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I raise a brow at her and smirk. “Dangerous.”
“Just how I like it,” she says, taking a swig before handing it to me.
“Time to chug,” Matteo tells us.
He stabs a beer can with his key, then cracks it open before shoving it into Carlee’s hand. She gulps it down, and then he does the same for me.
“Fuck, we can’t keep doing that, or we’ll be trashed,” I warn.
She giggles and kisses me. “Live a little. That’s a problem for future us.”
The large group of my friends and her family sit around the blazing bonfire. Her cousins must’ve worked tirelessly throughout the day to set this up, and I’m genuinely grateful. An hour or two passes as we shoot the shit and hang out. The temperature begins to drop, and Carlee leans against me as we watch the flames.
Laughter echoes off the surrounding trees as country music floats in the background.
“Dance with me,” I say, flashing her a smile.
“I’d love to,” she replies, and we stand.
I take her hand and pull her close. Our bodies sway together as the fire crackles beside us. Sparks fly and flutter into the night sky.
“Did you think it could be like this?” I ask.
I run my fingers through her silky hair, admiring how flawless she is.
“I hoped,” she admits, her green eyes sparkling brightly. A sweet smile graces her lips.
The world around us fades until it’s just the two of us, lost together.
We linger in this embrace, stealing another brief kiss as the song fades into another one.
“Get a room!” Lucas yells, and Brody gives him a high five.
Carlee flips them off and captures my lips with a laugh.
“I called it. I knew they’d get married,” Lexi says to Easton.
Easton pulls her into a kiss. “You were right, darling.”
Billie and Harper can’t stop whispering about something. They both look pissed. My sister’s eyes meet mine, and she smiles, lifting her drink. Harper turns and grins at me. They’re faking it though. Right now, they’re discussing business. Billie is wearing the same expression Easton does when finalizing a deal.
As the song comes to an end, I spin her around, dipping her down and stealing a kiss.
“Don’t let me fall.” She giggles.
“Only in love with me,” I say, bringing her back to her feet, then leading her over to where we were sitting.
As soon as I sit and Carlee takes my lap, all eyes are on us.
“What?” Carlee asks, glancing around.
“Anyone going to explain how this happened?” Claire finally inquires. “No one can give me a clear answer, and I don’t have time to piece it together. I need the TL;DR version.”
I chuckle. “You can take the girl out of the corporation, but …”
“Very true,” JJ says with a laugh. It earns him one Manchester glare.
Carlee explains how we met and became friends without divulging any extra details. It takes her a few minutes, and I replay everything that’s happened over the past year. We went from being friends to becoming lovers. As I watch her laugh and talk about us, it’s impossible for me to imagine my life without her. She’s my soulmate.