Page 120 of Forty, Flirty & F*cked

"Don't tell anyone." He pulls me closer. "I have a reputation to maintain."

"Your secret's safe with me." I rest my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “Intentional forever does sound pretty good."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." I smile against his jacket. "As long as there's pancakes."

"With proper chocolate chip ratios?"

"Obviously."

"And no protein powder?"

"Dad's still going to try."

"I can live with that." He spins me slowly, then brings me back to his chest. "As long as I get to live with you."

The words settle somewhere deep in my chest, warm and right and perfect.

"So," Connor's voice rumbles against my cheek, "what do you say? Want to marry me again? This time with less Vegas and more vowels?"

I laugh, the sound bubbling up from somewhere deep and happy. "Are you sure? I come with a lot of baggage. Meddling sisters, experimental protein shakes, a tendency to organize other people's crises..."

"Good thing I have excellent storage solutions." His hands tighten on my waist. "And a very organized file system."

"Still with the file management seduction?"

"It worked the first time, didn't it?"

I rise on my toes, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Yes."

"Yes to the file management or yes to marrying me again?"

“Maybe both." I grin against his lips. "Though maybe this time with less singing?"

"No promises." He kisses me properly, right there on the dance floor, like we're the only two people in the world. “But I will tell you that my harmonizing has improved."

My phone buzzes one final time:

LILY: Not you guys making out on the dancing floor…

LILY: Also, dibs on planning the real wedding!

LILY: I'm thinking sequins

KAT: NO SEQUINS

DAD: But maybe some ceremonial blend...?

I silence my phone, pulling Connor closer as Seattle's rain creates its own music against the pavilion's glass roof.

And as the music plays and our friends dance and my family plots sequined ceremonies in the group chat, I realize something important:

Sometimes the best kind of forever is the one you never saw coming. The one that starts with a mistake and ends with a promise.

And maybe that's the best kind of forever there is.

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