Page 204

She laughs, and I stand, noticing happy tears streaming down her cheeks too. I kiss her so desperately.
“We’re going to have a family,” she confirms as I pull her into my arms, wanting to dance, feeling like I’ll fly.
I’m on a high as I twirl her around our bedroom, and we laugh, giddy and excited.
“Remember that night we wished upon stars?” I ask, and the smile on my face hurts.
“Yes,” she says, meeting my eyes, capturing my mouth.
“I wished for this life with you,” I whisper.
She chuckles. “I did too.”
EPILOGUE
WESTON
TWO WEEKS LATER
We sit in a dark and dingy dive bar located at the bottom of a basement with shitty lighting and sticky floors. Oldies lightly float from the overhead speakers, and the baseball game plays on the ancient televisions hanging on the wall. No one has ever bothered me here because they don’t give a shit who I am. It’s been my refuge since the divorce began, my secret escape.
“I knew she’d be the one for him,” I say to Carlee as I sip my whiskey.
She’s sitting next to me, wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a shirt that shows the perfect amount of cleavage to leave anyone wondering. The woman dresses like she’s looking for revenge.
“You were right,” she mutters. “Now, what do I get for playing matchmaker?”
I roll my eyes. “Pfft. Youhelpedplay matchmaker. Let’s not forget, I nearlydiedfor this.” It’s an overexaggeration.
However, there was a knife involved. Thankfully, we stayed safe, and all those boxing lessons Easton took years ago came in handy.
She tilts her head. Her arm brushes against mine, and I notice how our legs touch. We’re sitting close. Our stools are butted next to each other, and it’s like this every week. But I know Carlee is great at the game,a master of flirting.My match in every way. She’s pretty, like a rose—and as vicious as the thorns on the stem. Her confidence makes her as dangerous as dynamite. She’s my best-kept secret—has been for months.
“Don’t be dramatic,” she says, knowing what happened.
I do not doubt that Lexi told her in detail what happened in that boardroom.
I pull my gaze from her and focus on the TV.
“But I made sure Lexi was at the right placeevery single timefor you. The hotel. The park. And what about that date, when you let her drive your brother’s coveted car? I helped with yourschemefrom the very beginning, Weston. Somehow, you lived to tell the tale.”
“I’m like a cat. I’ve got nine lives.” I laugh. “But let’s not forget, the hotel room was a goddamndisaster. That went too far.”
“He wasn’t supposed to be in the shower,” she says, reminding me that we’ve talked about this several times since it happened. “You guaranteed that Lexi would walk in on him reading a book in bed. Let’s not mention how you got them stranded on top of a mountain when it was forty degrees outside in bear country, of all places!”
I shake my head. “My brother is very protective. He’d have fought a bear with his fists for her. Ultimately, it all worked out exactly how it should’ve.”
She lightly bumps me with her shoulder.
Flirt.
But I can’t deny how it makes me feel, especially after playing dating roulette for the past six months.
“Come on. Give credit where credit is due,” she pleads, and it’s so goddamn cute.
“Regardingourmatchmaking, we will alwayssharethe trophy.”
“And what about our agreement?” she asks, glancing at the game’s score.