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Love doesn’t arrive when it’s convenient. It arrives when you need it to, and when it does, you hold on to it with both hands for the rest of your life.

Chapter 55

Saint

“We’re absolutely not spying. We’re… Observing.” I chuckle.

“Can they see us?” Ember whispers.

“No,” I whisper back.

“Why are you both whispering?” Lennie laughs. “The walls are made of stone.”

“We’re being inconspicuous,” I tell him. “You know… Blending in.”

Luna snorts into her mulled wine. “You’ve never blended into anything in your life.”

Fair.

The library is in complete darkness minus the fairy lights draped around the shelves, which makes us feel invisible despite the fact Lennie’s standing on tiptoes. Enzo is muttering prayers in Italian under his breath and Ember has both hands clasped over her mouth to stop herself squealing. I peer around Luna’s shoulder. Jax is on one knee.

Oh. Oh, he’s actually doing it. Bri’s crying.

“I can’t hear what he’s saying,” I complain.

“Saint,” Ember hisses. “This isn’t about you.”

“I know. But I still want to hear.”

Lennie chuckles quietly. “They’re having a private moment.”

“Is it still private with six people watching?” Luna laughs.

“Shhhh,” I whisper.

Bri slides off the bench and kneels in the snow beside Jax, kissing him before he slides the ring on her finger. Tears prick at my eyes.

“She said yes!” Ember squeaks.

“I KNOW!” I don’t even think. One second, I’m at the window, the next I’m sprinting through the lodge and out the front door into the snow. “My best friends are getting married!” I shriek.

Behind me I hear everyone laughing as they follow. Bri pulls back from kissing Jax just in time to see me barrelling towards them. “Oh no.”

“Oh yes.” I throw my arms around both of them at once, nearly knocking poor Jax back into the snow. “You magnificent idiots!”

Bri laughs through happy tears as Lennie reaches them next. He wraps Jax in one of those proper bear hugs that only men of his generation seem capable of. “I’m proud of you, son.”

Jax’s voice catches. “Thanks.”

Luna folds Bri into her arms. Ember jumps up and down squealing before hugging them both. Enzo kisses them both on the cheeks before declaring something wonderfully enthusiastic in Italian that I only understand about thirty percent of.

I clap my hands together. “Show me the ring.”

Bri holds out her left hand.

“For the love of all that glitters,” I say, grabbing her hand dramatically. “It’s stunning.”

Jax laughs. “You’ve already seen it. You helped me choose it.”