Page 171 of Make the Play

“Of course!” Lulu’s grin is wide.

“No!” Eli barks. “She doesn’t promise anything!”

“I do,” Logan says quickly, holding both hands in the air before Lulu can get another word in. “Please don’t stab me.”

“Yay!” Meadow cheers. “You’re married!”

She beams and throws a handful of napkin shreds in the air as confetti. Just as Logan starts to breathe again, clearly relieved it’s over, Meadow lifts a finger.

“And now you kiss!”

The entire table goes silent as Logan blinks. “I’m sorry—what now?”

“You have tokiss,” Meadow insists, hands on her hips. “That’s the rules.”

“Nope.” Eli shoots to his feet. “New rule. No weddings. No sparkle bosses. No Lulu within fifteen feet of Miller, ever again.”

Lulu tilts her head at Logan, completely unfazed by her brother’s outburst. “You heard the mini boss.”

“I, uh, your brother is—” Logan looks across the table and sees Eli staring at him, about ready to crawl across the brunch spread with a steak knife.

“I SWEAR TO GOD,” Eli bellows, pointing. “If your lips get withinfive inchesof her—”

“Relax,” Lulu says breezily. “We’ll save the wedding night for the sequel.”

Reid actually chokes on his mimosa and needs Ryan to slap his back, while Jake cackles into a napkin.

Logan’s face is scarlet. “I hate all of you.”

Meadow, clearly disappointed, sighs and hands him her stuffed bunny. “Fine then, you can kiss Missy Bunnikins instead.”

Logan holds up the bunny with a look of dismay and quickly pecks it. “I don’t know what’s happening anymore.”

“Pretend I’m Missy Bunnikins,” Lulu clarifies, deadpan.

Eli collapses back into his chair, eyes glassy. “I need to get my sister a new job in another state. With no Wi-Fi.”

Meadow climbs down from her seat, satisfied with her work, and Logan slumps back into his chair, exhausted from surviving a near-death experience. Lulu slides back into her seat with a wink and pops a strawberry in her mouth. Across the table, Eli is still muttering something about his sister joining a convent.

Chase’s hand finds mine under the table, his thumb dragging idle circles across my wrist.

“You good?” he murmurs, chin brushing my shoulder.

I nod, still laughing softly. “I think we just witnessed a legally binding marriage and a prelude to murder all in under ten minutes.”

He hums a laugh as Charlie starts to stand, gently rocking Theo in her arms. She catches my eye with a small smile and tips her chin towards the living room.

“Wanna hold your godson?”

I blink. “Wait—godson?”

Charlie just smiles like it’s obvious. Chase’s thumb stills on my wrist, and I swallow as my heart does something weird and fluttery.

I nod. “Yeah. Yeah, of course I do.”

Chase loosens his grip and lets me up without a word, and I follow Charlie into the living room, my hands already aching to hold something good.

I’ve always beenAuntie Zoein this group—especially to Noah and Meadow. But Theo’s different. He’s new. Barely over a month old and still smells like baby shampoo and dreams.

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