we’d been together all our lives, but in others... Callie and I were still getting used to being more than friends. Not that I’d ever get used to the fact that she was mine. That still seemed too good to be true.
I leaned back in the couch and half-watched the ballgame on the TV, just thinking about the last few months. So much had changed, and I couldn’t even be mad about it. I’d go through it all over again if that’s what it took to get to Callie. To get to myself.
About an hour later, I grabbed one of my bags from the car and dug through it until I found my suit from prom. It wasn’t the thousand-dollar tuxes I was sure everyone else would be wearing, but it was fine for a dark theater.
The game had gone into extra innings by the time I heard giggles at the stairs. Zara came down first, then Ginger, Jordan, Rory, Merritt, and finally...
I stood up and watched in awe as my girl came toward me. “Wow,” I breathed. She wore a light silver dress that clung to her waist and draped around her hips. Even more stunning was her face framed with curls so soft I wanted to wind my fingers through them. Her lips were bright pink, making me want to kiss them that much more. “You look stunning.”
She bashfully batted her long eyelashes, but she had no need to be insecure. Callie in this dress was...everything.
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she said, smiling up at me.
I kissed the smile right off her lips.
“Okay, lovebirds,” Merritt said. “We have to get out of here.”
Callie looked at me, concerned. “I completely forgot to ask. How are we getting there?”
Merritt waved her purse over her shoulder like we should follow her. “You’re riding with me.”
Fifty-Three
Callie
I’d been in limos before—to prom or hanging out with my friends—one of whom was dating a billionaire. But I’d certainly never ridden in one with Merritt.
We got inside, and I sat beside Carson. He put his arm around my shoulder and held me close. It was like we wanted to make up for all the time we spent ignoring our hearts.
“You two are so cute together,” Merritt said, almost annoyed.
I smiled and shook my head. “Don’t sound so happy about it.”
She let out a quiet laugh. “Do you remember that time we stuck you two together for Seven Minutes in Heaven?”
Carson snorted. “Like I could forget.”
“Yeah, he had to put his food down,” I teased him, remembering how much he’d eaten that night. And how sweet he’d been.
Merritt shook her head. “I was so sure you two were going to get together then.”
Carson’s eyes smoldered on me. “If I would have had my way, we would have.”
My cheeks warmed, and I leaned my head on his shoulder. “Maybe we needed to be friends first so we could see how much there was to lose.”
His lips spread in a stunning smile, showing his straight white teeth. “I think you might be right.”
“Well then,” Merritt said, walking to the small refrigerator at the front of the limo. “We might as well celebrate.” She pulled out a bottle of champagne and three glasses, then popped the cork.
It flew and hit a window, making us all laugh. Grinning, she poured three glasses and we all held them up.
“To friends,” Merritt said, her eyes shining.
“To friends,” Carson agreed.
“To friends,” I said. And as I tasted the sweet liquid, I thought about how grateful I was for mine, whether they were new, like Merritt, constant, like the girls, or forever like Carson.
The limo slowed, and the driver opened the door for us. As we stepped out of the car, cheers ripped through the crowd, but they weren’t cheering for us. At the end of the red carpet, Ryde Alexander and Ambrose Welsh were locked in a passionate embrace.
“What?” I screamed. “Your brother loves Ambrose!”
Merritt whooped, her smile shining brighter than the cameras flashing all around us. “I wasn’t sure if they would tell anyone,” she yelled to me over the noise. “I’m glad they did.” She scurried down the red carpet toward the couple, and as I went to follow, Carson took my hand.
He spun me back to him and held me against his chest. Breathless, I looked into his sea-green eyes, and he held my gaze.
“Are you ready?” he asked me, his breath heating my lips.
“For what?” I breathed.
He brushed his thumb over my bottom lip, sending shivers down my