Page 163 of Bang

"Because you said you were engaged to Mason."

"Oh, that?" she laughed. "No. I was just calling him over."

"Oh."Of course.This should've been obvious. But in my own defense, all this was so very unexpected that my head was still spinning.

Livia gave her fingers another waggle. "I've got a guy of my own." In a much lower voice, she added, "And besides,yourguy never offered."

My guy.

Oh, wow.I loved how that sounded.

I looked once again to Mason, and I swear, everything faded into the background as our gazes locked and held. He flicked his head toward the dance floor and said, "So, how about it? You wanna dance?"

At this, I actually giggled. "I'd love to."

Livia spoke up. "I'll find some water for these." And with that, she carefully took the roses from my grip and looked to Chopped Lover. "Hey, find me a big vase of water, will you?"

I didn't catch his reply, because already, Mason was sweeping me into his arms. We never even made it to the dance floor. Instead, I lifted my face to his and kissed him like I meant it.

And he kissedme.

All around us, the crowd broke into raucous applause, punctuated by one long and very loud wolf-whistle. I pulled back, expecting Mason to be irritated, not just by the whistle, but by the all the attention.

But to my surprise, he looked just happy as before. With a tender smile, he gathered me close against his chest and whispered into my hair, "I love you, Cami O'Neal."

My heart swelled with happiness.I knew it.

I mean, I'd seen it in his eyes, but to hear him say it out loud was something else entirely. Maybe thiswasa dream.

I pulled back to gaze up at him. "You do? But I thought you didn't believe in it."

"I didn't." His voice softened as he added, "Until you."

I was still holding the balloons. And Mason was still holding me. And I was pretty sure that I was once again holding my breath – not because I meant to, but because I was so surprised and happy, I was finding it hard to breathe.

And then, with a soft exhale, I said the thing I'd been wanting to say for longer than I'deveradmit. "I love you, too, Mason Blastoviak."

He grinned. "I know."

Now I couldn't help but laugh. "Wait, how would you know?"

"You must," he said, "if you're willing to put up with me."

I was willing to do more thanthat.Willingandeager.

But I didn't want this moment to end, so I hurtled myself back into his arms and kissed him like the world was ending.

And even if the world wasn't truly ending, the year definitely was.

We stayed in the club for the countdown to midnight, when we kissed all over again, even as balloons of all colors, along with rainbow confetti, fell from the ceiling and onto the crowd below.

This crowd included Livia, who later reiterated in the ladies room that she was truly engaged.It was no joke.

In fact, she said, Lorenzo would have been here with her now, except that he'd gotten delayed by snow in Switzerland.

It was funny to consider that I'd never met the guy, and I couldn’t help but marvel at the speed of their engagement. But according to Livia, it was love at first sight – on his part, if not hers.

She got that a lot.