Page 108 of Beloved Beauty

We both dissolve into laughter, hers muffled against my neck, mine rumbling in my chest like I don’t know how to hold in all this joy. “I’ll do my best, babe.”

Maybe it’s not a big announcement. Maybe it’s not fireworks or a marked date on the calendar. But it’s our secret. And that makes it everything in my book.

Chapter 32

Alex Sebring

The Rabbit Hole hasn’t changed. Still tucked behind that nondescript alley door, still lit in that moody amber glow. The wood floors creak, and music hums from behind the bar, and that specific scent—aged whisky, citrus, and something sweet and smoky—floats in the air.

I tug Magnolia closer, my arm snug around her waist as we push through the last curtain. Her face softens, and she smiles.

Being here with her is nostalgia and wonder all over again.

She looks around, taking it all in. “It’s the same as I remember it.”

I kiss her temple. “Just like the night I met you.”

Yet everything has changed now. She’s not just a beautiful stranger anymore. She’s my wife. My future. And if all goes to plan, soon, the mother of my child.

This night is a pause. One last breath before everything changes. Because once Magnolia gets pregnant, the spontaneity vanishes. No more impulsive whisky nights or teasing each other on the dance floor until we’re both breathless. No more pretending we have all the time in the world.

We need this night. No work. No talk about ovulation. Just us and the place where it all started.

Elias and Violet are already inside, tucked in a leather booth near the back, drinks in hand. Violet’s laughing at something Elias said—head thrown back, wild and carefree. My brother looks at her like she’s the only woman on the planet.

It’s been special, watching them fall in love.

“Should we crash their date?” I say against Magnolia’s ear.

She smirks. “Only if we can out-flirt them.”

“With you? Not a challenge.”

We head to the bar first. Dave’s behind it—same suspenders, same half-scowl of concentration as he pours something dark into a cut-crystal tumbler. When he sees us, his eyes lift, and a grin tugs at his mouth. “Well, if it isn’t Sebring.”

“Hey, mate,” I say, extending a handshake across the bar.

He shakes my hand, nodding. “Haven’t seen you around in a while.”

“I’ve had a lot going on. You still pouring them strong?”

“Always.”

I wrap an arm around Magnolia’s waist. “Dave, I’d like to introduce you to Magnolia Sebring, my wife.”

The bar spoon slips from Dave’s hand onto the bar, making a clanging sound. “Shit. No way.”

Magnolia laughs. “Hello again.”

Dave’s eyes widen. “You married the American mystery girl?”

“I sure did. You were the one who pointed her out to me that night, remember?”

“I do. Damn.” Dave chuckles, pouring us both a whisky without asking. “I thought you were gonna chicken out.”

“Didn’t get the opportunity. She made the first move.”

Magnolia laughs, leaning into me enough to bump my shoulder. “We often have very different recollections of how things went down in the beginning.”

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