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Eli tugged her into his arms. "No lines, just truth. I love you, Holly."
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and this time, her smile was full and bright. "Yeah?"
"Crazy about you," he assured her. "Seriously, I'm a lovesick idiot. Who else would bring you a box of strawberries and fifty candy bars? That's pure class, baby."
She snorted with laughter, then glanced down. Miss had plopped down next to his foot, then rubbed her face against his leg with a loud purr.
"Even drugged, she's still Team Eli," he said, grinning.
"That's because she loves you as much as I do." Holly ran a hand down along his jaw. "You know I've been on Team Eli for years."
He leaned his forehead against hers. "Can I interest you in a lifetime membership package?"
Holly grew still in his arms as she searched his gaze. "Lifetime?"
"Absolutely."
"Hmm." She tilted her head and smiled at him. "Are there special perks with this membership?"
"Tons of perks," he said huskily. "Too many to count."
She pressed a kiss to his lips. "Then sign me up, Donnelley."
Epilogue
Two Months Later
"Surprise!"
Holly froze, staring around in shock at the hundreds of balloons, sparkling silver and white decorations, and the "Happy 26th Birthday, Holly" banner hanging on the far wall of Callahan's.
Their friends cheered and blew party favors as she took in the scene, covering her mouth with her hands.
"Eli, what did you do?"
"Oh no." He laughed and waved his hands. "It wasn't all me. My partner in crime is just as guilty."
Penn stood in front of Holly, holding her arms out, a huge grin on her face. "I know you hate surprises, but after everything you've been through, we thought you deserved a special birthday celebration."
Holly shook her head and laughed as she hugged her best friend. "How did you guys manage to pull this off?"
"It wasn't easy," Penn told her. "Trust me. Lots of texting and phone calls from the car."
"But it was worth it." Eli wrapped his arms around Holly from behind. "You deserved a special day, and we wanted to make that happen."
She smiled at the roomful of guests. "Mission accomplished."
"All right, everyone," Nic yelled, holding a drink as she climbed onto a chair. "Time to sing and embarrass the birthday girl."
Holly tried not to laugh as the whole gang launched into an enthusiastic, horribly off-key rendition of the "Happy Birthday" song.
As she glanced around at their bright, smiling faces, she was hit with a deep sense of gratitude.
When she'd taken the job atTheLucky Bounceover a year ago, she'd been at the end of her rope, desperate for a career where she could write for a living every day. She'd also been horrified that the blog put her directly in the path of the man who broke her heart all those years ago.
But Eli had worked hard to put it back together again, and in the process, she'd gained an entire group of loyal, amazing friends.
She was a lucky woman.
