Page 125 of Imperfect Arrangement

I had convinced myself that, over time, Ray and Quill would move on. That Quill’s voice messages would become less frequent. That eventually, her bright little world would adjust to my absence. I feared that day, dreaded it with every fiber of my being, but I believed it would come.

Yet here they are—holding on, wishingfor me.

Violet places her hand on my shoulder. “Wills, I know I was the one who came up with the secrecy pact, but I can’t do this. Iwon’tdo this. We can’t sit here and watch you walk away from the love of a lifetime. That man—heck, he goes to the Ferris wheel to make a wish that you’ll go back to him.” Her grip tightens, her nails pressing into my skin. “Do you know how many people spend their whole lives searching for something like that?”

My breath hitches. “We don’t know that for certain,” I mumble, hardly convincing even myself.

“Wills.” Daisy leans forward. “You have never been happier than you were with Ray and Quill. We all saw it. We thought you would too—eventually.”

I want to tell her that she’s wrong. That my life, my heart, doesn’t revolve around the two of them. That walking away was the right choice. The safe choice. That I did what I had to do.

But the words never make it out of my mouth, because the truth is, my friends are right.

I am happy when I’m with them.

But a happiness like that…it’s terrifying.

My voice cracks when I finally speak. “I’m scared,” I admit. “I’m scared of losing it all—him, Quill, the things I feel with the two of them. What if I let myself have this, and then one day, I lose it…lose them?”

Elodie squeezes my hand. “But…what if you don’t? It doesn’t look like Raymond’s going anywhere, Willow, not without you.”

Vi lifts her margarita in a silent toast. “Life is about taking risks, Wills. The day you stop taking risks, you stop living.” Her eyes lock on to mine, serious and unwavering. “So, are you going to go talk to him?”

My lungs forget how to function for a second. The air around me feels charged, thick with the gravity of the choice ahead. One second. Two. Three. And then, with a shaky inhale, I give the slowest, most terrifying nod of my life.

A collective cheer erupts around me.

“I knew you’d come to your senses.” Elodie grins, nudging my knee with hers.

“I’m so happy for you, Wills.” Vi pulls me into a hug so tight the drink sloshes in my hand.

For the first time in a month, my chest feels a little lighter as I let myself soak in the warmth of my friends, of their unwavering support. Just when I think I might actually be able to breathe, Vi pulls back, eyes shining.

“Okay, nowIhave some big news.”

“What’s that?” I ask, still trying to process my own emotional roller coaster.

She glances at Daisy, then at El before returning her gaze back to me. “You remember sometime back I invited a tarot reader? Nori?” Vi waits until we three nod in confirmation. “Then you must also remember that she said I’d meet my soulmate soon.”

This time my nod is slow, dread and curiosity battling for control. “Um…yeah…”

“Well, I found him.”

“What? Where?”

Daisy, Elodie, and I ask the questions at the same time.

A slow, mischievous curve tugs at the corners of her mouth. “Through a website.”

“Vi!” I sputter. “I thought you said dating websites were a load of crap and extremely dangerous.”

She has the audacity to smirk. “They are. But this isn’tanydating website. It’s an app calledFind Your Soulmate. It uses some crazy sophisticated algorithm and makes participants fill out an extensive questionnaire to determine their perfect match. And I meanperfect—like, aone-hundred-percent-guaranteedcompatibility level.”

I blink. “That sounds like exactly what a dating website would say before stealing your identity.”

Vi shakes her head, unfazed. “No, this is different! You don’t even know the other person’s name for most of the process. You just…talk…or in my case, write. You build a connection through letters, messages, emails—whatever you choose. And at any point, if you’re uncomfortable, you can opt out. But if you stay, the final steps are meeting, getting married, and starting your happily ever after.”

Silence crashes over the porch. I glance at Daisy, hoping she’ll inject some much-needed logic into this madness. Instead, she tilts her head, brows furrowed. “Isn’t that Vincent Belmont’s company?”