“I know, but that doesn’t answer my question.”
“On one condition,” she muses.
“And what’s that?”
“We do this right, have a long engagement, then save on wedding expenses and just elope.”
“Counter-offer: we elope tonight.”
She rolls her eyes, but her grin doesn’t falter. “Counter-offer to your counter-offer: after thirty days of living with me, we elope. You need to see the chaos firsthand to know what you’re signing up for.”
“Whatever you want, babygirl,” I kiss her knuckles, and it earns me my favorite blush tinting her cheeks.
“Okay, well, stand up before someone sees you.”
“Too late,” Aubrey snaps, marching toward us as I stand. She bypasses Olivia, and I anticipate a shove. Instead, she wraps her arms around my middle in a tight hug. “You’re an asshole, but thank you for loving my friend.”
“I, uh… you’re welcome?” I glance up to Livy, who stifles a laugh, shaking her head.
Aubrey releases me and wipes away a tear. “Sorry, I’m just really emotional this week.”
“Emotional is putting it mildly.” Olivia mimes a baby bump and my eyes widen. “Anyway, I should hide away for the day until things die down. I’m sure I’ll be stopped no less than a thousand times between here and the hotel room.”
“No,” Aubrey insists, pulling out her phone and typing something. Not looking up from it, she continues, “You two go attend the rest of the scheduled panels and roundtables. Maybe don’t make out in the middle of someone discussing nutrition or homelessness, but you can safely hold hands and no one will say shit. If they do, I’ll take care of it.”
“Could you connect with James as well? I’d like him to be on the same page to mitigate anything happening online.”
“Oh, sure, but I’ll put Tracy on it.”
Aubrey leads the way down the hall, and I take Livy’s hand in mine, one that will be a little heavier tomorrow with a ring on it. I interlace our fingers, and with two hours before a panel she’s supposed to be speaking on, I should make sure she eats something. I lean in and whisper, “Are you hungry? Did you only have a handful of almonds today?”
“No. I was a good girl and had breakfast.”
“Then you won’t mind if I have mine.” Needing a small taste of her before we’re hounded by press, I stop us in our tracks and brush a soft kiss to her lips. I teasingly lick the seam, and her mouth instinctively opens for me to take whatever I want from her, because she’s always been and always will be just that—mine.
Epilogue — Olivia
JUNE
The moment I see Isaac, I can’t help myself, leaving my luggage behind me as I sprint the last few feet to him. He meets me halfway with the same eagerness, and my heart is about to burst out of my chest. His beard has grown out a bit, almost how he had it in college, and of course he’s wearing his glasses that make me weak in the knees. It’s truly unfair how handsome he is.
“Livy,” he breathes, pulling me to him in a warm embrace. I haven’t felt this complete since the last time I saw him. It’s only been a month, but it feels like years. “I missed you.”
After the conference ended, it took about a month for him to settle everything before he could join me in California. Longest month of my life. The deal we made was that he’d live with me for a month before we got married, and he did, but then had to leave for New York to become acclimated to his new position at UNICEF. Now, another month later, I’m a woman of my word, and we’re in Vegas for the weekend, sincesomeonecouldn’t wait.
It was me. Never been a fan of waiting.
In an instant, his lips are on mine, and I swear I’ll never get enough of this man. Even after all this time, we’re still consistently pulled to one another. The scratch of his stubble, the urgency, how he doesn’t care who sees him claim me—all of it makes my entire body ache for him to take things further. It’s a shame we’re in an airport, or I’d let him.
A loud throat clearing behind me has us breaking apart. “Good evening, Ms. Raine,” Isaac snickers, not taking his eyes off me. “What? No hug hello?”
“I think she’s past the crying at everything and has moved on to fatigue and mood swings,” I sigh. She shouldn’t have traveled with me, but insisted she be here to marry me off.
“She’s right,” Aubrey huffs. “I’m tired, bloated, my boobs hurt, and I’m stuck training my replacement who—by the way—is entirely too good-looking for this job. It’s a distraction in the office, you know. I want to climb that man like a tree.Fuck, did I say that out loud?”
While James was the most qualified candidate, I should’ve suspected it would be an issue. Turns out, he’s bilingual, so paired with his tattoos and facial hair, he’s essentially Aubrey’s kryptonite.
I stifle a laugh, but it slips out anyway. “Bree! I don’t think Isaac wants to hear about your tits.”
