“I love you,” she mouths back, and suddenly I feel like I’m imposing on an intimate moment between them.
“You can’t tell anyone.” Char waits until Lyric releases River before stepping into his side. His arm instantly goes around her, as if she can’t be this close and he not touch her, a feeling I understand well, as it’s how I feel every time Macallan steps into a room.
I gravitate toward him like a magnet. I always have.
“We want to wait until she’s further along before sharing it publicly.”
“I won’t say a word,” Lyric promises.
“Nor will I,” I inject, reaching for Char’s hand. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you.” She smiles, and I’m taken by just how happy she seems. No, not seems... How happy she is. How happy we all are.
My mind drifts back to Macallan.
So much has happened over the past few months, and a lot of it wasn’t good. But I’d do it all over again if I knew this is where I’d end up when the dust finallysettled. Though if I’m being honest, it all feels like a lifetime ago.
Sometimes when Macallan falls asleep before me, I lie in bed for hours just staring at him. He remains the most beautiful man in existence, and I remain completely smitten by him.
After the whole Lana fiasco, I worried about what the future might look like for us, but with how quickly they reached a plea deal, it was almost as if it never happened. I was grateful that she opted to plead guilty in exchange for her time to be served in a mental facility rather than a prison. Macallan never said so, but I get the feeling he was relieved knowing she was going to get the help she needed.
It wasn’t until after her arrest that I realized just how much he had been holding back. How much fear and guilt weighed on him. And seeing him finally shed that... words can’t describe what that felt like. What it still feels like.
“Now, if you two don’t mind, I have a bone to pick with my fiancé.” Lyric scours the room, finding Kai next to the small stage.
“Go easy on him.” River chuckles. “I swore him to secrecy,” he calls after his sister as she takes off in the direction of Kai.
“I can’t believe you told them.” Char waits until Lyric is out of earshot before saying. “We agreed.”
“I know. I’m sorry. But I meant what I said. If I didn’t tell someone, I was going to burst.”
“How do you think I felt?” She gently smacks his stomach, not an ounce of anger in her voice.
“On that note, I’m going to give you two some privacy.” I grin, slowly backing away. “Congrats, by the way.”
“Thank you.” Char meets my gaze. “Love you.”
“Love you.” I smile wider, spinning on my heel to walk away.
“Maisie Rose, my God, you look like a million dollars.” Lyric holds my arms out, making me twirl so she can get a good look at the silver dress I’m wearing.
“Me? Look at you.” I wait until I’m facing her to gesture to her own dress, the soft pink accentuating her brown curls and tanned skin perfectly.
“Where’s Mac?” she asks, looking past me toward the door.
“Not here yet, but he should be soon. Everyone’s here?”
“For the most part.” She nods. “I’m sure we’ll have a few last-minute stragglers, but as you can see”—she gestures to the large crowd behind her—“most are already in attendance.”
“And the pizza?”
“Already here and set up.”
“And the bartenders...”
“They’re here. Already serving drinks.” Lyric takes my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You did good, Mais. Everything is going as planned.”
“I think you mean you did good,” I tell her, knowing she did just as much, if not more work, than I did. Including arriving early for me to make sure everything went off without a hitch, while I rushed home to get ready.
