I sat on the ottoman next to her. “How could you not tell me?”
She shrugged. “I was sworn to secrecy, as you may recall. I figured if you two didn’t work it out tonight, I’d tell you then.”
“But these past few weeks I—”
She turned to face me. “I told you I wasn’t going to get over the blog overnight. And you got off pretty easily if you ask me, so I was okay with you suffering a little. I feel better now.”
“If I didn’t love you . . .” I shook my head.
“But you do,” she said sweetly. “You gave a whole speech about that tonight. And I love you too.”
“So I actually have your approval?”
She hugged me. “Be happy. You deserve it.” She let me go and turned to head back to the reception, then stopped in the doorway. “Should I throw the bouquet right to you, or would that just be awkward?”
I laughed. “Aren’t I the only single girl here?”
“My cousin Maggie is too.”
“Isn’t your cousin Maggie twelve?”
“Hey, do you want the bouquet or not?”
I nodded. After she left, I looked in the mirror and almost didn’t recognize the girl in front of me—but not because of the makeup or hair this time. Had I ever looked this happy? I winked at my reflection and went to pee. Alex was waiting for me.
EPILOGUE
Neither of us had driven to the hotel to get ready that morning, so we took an Uber to my apartment, me sitting in the middle seat to be closer to him, our fingers intertwined.
“We wasted so much time,” I said, shaking my head. “Because I was too dumb to face up to what I thought I did.”
He brought my fingers to his lips and kissed them. “We only wasted this last month. I wasn’t ready for anything real when we met.”
I thought about the girl who crept out of the hotel room in a stolen shirt and shook my head at the memory. “No. I don’t think I was either.”
“And now?”
I took his arm and put it around my shoulder, snuggling in against him. He kissed the top of my head.
When the Uber pulled up outside of my building, there was no discussion. We both got out and walked quickly to the elevator, still holding hands. Once safely alone inside, we kissed again, my back against the bar, my arms around his neck. He had to tell me that we should get out when we reached my floor; I was too wrapped up in him to realize the door had opened.
He kissed down the side of my neck, an arm around my waist as I fumbled with my key and kicked off my shoes as we fell in the door, pulling his tie off at the same time.
“Lily!” I jumped a mile at Becca’s voice.
Now? I thought. Of all times, now? Alex pulled away and straightened up, running a quick hand through his hair.
She rose off the sofa, where Will still sat, two glasses and a bottle of champagne on the coffee table in front of them. She came toward me with her left hand extended.
“Will proposed!”
I smiled reflexively. “That’s great, Bec! I’m so happy for you both!”
She beamed back at Will, happily. “I can’t even believe it—you’ll be my bridesmaid, won’t you?”
“Of course,” I said as Alex started to laugh behind me. “But starting tomorrow. Tonight, I have other plans.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book spent a very long time percolating before it actually made its way onto the page, and it would not be in your hands today without the help of my incredible support network.
First, I want to thank my superhero of an agent, Rachel Beck, along with the whole team at Liza Dawson Associates. You and I found each other at a time when I had almost given up hope that I would ever succeed as a writer, and I can never thank you enough for what you have given me. The fact that we both held off going into labor until this deal went through and then had our babies on the same day is just icing on the cake. I love and appreciate you.
To my editor, Alicia Clancy, thank you for seeing the potential in this story and in me. You made my dream become a reality, and it’s a much stronger work thanks to your insight. I can’t wait to work with you on the next one!
Thank you to the whole team at Lake Union Publishing for believing in me enough to publish not only this book, but a second one as well. I couldn’t ask for a better experience.
Thank you to my developmental editor, Holly Ingraham, for tightening the weak spots and helping me round out Lily’s character. I absolutely love the finished product thanks to you.
Thank you to my husband, Nick, and our two sons, Jacob and Max. Nick, writing this with a toddler would not have been possible without your support and absolute belief in my ability to make a career out of my passion. Not to mention giving me the time to get my edits done while eight months pregnant in a pandemic and then with a newborn. Thank you for always knowing that I would succeed, even when I didn’t. Thank you to Jacob and Max, for keeping me company and providing the best distractions ever. （And thank you to Rosie and Sandy, our schnauzers, because Nick told me I needed to thank them for cuddling me and for not blocking too much of my laptop while I was writing.） I love you all very much.