She simply leaned in and pressed her lips to his. Certain. Warm. Her hand slid up to cradle the back of his neck.
He froze for half a second, then sighed into it, kissing her back with every ounce of that tumbled truth.
When she pulled away, her smile was shy and nervous but real.
"I might be in love with you, too," she said.
He blinked.
"Okay… I mean—great. That's great. Just for confirmation—only 'might'?"
She grinned. "I figured I'd meet you where you were, you know? Don't want to scare you off."
The music swelled around them again as he pulled her closer, swaying a little sharper now that his heart had found its rhythm.
She didn't say a word.
She simply held on. Held on like someone who knew what it was to fall and still reached, anyway. Held on like maybe she finally believed it was real.
And she exhaled against him—not a sigh but a true release, like maybe—finally—there was room to breathe because someone else could carry even a sliver of the weight she'd tucked away in silence.
Zach closed his eyes.
And in the hush between beats, in the halo of string lights and quiet hope, he let himself sway with her. Not toward an answer. Just toward something that felt like it might be okay.
Maybe.
"I'm not good at letting things be okay," she whispered. "I always expect the break."
"Then, maybe today, you just let things be whole. Just for now."
She didn't nod. Didn't speak.
It wasn't perfect.
There were cracks and doubt all along the edges.
But damn if it wasn't real.
And for the first time in a long while, real felt like enough. More than enough.
CHAPTER 24
2 DAYS AFTER ANNA & DRAKE'S WEDDING
PIPER
Piper celebrated the successful wedding, her cautiously optimistic outlook on life, and her upcoming promotion by taking a more hands-on, mouth-on approach with her boyfriend. He seemed extremely supportive of her celebratory methods.
"Piper," he groaned, his fingers already tangling in her hair. The heat fluttering between her thighs kicked up a notch at his words. He had the kind of voice that could talk her into almost anything.
She started her work slow, lips brushing over his shaft, teasing—because restraint was sexy and, also, she'd discovered after their weekend in bed that there was an importance to pacing. He gasped when she took him deeper, her tongue swirling. She took him all the way to the back of her throat, so he'd make that groaning sound she really got off on.
"You're amazing at this," he said, with a reverence like he'd just discovered ice cream for the first time. "I'm going to make sure the only thing you can say is my name. Let's see if you can even remember yours," he continued.
Somewhere between that deeply inappropriate suggestion and the needy rumble in his chest, a fresh wave of heat flushed through her body.
She let out a hum, which turned out to be more effective than expected when it made his dick twitch. She pulled back only enough to shoot him a smug look because, hey, a girl deserved credit for her craft.
