Page 83 of Bumping into You

Greg nods.

I swallow, giving a grateful look to Trent, who steps back and leans against the pool table waiting for my explanation. He gives me a small smile, letting me know to continue.

“Look, you asked me to be friendly with Gwen. Well, I was,” I say, holding up a finger as Greg opens his mouth to say something.

“Please let me explain. You’re like brothers to me. I would never intentionally do anything to ruin that. But please trust me when I say I never intended for anything to happen with Gwen. She’s just . . . remarkable. She’s funny and witty, grumpy and sweet, feisty and caring, and feck is she beautiful. It wasn’t hard for me to fall in love with her.”

All three of them snap their eyes to me.

“Love?” asks Trent.

“Did you just say you fell in love with her?” asks Greg.

Even though I’m admitting it for the first time out loud, nothing I have ever said before has felt this right.

I love Gwen.

She’s everything and more than I even have words for. I’ve never felt so much for someone as I do for her. I crave her smile. Her grumpiness makes me laugh. She’s everything to me.

“I did,” I answer honestly.

“Wow,” says Miles.

“Dude, that’s huge,” says Trent. “Greg, go easy on him. Remember how hard it was for you to tell Gwen how you felt about Holly.”

Greg sighs, placing his hands behind his head. “Does she feel the same way?” he asks, a little of his anger dissipating.

“She’s not said the words. Hell, I’ve only just said it out loud for the first time. But I can tell you that we are officially together.”

Greg nods, then asks, “And after the cruise? What happens then?”

“I don’t know. We haven’t discussed past the end of the trip yet, but I want more with her. A few days just isn’t enough.”

“Long distance is hard,” says Greg.

“I know.”

“You have a career and a home in Boston. And Gwen has hers in Chessie Valley. She’s not just going to up and leave her business, you know. She’s becoming one of the most sought-after event planners in Middle Tennessee.”

“I’d never ask her to leave or to change,” I say adamantly.

“So,” says Trent, “where does that leave things?”

“I have no idea,” I admit. The question settles like a weight on my heart.

“You better figure it out soon,” says Greg. “And you better notbreak her heart.”

The guys nod in agreement.

After we shoot a few rounds of billiards, Greg’s and Holly’s dads join us for darts. The older men smoke us almost embarrassingly. We have burgers and beers for lunch, and Greg seems to have recovered from the shock of seeing Gwen and I kiss. He’s back to his normal self in no time

“Man, I’m getting married to Holly tomorrow,” Greg says. “Somebody pinch me.”

Trent happily pinches Greg’s arm.

Greg yelps. “What the hell, man!”

“You said to pinch you.” Trent shrugs. “So I did.”

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