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“I love you so much.” The moment his body reaches mine, I wrap my arms around his waist and press my lips to his, finally getting what I’ve been craving for over a year. “I’m so sorry, Ducky. So damn sorry.”

A surprised grunt leaves his throat, eyes wide as he goes rigid before jumping away like he’s on fire. I’m left standing there with my arms holding air, the warmth in my blood turning cold at the frigid way he guards himself from me.

Hushed gasps and whispers echo behind me as my arms slowly fall to my sides, and Xed’s lips thin when he sets Hannah down on the ground. The look in his eyes makes me feel like I’m falling into a pit with no end in sight.

“I…” He trails off, at a loss for words, until a glance at Val over my shoulder seems to give him some resolve. Glaring at her, he slaps his phone into my hand. “Don’t do this, Matthew. You’re making a mistake. Val’s cheating on you with Tyson. And I have the video to prove it.”

My sister gasps as Christian curses in Spanish, and all hell breaks loose.

Huckslee and Taylor physically hold Salem back from launching at Tyson, who doesn’t even have the decency to look the least bit embarrassed. My mother gets into it with Val, both women screaming at each other, while my dad slips the officiant a hundred-dollar bill for his wasted time. I’m pretty sure I catch Valerie’s friends stealing gifts off the table before taking off, Hannah’s clinging to my leg as she starts to cry, and all the while, I haven’t stopped staring at Xed.

My best friend. The man who’s been by my side our whole lives, who I just kissed in front of all our friends.

The man I just admitted to loving. And he hasn’t said a damn thing about it.

“Did you hear what I said?” I ask, my pulse racing as Xed’s brows jump before he winces.

“Seriously, Matthew? What about what I just said? Did you hear that?”

Right. Valerie and Tyson.

Leaning down to pick up Hannah, I cowardly put her between us like a shield, feeling like I just laid my heart on the line and watched it blow to smithereens. “Yeah. I heard you.”

Loud and fucking clear.

He scoffs, folding his arms across his chest. “And? Do you have anything to say about it?”

“No.” Hugging my daughter to my aching chest, I bury my face in her hair, realizing this might be the last time I ever get to hold her. “Because I already knew.”

College Senior Year

Chapter twenty-seven

“Did you just fucking pinch my ass?”

Glaring at Matty over my shoulder, I watch him grin as we follow Taylor and Christian into our favorite bar, the Prospector. The place is packed, filling up quickly with the weekend crowd for St. Patty’s Day.

Matty winks as he leans in to press his lips against my ear. “You’re not wearing green.”

Fighting a shiver from his breath on my skin, I eye his gold sweater with a scoff. “Neither are you.”

Really, he looks ridiculous. His sleeves are all bunched around his thick arms, accentuating his biceps, the golden hue making his blue eyes pop. Already, a group of women are eyeing him up like their next baby daddy.

“I’ll let you pinch me later,” he chuckles, low enough for only us to hear as we step toward the bar, and I take a second to marvel at how he doesn’t even notice the attention on him. At how oblivious he is.

Do our friends and family know that we’re together? No, but it doesn’t matter. Matty’s always been my platonic soul mate; now he’s more. That’s all there is to it. We don’t need to throw a fucking announcement party.

The bar is heavily decorated in green, with streamers dangling from the ceiling and shamrocks glowing on string lights. An Irish band plays from the stage in the corner, riling up the crowd.

“Juanita, muy Bonita," Christian sings, pecking his favorite bartender on her cheek, “y tan dulce como una margarita.”

The woman waves him off, looking annoyed but flattered all at once. “Stop kissing ass and tell me what you want.”

As he starts to order, Taylor goes rigid beside me, and I follow his gaze to a table in the back of the room—where his stepbrother, Huckslee, is staring at us like he just saw a roach. And he’s sitting with the guy he dated in high school.

Ah, fuck.

Taylor orders them each a shot before immediately heading in their direction, and Matty shakes his head grimly, folding his arms.