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“Good for you,” she’d said when I handed in my resignation and told her about my role. “You’re an excellent EA, but you outgrew your position here long ago. I wish you nothing but the best with your future endeavors.”

“Thank you,” I’d said, unexpectedly emotional. Lavinia was a good boss, and RAB was where I’d met Scarlett. I’d miss seeing her at work and gossiping with her over lunch whenever I went in.

But we were still best friends outside RAB, and our relationship transcended the halls of the academy where it’d first begun.

Six years later, that friendship had led me here, standing beside her on one of the most important days of her life.

I helped her adjust her dress and stepped back, taking in our reflections in the mirror. Scarlett was absolutely radiant in her white lace gown. Her face glowed, and her eyes sparkled beneath the delicate sweep of her makeup. She’d never looked happier or more gorgeous. Brooklyn and I stood on either side of her in matching pale pink bridesmaid dresses, but while Brooklyn managed to keep her composure, I was a blubbering mess.

“You look beautiful,” I said, tears filling my eyes for the dozenth time that day. I blinked them back, not wanting to ruin my makeup, but I couldn’t stop the emotion squeezing my chest.

“Thank you.” Scarlett gave me a watery smile. “I can’t believe the day is finally here.” Her voice held quiet awe and a hint of nerves.

We were in the Cotswolds for her and Asher’s wedding. They’d rented a breathtaking estate with a private lake and gardens, which was where the ceremony would take place. UK weather was unpredictable, but today was perfect—clear skies, a gentle breeze, and warm golden sunlight filtering through the trees. It was as though the nature gods themselves were blessing the union.

“Our girl’s getting married,” Brooklyn said, her eyes misting for the first time since we arrived. It seemed to have finally hit her, how big this moment was. The beginning of the next chapter of our lives. Scarlett was the one getting married, but we were all shedding pieces of our old lives so we could move forward. “They grow up so fast.”

The three of us looked at each other. There was a beat of silence before we dissolved into laughter, our shoulders shaking with more mirth than her comment warranted. It was less amusement and more exhilaration mixed with love and a touch of bittersweetness.

It did seem surreal that years of dating and months of planning had culminated in this one day. Brooklyn and I had worked our tails off with Scarlett’s mother to put together the perfect ceremony. We’d also planned the bachelorette, but we’d already had our big South Africa trip, and Scarlett had wanted something low-key, so we’d opted for a cozy weekend getaway in Bath over something super elaborate. She’d loved it.

Someone knocked on the door, and Scarlett’s mom poked her head in a second later. She’d left earlier to make sure everything was set up perfectly, but her previous bouts of nervous energy had settled into tender anticipation. “Sweetheart, it’s time,” she said. “Are you ready?”

Our laughter quieted. Scarlett took a deep breath and nodded, her hands shaking slightly around her bouquet. I attempted to calm my own nerves as we left the bridal suite and made our way down to the gardens.

The guest list for the ceremony was incredibly small. The minister, Scarlett’s and Asher’s parents, the two bridesmaids and two groomsmen—that was it. Scarlett’s mother took her spot on one side of the aisle while Asher’s parents lined the other side, but my attention was fixed on the altar, where Noah waited with Asher and Vincent.

He stood tall and self-assured, his hair gleaming gold in the sunlight. His tailored tux fit his broad shoulders perfectly, and when he saw me, his small, secretive smile sent a dizzying rush of warmth from my head down to my toes. I gave him a tiny smile back, my heart pounding with all the words I couldn’t say in that moment.

Brooklyn walked down the aisle first. I was next, and I felt Noah’s eyes on me every step of the way. I took my place next to her, my entire body humming with awareness. It’d been a short walk, but I found it hard to catch my breath.

The music swelled, and my remaining oxygen disappeared as Scarlett appeared on her father’s arm. I’d been wrong when I’d thought she’d never looked happier or more gorgeous in the bridal suite—this was the happiest I’d ever seen her. Her eyes found Asher immediately, and if it weren’t already daytime, her smile could’ve lit the entire garden by itself.

My eyes burned. Fuck, I was crying again. I was trying to discreetly brush away my tears when I heard a sniffle to my left. I glanced over to see that Brooklyn had finally succumbed to her emotions.

Shut up, she mouthed when she caught me looking. She sniffled again and wiped her cheek.

I swallowed a tremulous laugh and redirected my attention to the ceremony. Scarlett had reached the end of the aisle, and Asher…Asher was looking at her like she was the only person who’d ever existed in the history of the world.

He was one of the most famous, highest-paid athletes in existence. He’d won England its first World Cup in over sixty years. He looked devastatingly gorgeous, so much so that he didn’t seem real, and he was the celebrity crush for millions of people across the globe.

But in that moment, he was just a man who was hopelessly in love, and when he took Scarlett’s hand, his eyes shimmered with such pure, reverent adoration that it made my heart hurt.

As the minister began speaking, a quiet, invisible pull drew my eyes to Noah. It was a tug within my chest, a magnetic force searching for its counterpart.

And once I found him, I couldn’t look away.

NOAH

It was a beautiful wedding. Every detail was perfect, every second magical. Scarlett and Asher were a picture of everything love was supposed to be.

But as I stood there listening to them exchange vows, my eyes were on a bridesmaid instead of the bride, and my head echoed with Adil’s voice instead of Asher’s.

When you know, you know.

And when I looked at Carina, standing there beneath the flower-covered arch, her face illuminated by the sun and her eyes shining with joy, I knew—with every fiber of my being, every piece of my soul—that I was going to marry her one day.

CHAPTER 55