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I nod.
“She’s right, and we will always support you, as long as we like the guy, of course,” Imi adds.
“I think you’re going to love him. He makes me happy, and he did get down on his knees and beg.”
They both pretend to faint, falling back with one hand to their foreheads.
I know I need their approval, and if they don’t like Alistair, it’ll be a problem. But that’s a bridge I’ll cross tonight at Ariana’s party.
“Now we’re done with all that crying,” Ari also wipes her eyes, “We need to find something hot to wear.”
I smile. “And I have Mr. Devereaux’s Amex. He’ll be annoyed if we don’t go shopping.”
“I think I love this guy already,” Imi laughs. “I think we need to find you something that’ll blow his socks off.”
I feel the swell of my heart in my chest when I get to be with my friends. I’m so happy I could bask in this forever. “I think that can be arranged.”
“If everything works out, then we could be here for a few months at a time while the weather is good,” Alistair tells my friends. “And when I can’t come, Charli could commute to see you once a month until we get our own place. You’re also both welcome to come to our place anytime. I have a jet.”
Charli?
He’s never really called me Charli too many times in his life. And our place? This man makes my heart twist and my blood pressure rise.
My friends look up at him, hanging on every word he says. It makes me smile.
“You have your own jet?” Ariana’s mouth hangs open.
“I travel a lot for work.”
I know Khristian, Imogen’s boyfriend, has a jet too. So it seems we may just join the mile high club after all.
“England is so pretty in the summertime,” I tell them. “And France and Spain are so close. We could have a girls weekend.”
I know I’m going to miss my friends, but if I can see them often, then it won’t be as bad as I thought. The idea that I could ever move and never see them again breaks my heart. I couldn’t do that. But if Alistair can move business to Seattle part-time, I think that’s a good compromise.
Alistair smiles, looking over at me. “Whatever you want, my darling.”
I smile back at him and I know we look so goofy, but I can’t help it.
“You two are so disgustingly in love,” Imi whispers, giggling. “I know how that feels, and I’m so happy for both of you.” She turns to Alistair. “Just don’t break our friend’s heart. She’s an amazing person. So giving. Loyal. Smart. Her sense of humour leaves little to be desired, but we’ll forgive her for that.”
“Hey!” I laugh.
“Imi’s right,” Ariana says. “We care about her so much, we don't want to see her hurt. When Charli loves, she loves hard. So if she picked you, there has to be something very special about you.”
I smile at my friends words. “You guys, you’re going to make my makeup run!”
Alistair pulls me into his arms and kisses me on the top of the head, then the nose, then my lips briefly, then he looks up at my friends. “I promise I will love and protect her. She’s an amazing woman. She changed how I feel about everything in a short space of time and I can’t thank her enough.”
“How will you handle the fallout when people find out about… you know.” Ari winces slightly.
I move so my back is to his front and he wraps his arms around me. “It’ll die down after a while. In all honesty, nobody really has to know. Charlize’s grandmother is the last person who knew who we were to each other back then — aside from you guys — and my family, but they won’t say anything. If it happens, it happens.” He squeezes me around the middle. “I won’t let anything keep us apart.”
“Aww,” Imi croons. “That’s so sweet! We’ve never seen Charli like this, have we Ari?”
Ariana shakes her head. “Nope, I can’t say I have. She’s speechless for once.”
Everyone laughs.
