip her down.
She laughs. “You’re really good at playing Easton.”
I glance over at my brother, laughing his ass off with Carlee.
I grin at her, flicking my brows upward, but my voice is steady. “You’re being too pushy.”
Lexi looks up at me. “Are you in love with her? Because if you hurt my best friend, I swear to?—”
“Yes,” I mutter, cutting her off. “Yes. Stop meddling andbeher best friend. She misses you.”
Lexi’s face softens. “I’m sorry I’ve been so bu?—”
“I know you’ve been busy.” My voice is light. “We both want you and Easton to spend as much time together. You’ve got so many life changes happening. It’s understandable. But right now, Carlee needsyou. These aren’t conversations she will have with me. If you really want to help, do it by listening instead of questioning feelings she’s trying to understand.”
“Okay,” Lexi responds, her voice firm. “If you hurt her, I will make your life hell.”
“If I hurt her, I hope you do,” I reply, seriousness lacing my words.
Moments later, my arm is forcibly tugged away.
Carlee stands in front of me. “Did you think that would work?” she asks with skepticism in her tone. “Easton isn’t as believable as you.”
“He’s actually spot-on,” I say, tilting my head and grinning wide.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asks.
“Because I can.”
I pull her into my arms, knowing she could tell the difference between us. I lead her farther into the middle of the room, where we dance.
My brother’s words echo in my mind.“You waste too much fucking time.”
Is that what I’m doing?
The song comes to an end, and there’s a brief pause. I glance around the room, spotting familiar faces from various social circles mingling and laughing. Chatter fills the space, yet anticipation settles over me as I lock eyes with Lexi and then with Easton.
My brother tries to read me, and I can feel my heart pounding against my rib cage—a reminder of what’s at stake. Carlee looks up at me and smiles. My thoughts are chaotic, and suddenly, the noise around us fades into a muffled hush.
I realize this is it. Urgency and need take over. I suck in a deep breath, moving forward with my plan. I steady myself before dropping down to one knee in front of her.
Her shock is real, but so is the heavy pounding in my heart as my throat goes completely dry.
“I mean every word that I’m about to say,” I whisper.
“Okay,” she says with an encouraging smile.
With careful deliberation, I pull the black velvet box from my pocket. As if on cue, a string quartet begins to play, surrounding us in a melody that feels both timeless and intimate. Suddenly, everything surrounding us disappears. It’s just me and Carlee, and our world narrows down to this very moment.