“Not a chance. I love this one.”
“Don’t you even want to know if it’s real?” He squeezed her tighter and stood up, taking her with him.
Lexi pulled back just enough to see him. “You’re real. What we have is real.”
“It is,” he whispered, his hands framing her face. He kissed her slowly, like he was relearning every piece of her and had all the time in the world.
No one really knew how much time they’d get. Lexi used that as a reason to run. What she should have done was use it as a reason to dig her heels in, grab on tight, and never let go. She couldn’t change the past but she could learn from it.
“Have you two made up yet?” Ethan yelled from somewhere in the bar.
Lexi and Will laughed. He picked her up and swung her around. “We’re all good, man. Come on out.”
Ethan came out of the office grinning. “How good we talking?”
Lexi held out her hand. “We’re engaged. For real.”
Clapping his friend on the back, Ethan kissed Lexi’s cheek. “Congratulations. For the record, I already threw your engagement party.”
“We don’t need another,” Will said, holding Lexi tightly to his front.
She rested her head on his chest. “Next time I wear a wedding dress, it’ll be to marry you.”
Will pressed a kiss to her head. “I can’t wait.”
Epilogue
There was a lot to be thankful for, Lexi thought as she put on the earrings Will had given her. Beautiful square diamonds that he said were every bit as real as her ring and his love for her. She’d told him she only actually needed one of those three things to be happy. Romantic, cheesy things were getting easier to say because she had so much emotion just idling inside of her all the time.
He came into his bedroom, met her gaze in the full-length mirror as his arms circled her waist from behind. That jolt of recognition and something deeper than just desire zipped through her body. She was getting used to that too.
“You look beautiful,” he said, kissing her neck.
She tilted her head, giving him room as she leaned back into him. “You look good too. Everyone should be here soon.”
He murmured something against her neck, then turned her into his arms and kissed her, pulling her body into his. They could get lost in this. It wouldn’t be the first time but today was their first time hosting a special occasion as a real couple.
She pulled back. “I don’t want to look like I have sex hair when our families show up.”
Will laughed, put his hands up, and stepped back. “I didn’t touch your hair.”
She smirked at him. “You would have. Let’s go make sure everything is ready.”
He’d already asked her to move in but Lexi wasn’t quite ready. Gregory had started construction on the basement, curiously deciding not to contract the work out. He said it was to keep costs to a minimum because he could do the work himself but Lexi and Will suspected it had more to do with him liking that Gwen kept him company while he worked.
It was nice to see her mother’s smile, and Lexi was learning not to push or overstep. She hadn’t been entirely fair to her mom and realized that part of her had relied on her mother’s neediness to feel like she had a purpose.
When Gwen told her she’d be arriving with Ethan and Gregory today, she’d just nodded happily, not saying a word. Gwen gave her a mom-glare anyway, like she could read her thoughts.
Things had been a little harder to smooth over with Will’s parents but with everyone else on board and eager to welcome Lexi to the family, she figured it was only a matter of time before his father softened toward her.
And if he didn’t, it wouldn’t matter, because there was nothing she wouldn’t go through to be with Will.
“We could have had this catered, you know,” Will said as she checked the turkey. She’d never made one before but her mother had many times. Gwen had walked her through the whole thing via FaceTime this morning.
“That would be cheating,” she said, inhaling the delicious scent.
“Okay, but know that my mother will definitely be bringing a store-bought dessert,” he said.
