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“You mean the one from Bryce that told me to meet him here at eight o’clock at night and to make sure Josie doesn’t know?” Carter squats to give the puppy a belly rub, but his eyes stay locked on us. “Do either of you know what this is about?”

Ronan takes a seat next to me, sighing as he stretches his bad leg out in front of him. “No idea.”

I resist the urge to check him over for any obvious sign of something being wrong. He’s had a long couple of days, which I know get to him. “He better get here soon, though, because mysterious Bryce freaks me out.”

Ronan laughs, reaching down to scratch Lezak between the ears now that the puppy has made his way back over to his human. “It’s because he’s bad at it.” Lezak playfully nips on his fingers. My heart swoops at the soft smile he gives his dog. “He either acts way too dramatic or not dramatic enough.”

Carter stands once he’s sure he’s lost the attention of the dog. He chews at his bottom lip. “You don’t think they’re breaking up again, do you?”

“Absolutely not.” There’s not a lot in my life I’m certain of, but this is one of them. “They’re too disgustingly in love to ever break up…again.”

Ronan nods in agreement. “They’ve gone through too much shit to let anything get between them now.”

Carter doesn’t look as certain.

Footsteps echo and all of us turn in time to see Bryce emerge from the side door. Predictably, Lezak barks and takes off toward him. Bryce cheerfully greets us, stopping long enough to scoop the dog into his arms, and closes the distance between us .

“What’s going on, dude?” The nerves are evident in Carter’s voice. “If you’re breaking her heart again, I’m on her side this time.”

Bryce squints at his best friend, mouth set in a firm line. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Abrams is worried he’s about to be the child of divorce,” Ronan explains. “Do you blame him, though? That text message was cryptic.”

Bryce frowns at Carter. “You would really take her side?”

Honestly, he doesn’t sound at all surprised, which is probably good.

I reach for Lezak, who Bryce hands over immediately. The puppy cuddles against me, worn out from all the activity. “We would all take her side, Bryce.”

“Even Lezak.” Ronan reaches over to pet his dog. “Now, what are we doing here?”

Bryce’s gaze lands on me, his bottom lip disappearing between his teeth. “Please don’t be mad at me. I was going to involve you in the whole process, but then I saw it, and I knew. It’s perfect.”

“What are you…” My question trails off as realization clicks into place. My jaw drops open. If I didn’t have a cuddly puppy in my lap, I’d probably spring up to attack him in a hug. “Oh, my god! Let me see it!”

“Let you see what?” It’s Ronan who voices the question, but one fleeting glance at Carter tells me he’s just as confused.

“Ugh, men.” I roll my eyes, making grabby hands toward Bryce, who laughs.

He drops a deep blue velvet box in my hand and my breath catches in my throat. The weight of it makes this all the more real. Tears are already stinging the corners of my eyes when I look up at Bryce. He’s watching me cautiously. My best friend is about to get engaged !

The appearance of the box must make something click in the guys’ heads because they both lean closer to get a peek. I shy away from them. They can wait their turn. I’ve waited years to have this moment.

I’m not mad Bryce didn’t include me in the purchasing process, but I will be the first of our friends to see it.

I lift the lid, half expecting to see something big, something flashy. Instead, my breath is literally taken from me. Nestled in the velvet cushion is the perfect ring for Josie. An oval cut blue-green sapphire set in a yellow-gold band, small diamonds accenting the gem on either side.

I look back up at Bryce. “It’s not a diamond.”

He shakes his head, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, a sure sign of his uncertainty. “I…uh, I had a list. Of all the big stores you’re supposed to go to when you look for a ring, but I got bored one night and started looking online. I found this one and I…I just knew. It’s her.”

I hand the ring over to Ronan so he and Carter can take a look, but I don’t look away from Bryce. “Josie would hate a flashy diamond.”

Biting back a smile, he laughs. “She would, but she’d pretend to love it because it came from me. I didn’t want that, though. I want her to actually love it. Screw what society thinks.”

“You know it’s not about the ring, right? She just wants you.”

His gaze drifts to the ring. “She deserves this.” His tone is so firm, leaving no room for doubt. He wants forever with her. “She deserves the whole world.”

I set Lezak on the bench beside me before I tackle Bryce in a hug. I laugh at the surprised sound he makes. He freezes for the briefest second before hugging me back .

My eyes are even mistier when we separate, but I still manage to pull off a serious look. “You better treat her well, Bryce Clark. She’s my person as much as she is yours.”

His grin is soft. “Always.”

“Dude.” Carter claps his best friend on his back. “This is huge! Just don’t mess it up this time.”

Bryce allows Carter to pull him into a hug with a groan. “Oh, my god, it was one time. Can we let it go?”

“Technically, it was three times, right?” Ronan looks to me for confirmation. I nod. “Fourth time’s the charm then, right?”

Scowling, Bryce accepts a congratulatory hug from Ronan as well.

If someone had told me we’d be here one day eight years ago, I would have laughed in their face.

I never thought we’d make it. Not like this.

Not as a group of friends running a business together, and definitely not with Josie and Bryce heading down the aisle.

It was too good to be true back then. Sometimes, I worry it still is.

An elbow nudges my arm. Ronan is standing far too close now, concern in his eyes. “You got quiet.”

“Just thinking.” He nudges me again, urging me to say more. “I’m happy for them. They’re good for each other. Always have been, don’t you think?”

He hums in agreement. “But you thought you’d be first?”

“Not at all.” I laugh softly. “I was actually thinking more about how everyone around me seems to be moving on while I feel stuck. A common topic in therapy as well.”

“What are you talking about? You’re not stuck. You’re doing a lot with your life, Mia.”

“Sure.” I snort. “Says the Olympian turned philanthropist. ”

“No. Says the man who had the only thing that made him anything taken from him and had to figure out how to be a contributing member of society.”

Swimming isn’t the only thing that made him someone.

I’ve always seen him for who he is, and that is someone who deeply cares about helping those he can.

Someone who is determined to break away from his family’s hold and create a life he can be proud of.

Someone who is as gorgeous on the inside as he is on the outside.

Even when I was mad at him, I never only saw the heartless, playboy reputation he projected out to the world. I’d always been able to see Ronan.

I don’t get the chance to say any of that to him.

He steps up to Bryce again. “I’m happy for you, dude. She’s going to love it.” Bryce grins at him. Pure happiness radiates off him, and he hasn’t even asked her yet. “If there’s nothing else, though, I’m going to head home. I had a long day and need to feed Lezak.”

Bryce’s gaze moves from Ronan to me, observing the moment. “Yeah, of course.” He nods. “Thanks for coming.”

With another quick hug, Ronan is scooping the sleepy puppy from the bench to head for the door. No one says a word until he’s fully left the building. The pool is eerily quiet, and I need it to stop.

“Mia—”

“It’s fine, Bryce.” My eyes plead with him to drop it. I’m not even sure what I’d say. What even happened? “Show me the ring again.”

He hesitates and is about to check in on me before thinking better of it.

“When are you going to do it?” I ask once I have my breath back from looking at it again.

That’s how I spend the next forty-five minutes, sitting on the uncomfortable bleachers, throwing out random ideas for Carter and Bryce to either shoot down or turn into a theatrical production.

I may not have helped pick the ring, but Bryce will definitely need my input on the proposal because Josie would hate a sky writer.

And it gives me something to focus on other than Ronan.