“I thought that your job mattered more than me, but I was wrong. Your job matters to you because you’re good at it, and you’re intelligent, and you like problem-solving. But I see now that it’s just something completely separate from our relationship.”
“So, you think we could actually make this work?”
His eyes look hopeful, and I feel my heart pouring with love for him.
“I think that I choose you, and I choose our love, and I choose this relationship—no matter where it leads us.”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
There’s hope in his eyes, and I nod.
“I’m saying, let’s make this real, Luke. Let’s not just have it be a fake summer romance. Let’s have it be a real summer romance.”
“No,” he says. “This isn’t just another summer romance, Mia. This is a love story—a story for life. This is a story about soulmates.”
“Am I your soulmate, Luke?”
“You’re that and so much more, my darling.”
And with that, he pulls me into his arms and kisses me softly.
Time really does seem to stand still. I feel like our spirits are fusing together, becoming one. I feel like our love is encapsulating us, covering us, protecting us.
“I love you, Mia. I love you for this summer and a million more.”
“I love you too, Luke. You are my everything.”
chapter twenty-seven
Luke
This is the happiest I’ve ever been in my life— happier than when I was valedictorian of my high school class, happier than when I got into Harvard, happier than when I got my job at the hedge fund. Happier than any other moment combined. Mia is mine, and she loves me, and she is finally ready to give me a chance.
She finally understands that while I love my job and I love my work and I love achieving everything to the best of my ability, it doesn’t mean more than she does. I will ensure that she realizes that she means everything to me.
“I think that we’re going to be very happy together,” I say as I drive us toward the hotel so that we can pick up the last clue that she found at Kona Ice.
We can’t remember exactly what it said, and though we know we have to head to Hidden Cove, we aren’t exactly sure where we have to go.
“I love you so much, Luke. This is just so weird to me. Juniper is going to absolutely flip when I tell her that we are officially together.” She turns to me and smiles. “By the way, do you think we should tell everyone that it started as fake and became real or not right away?”
I laugh. “I think there’s been quite a lot that’s gone down, especially today. I don’t think anyone needs any more shocks.”
“Can you believe that Rex slept with Talia?” she says in shock.
“I knew she was a hoe. I can believe it from both of them. They both kind of suck, and they deserve each other.”
“Do you think they are going to get married?”
“No. They will one hundred percent not get married. I don’t even think they’re going to last in India together for more than a couple of days. Each of them has an ego the size of the sun. It’s not going to go well for them.”
“Man, I’m just in shock,” she says. “I’ve never been in more shock in my life.”
“Yeah, I can kind of say the same thing though. I’m in more shock that Rex has practically run my family’s company into the ground.” I shake my head. “It’s kind of disgusting how poorly he’s done, and I still don’t really understand why he didn’t come to me for help. He knows I am a good businessman. He knows I could have ensured that this didn’t happen.”
“But he has an ego. Remember, you just said it. He didn’t want to come to you because then you would be the fixer and you would be the good son. And his whole thing over your entire life was that he was the chosen one—and, well, look how that turned out.” She rubs my arm. “How are you feeling about that, by the way?”
“I don’t know. There’s a time in my life where I would’ve felt delighted, right? Rex is a screwup, a failure, and I’m coming in to save the day. But it doesn’t feel like I thought it would feel. It doesn’t feel satisfying. I don’t like that the business is in this position. I don’t like that Rex screwed up, and now he’s running away, not even trying to fix it.
