“You’ll kneecap me,” I said.
Honestly, I wouldn’t even have been surprised. Dante seemed like a loyal friend, and Iggy had his loyalty. Which he absolutely deserved.
“No,” Dante said. “If you break Iggy’s heart, you’ll spend the rest of your life tripping over your own shoelaces until you put it right.”
I blinked at him. “That’s… specific.”
“It’s a curse.” Dante let go of my hand. “And I mean it.”
I had no idea how to respond to that.
Dante stared me down for another few seconds, and then looked away.
“You love him, huh?” I asked.
“With all my heart,” Dante said. “And so do you, and there’s no point in trying to tell me otherwise. So don’t hurt him.”
“I won’t,” I promised again, fiddling with the blanket still draped over my arm. “I won’t.”
I didn’t realize I’d agreed that I loved Iggy with all my heart until I made it to the hot chocolate stand.
But it was true. Of course I did.
I alwayshad.
“There you are!” another familiar voice said behind me as I grabbed one of the adorable enamel camping mugs from the stack.
I turned to grin at Seth, who swooped in for a hug and squeezed me so tight I was struggling to breathe all over again.
“Thereyouare,” I said, setting the mug down again to put my hands on his shoulders, looking him up and down.
He really was glowing. They said weddings were meant to be the happiest day of your life, and for Seth, that seemed to be true.
Mark hovered a few feet away, not straying far from his new husband, but giving the two of us space to talk.
I liked him. I liked himfor Seth, especially. He’d be an anchor to Seth’s rainbow hot air balloon adventure of a life.
Seth laughed and hugged me again, a quick squeeze this time that spoke a thousand words.
“We’re about to make our grand exit,” Seth said. “But I wanted to come thank you in person, first. And give you this,” he added, folding something into my hand.
I opened my hand to find an ancient friendship bracelet I instantly recognized. I’d given it to him over twenty years ago and promised him I’d always be there.
“It was my something old,” Seth said. “You… you know you’re the only family that really still speaks to me, right?”
I did know that, but as soon as Seth said it, tears stung at my eyes. He deserved so much more.
I wassohappy for him, and the life he’d built in Otter Bay. Even when we’d spent the summers here together, he’d always said he’d move here one day, and be happy.
He was so fucking happy it was about to make me cry.
“Don’t you start me off,” Seth said, eyes shining as well. “This mascara isn’t waterproof and I have to get through passport control later.”
I laughed, but it came out as a sob and a sniff.
“No, no, no,” Seth said, taking both my hands. “No crying, I forbid it. This is a happy day.”
“They’re happy tears,” I defended, freeing one hand to wipe them on the cuff of my sweater—which was just as soft as Seth had promised it would be.
