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I hold my hand out and take hers. “Archer.”
“Oh, I know,” she responds with a sly smile on her face. With her hand still wrapped in mine—and a beaming smile on her face—she squeezes a little tighter before talking. “I want you toknow that if you hurt my best friend, you better watch your back.”
My eyes go wide as I repeat what she said in my head to make sure I didn’t misunderstand her. The people in the circle all laugh, letting me know it wasn’t a figment of my imagination.
“Emma!” Winnie shouts, shaking her head at her friend. “You can’t just say that.”
Both of our hands drop, the handshake being done with. Emma shrugs, not looking sorry in the slightest for her threat. “Well, I already did, sooo…”
“Don’t worry. She threatened my life—and my dick—when Margo and I got engaged,” Beck adds, smiling at Emma.
Emma points to me. “I’ll threaten yours, too. I’m telling you, don’t hurt my girl.”
I look over at Winnie, feeling the need to touch her but not knowing if I should or not. Instead, I just stay locked in her gaze. “I don’t plan on it,” I answer truthfully.
We’re still getting to know one another, but I know she’s got to be one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. You don’t have to know her long to know that her heart is genuine—thateverythingabout her is genuine.
My words award me a wide smile from her that’s aimed just at me. She only holds my gaze for a moment before she looks to the floor, not used to all of the attention being on her.
“You guys are so cute I could throw up,” Emma interjects, pulling me from the moment.
Good. At least our show is working.
“We need to make a toast!” Margo says eagerly, her eyes already searching the room for a waiter. I wouldn’t mind another drink; Beck and I had both almost finished our drinks in the time it took for the girls to return.
“That really isn’t necessary,” Winnie argues.
Margo rolls her eyes, waving down a waiter with a tray full of champagne flutes. “We’re going to toast to the new, happy couple. You’re married, Winnie! We have to celebrate that.”
Winnie laughs nervously. Almost like it’s out of habit, I wrap my arm around her and bring her body flush to mine. I let my fingers trace over her bare shoulder, trying to ease the nerves that have clearly crept back up. I want to see the carefree flush to her cheeks she’d had when she got back from talking to her friends.
Margo and Emma pass champagne flutes out to us. Camden still hasn’t returned with his date, so it’s just Beck, Margo, Emma, Winnie, and me. I don’t mind the group. Beck and I got to catch up a little, and I enjoyed talking business with him. I want to talk to my dad about using Beck’s company, Sintech, for some cybersecurity needs that have come up for us recently.
“Emma, you’re better with words than I am,” Margo muses, holding her champagne flute in the air. “You give the toast.”
Emma gives her a dirty look. “I just want to point out that it wasyouridea.”
“You guys really don’t have to say anything,” Winnie adds to the conversation, shifting on her feet.
Both Emma’s and Margo’s heads whip toward Winnie. They roll their eyes in almost perfect unison.
“Emma loves hearing herself talk,” Margo teases. “She’s dying to give a toast. We both know it.”
Emma raises her glass at Margo’s words. “Guilty.” She laughs. Her eyes focus on Winnie, her features softening when looking at her best friend.
“To one of my very best friends. I’m so happy you finally found the forever kind of love that you deserve.” Her eyes move from Winnie to me. “And to the man who swore to protect my best friend’s heart.” She focuses back on Winnie. It’s fascinating to watch how much love is shared between these three best friends. I don’t have anyone I’m that close to in my life. Friendships were never a top priority of mine when I was being raised to run an empire of hotels. “Congrats on being fucking married! To a lifetime of happiness—and hopefullyreallygreat sex,” she teases, making everyonelaugh. “Cheers!”
All of our glasses clink against one another before we all take a drink. If the toast made Winnie uncomfortable, she doesn’t show it. I feel bad, knowingshe’sprobably feeling bad for lying to her friends like this. I could tell Emma’s toast was heartfelt, and it can’t be easy for Winnie to listen to it, knowing why we got married in the first place.
“Now, lock in the toast with a kiss,” Margo demands, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
“That isn’t a rule,” Winnie protests.
“It is now!” Emma adds, leaning closer to us. She waves her hands in the air, trying to direct us to kiss. “C’mon, we want to celebrate you guys. Let us have this, and kiss already!”
I look down at Winnie, trying to figure out if this is something she wants.
We’d kissed at our wedding. I’d be lying to myself if I said I hadn’t thought about it a lot since it happened. It was the way her body went almost lax against me the moment her lips pressed to mine. Like she fully trusted me with the kiss.
