There’s no way he could be as happy for me as I am for him and Rachel. To see them back together is something I’ve hoped would happen for the past ten years. It may have taken twelve hours stuck alone in an elevator, but all that matters is that twelve hours brought them back together. And now with Mason by my side, all is right in the world.
Well, almost. I still don’t understand why Emmett and Josh are engaged. I mean, I get they’re best friends who made a pactwhen they were kids, but that doesn’t mean you actually get married. Watching them in the same firelight illuminating the love between Reece and Rachel, I don’t see anything but friends with a capital F.
We all know Josh isn’t into Emmy that way; he never has been. I have a feeling this is all for the press and to advance his career in some way, and I don’t like it at all. Especially when it means Emmett will be moving away right after Rachel leaves with Reese. Our little group keeps spreading its wings, and as happy as I am for everyone, it kills me every time someone moves away, even if only for six months but especially when I don’t think it’s for the right reasons.
Josh has always been the selfish one of the group. In the past, it was just something we gave him shit about, but now Emmett is involved. If this ends in heartbreak and humiliation for her, it will be a different story, and he’ll have all of us to answer to. Once I get two seconds alone with him, I need to make sure a conversation is had.
For the next couple of hours, stories are told, sing-alongs are sung, and s'mores are eaten. All the while, Mason and I have had constant contact with one another.
Hand holding. Check.
Light back rubbing. Check
Soft caresses that are almost undetectable. Check.
Quick kisses whenever the urge takes either one of us. Check.
Since making the bold move of kissing me, she hasn’t stopped touching me.
Something changed tonight, and it’s pretty powerful.
So powerful, I know without a doubt now that she’s mine.
I’ve known from the start, but I needed her to figure it out on her own, and by God, I think she has.
The night is wrapping up as Josh, Reece, and I put out what’s left of the bonfire. Mason is making plans with the girls, andwhile the girls are distracted, I take the opportunity to talk to Josh, who’s busy on his phone.
He’s been preoccupied with his phone for the past five years.
“Hey, man. You’ve been on that thing all night. Everything okay?” I ask.
Looking like he’s been busted with his hand in the cookie jar, he quickly shuts off the device and shoves it in his pocket. Hmm…
“We’re rarely all together like this, but it’s like you aren’t really here. What gives?” Reece asks, backing me up.
“Sorry, guys, just working on something with my manager.” Finally focusing on us and shaking off the fact that I called him out on what, I have no idea, but I don’t believe he’s working on a “deal” of any kind. “Hey, Mason’s really cool, man. You seem to be really serious about her,” he says, taking the conversation off him.
“Serious as a heart attack. She’s it, Josh.”
“What do you mean, she’s it? Like she’s the one?” Reece questions in a whisper when Josh stares at me speechless like I just told him I was running for president or something.
“Without a doubt.”
“So what you’re telling me is that Miles Montgomery, Mr. One-Night Stand, Mr. Hit It and Quit It is in love?”
Glancing over my shoulder, I make sure she’s still distracted before confirming his smart-assed yet well-deserved question. “I mean, she doesn’t know that, and you two are the first I’ve said any of this to, but yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s what this is.”
Wow, did I really just say that out loud?
Not gonna lie, like everything else tonight, it feels good.
“You’re saying you don’t want anyone else but her? Ever again? Only her?” Josh presses, clearly in disbelief.
I’ve been so certain of how I feel about her that I never really thought about it that way, but now, hearing him say it, I’m really taking in exactly what it means to find the one, and I couldn’t be more confident about my answer.
“Yep. She’s the real deal. The thought of being with anyone else makes me a little sick to my stomach, to tell you the truth.”
With their eyes bugging out of their heads, Josh and Reece look at one another in disbelief.