A sonogram, for him and Nora.
“And now is when you wanted to share it with the group?” Zane asks.
“Yep.” Hero laughs. “It was now or in thirty minutes and steal the thunder from your fresh engagement.”
“Shhh!” Zane flails his hands around and pins each of us with a glare. Our entire group is here tonight for this: me, Hero, Beck, Simon, Tobias, and, of course, Zane. He is, after all, one-half of the main event.
When Zane is confident the coast is clear, he faces Hero with a shit-eating grin.
“Congrats, man,” he says, going in for a hug and single back pat.
The rest of us follow suit but then fall silent as Zane shuffles his feet and focuses on the doors.
In about five minutes, Willa is going to meet us all down here for just dinner, or so she thinks, and he’s going to drop to his knee and ask her to spend forever with him.
We’re back at Lovers Lodge for the weekend. Zane claims that since this is the place he fell in love with Willa, it only makes sense to do this here.
That’ll officially make three of my best friends married off. The romance addict inside me is here for this, and I support each of them no matter how we got here.
Willa, of course, thinks we’re all here because it’s June and soon enough we’ll all be off on book tours that randomly fill our summer days. You know, a last get-together until fall comes around.
Zane rubs his arms and looks around the dining room. He rented it out for this private event. He clears his throat and pulls the ring box from his pocket, nods when he sees it, and then stuffs it back.
“Why are you so nervous?” Beck asks. “This was the easiest question I ever had to ask someone.”
We all erupt into a deep laugh, Simon shoving his brother-in-law and Zane flipping him off. “Sorry I didn’t take shots before and run to the nearest chapel.”
Beck shrugs. “Still the best decision of my life.”
From the outside looking in on Beck’s marriage to Calla, I thought he was crazy, considering the two of them couldn’t be in a room longer than ten minutes without arguing. The phrase opposites attract is them to a tee, but then again, maybe they just needed to see how similar they were to make it work. Next month, they’re having a big wedding with their friends and family.
I let out a breath, Zane’s uneasy energy clinging to me.
He’s about to do something life changing.
On edge or not, she’s going to say yes. He’s going to be happy, and they’re going to get everything they want.
Tobias clears his throat when Nora, Calla, and Greer come into the room. Calla is mouthing something, and although I can’t make out what it is, I have a suspicion she’s letting everyone know Willa is on her way to the dining room.
My friends and I give each other space. Tobias has his phone ready to record the event.
These guys are my friends, my best friends, and we learn a lot from each other.
Well, I’ve learned a lot.
The biggest thing I’ve learned is that when it comes to my career and love life, I need to take a big risk. I’m the goody-goody who only swears quietly in his mind and has never published a book with a sex scene in it. I love routine and rules, and I’m terrified to make a change.
Yet I desperately need to. I have to do something different to have something different.
The determination to make the switch-up of a lifetime in all areas of my life—it’s ready.
The light in the room turns off and the twinkling lights Zane requested shine above us. There’s soft music playing in the background, with candles and flowers on every table. He didn’t go all out, which is fitting for him and Willa, but it’s still romantic as hell. He just wants this night to be special for her, and this room, the energy filling it, will be a night she never forgets.
I want a moment like this in my life.
No, I need a moment like this in my life.
Willa steps in, all eyes on her as she covers her mouth on a gasp and sets everything in motion.
