Page 31 of No Reservations

I hung the garment bag on the hook behind my door and settled on the other side of Wes. “I’ll visit a lot, and Cole said you can come out whenever you have time. I’m not going to lose touch with either of you.”

Dee shook his head. “I know I’ve asked you this before, but I have to say it again.” Always the practical one, he had questioned me about my decision to uproot my whole life more than once since Cole asked me to move in with him. “Are you sure, Matthew?”

I leaned over and met his eyes. “More sure than I’ve been about anything in a long time. Look,” I said before he could open his mouth. “I know how risky love can be. I know what can happen to change the whole trajectory of your life in a split second. I’ve been there. There are some things that are worth the risk.”

Deandre got up, walked around Wes, and pulled me upright into a tight hug. “We only want the best for you.”

I opened my arm when Wes bounded to his feet and pushed in. “I’ve got it. I have you guys and Cole. That’s all I need.”

My phone buzzed with the notification that the driver had arrived. Cole arranged a town car to take me to the private airport so I wouldn’t have to drive the long distance and navigate the city to LaGuardia. There were perks to being in a relationship with someone who made a lot of money. It still feltweird sometimes, but when I could slip into the back of a car and watch a movie on the drive rather than maneuver around idiots on the highway, I could only count my blessings.

I hugged Dee and Wes one more time, said a silent goodbye to my little apartment, grabbed the last bag, and headed out. They would ship the rest of my clothes and personal things out in the following week.

“Mr. West?” The driver stood at the rear door of the car, his hands clasped in front of his black suit. “Let me help you with your bags.”

The minute the car slid into the light morning traffic, I pulled out my phone.

Matty:Driver just picked me up. I’m on my way, baby.

Cole:I can’t wait to see you and welcome you home.

I don’t think I stopped smiling all the way to the airport.

***

Brooke left Ronald fussing with the leftovers in the kitchen and joined me on the couch. “I get to say ‘I told you so’ now, right?” She kicked her feet up on the coffee table.

“What do you mean?” I pushed my laptop away. Thad hadn’t posted a word about me in two weeks, and the buzz surrounding the pictures with Matthew and I had dulled to a quiet hum. We were yesterday’s news, which suited me just fine.

“I told you that the fake relationship thing would never work.”

“But it did work.” I shook my head. No one had ever found out that I had originally hired Matthew to play the part of my boyfriend.

Brooke snorted and waved a hand. “Bullshit. The whole fake thing didn’t work at all. He’s moving here, and I have to watch you be all lovey dovey over each other.”

Ronald strolled into the room and leaned over to press rapid-fire kisses to his wife’s head, laughing when she batted him away. “Nothing wrong with lovey dovey,” he said before turning toward the door. “We have to get going, sweetie. You have that meeting in half an hour.”

My closest friend shot to her feet and headed over to retrieve her shoes. “You better let us meet him soon. I have to vet this boyfriend of yours.”

I followed them to the door. Of course, I wanted my friends to officially meet Matthew, but the idea of Brooke getting her claws into him still made me nervous. “You won’t harass him or anything, will you?”

Before she had a chance to answer, the doorbell rang, and I stepped past them to swing the door wide. Excitement surged through me and exploded into pure glee when I saw Matty standing there with two suitcases at his feet and a tired, beautiful smile on his face.

“Matthew! You’re here early.” I pushed into the circle of his arms and melted when my lips crashed into his. I didn’t give him time to explain and only pulled back when Brooke cleared her throat loudly behind us.

He closed the door behind him after shifting his luggage to the side. “Um, hello.”

“This is Brooke and her husband, Ronald.” I reached out to grasp his hand. “This is Matthew.”

Brooke snorted again and shook her head. “No kidding.” She narrowed her eyes at him in a way that frequently made people take a step back. “If you hurt him, I’ll have Ronald bury you. That’s all the best friend threats I have time for right now. Catch you later!” She gave a quick wave before leading her husband out.

Matthew blinked, smiled nervously, and turned to me. “Should I worry?”

“No. I can protect you from Brooke.” I kissed him again and led him to the couch, snuggling into the circle of his arms exactly where I wanted to be. “Besides, you won’t hurt me.”

Before we could get too involved in making out like a pair of teenagers, I remembered the email I’d received from a real estate agent earlier that morning. “Oh, I want to show you something.”

He wouldn’t let go of me for a minute, and I almost gave into the pleasure of him nuzzling my neck and running his hands down my back. “I want to see everything.” He tugged on the hem of my shirt.

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