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Claire looked at Graham. “That’s not the prize you think it is.”
Graham grinned and raked a hand through his dark wavy hair. “Oh, but it is.”
Claire pointed at Noah. “This is why I want Noah to be my backup.”
“Me?” he said, at the same time Mia said, “Noah?”
“Sure,” Claire said. “Why not?”
Before he knew what was happening, Mia had leaned forward and put her palm flat on the table, as if she were placing a bet at a craps table. “If anyone gets Noah, it should be me.”
It was Noah’s turn to give Mia a surprised look. God knows what would have shown on his face if he’d been two beers deep like Graham—as it was, it took effort to keep the warm surge of pleasure out of his expression.
“But you just knocked the whole idea of getting married,” Claire pointed out mildly. She didn’t sound surprised.
Mia frowned. “That was before you tried to take my best friend and marry him out from under me.”
Noah kept his mouth shut, wanting to see how this panned out.
“He’s my friend, too,” Claire said.
“It’s not the same.” No one argued with Mia because everyone knew it was true.
Graham put his arm around Claire. “Guess that leaves you and me, Claire Bear.”
She ducked out of his embrace. “Don’t call me that.”
“Fine. What nickname do you want when you’re my wife?”
Claire sighed heavily. “I should have picked Mia.”
Noah chuckled, but she was right. Mia was the best choice out of the four of them.
Graham held out his hands. “If not me, who? Noah’s off the table. Am I so bad?”
Claire regarded him like she was inspecting a melon at the farmer’s market. “You’re hot and all, but... I don’t know. I just always hoped for someone more...romantic. I want a man who looks at me the way Mia looks at chicken wings.”
Noah wanted Mia to look at him the way Mia looked at chicken wings.
“If you’re at the point where you’re calling in backup, I think it’s safe to say that’s never gonna happen,” Graham said.
Claire gave him an adoring look. “You say the sweetest things.”
Noah held up a hand, halting their bickering. “When is all this happening? What’s your age cutoff that requires we instate the backup plan?”
“Fifty?” Graham suggested.
“Hell no.” Claire looked at him as if he were crazy. “That’s way too old. I’d say thirty if we hadn’t all hit it already.”
“Forty?” Mia offered.
Claire considered. “That works.”
“That’s only five years away,” Graham said.
“Speak for yourself, old man,” Claire said. “The rest of us are thirty.”
Noah held up his index finger.
