Page 203 of Wild Then Wed
Would he wish he’d chosen someone else?
Someone whole?
Someone who isn’t already coming up short?
A knot starts to form in my throat, thick and hot and impossible to swallow down.
I twirl my champagne flute between my fingers just to have something to do, then glance at Nova and force a smile. “So,” I say, trying to clear the static in my brain, “how’d you and Joel meet?”
She perks up instantly. “Back in college. I was planning this benefit for my sorority, and he came to give a guest lecture about animal sciences or something—honestly, I barely remember because he walked in and I was like, yup. That’s my person.”
I laugh. “Just like that?”
She shrugs, sipping her champagne. “I wish I were exaggerating. I stalked him for like two weeks before I accidentally-on-purpose ran into him at a coffee shop and asked him if he remembered me from the lecture. He didn’t.”
That makes me laugh harder. “Oh no.”
“Oh yes. He was embarrassed and immediately tried to overcompensate by asking me to dinner. And then—well, we just sort of stuck.”
I glance across the ballroom at Joel, who’s talking about something while Sawyer nods along, amused.
“You two really balance each other out,” I say, and I mean it.
Nova nods, soft and a little dreamy. “He’s my favorite person.”
We both smile, and I’m just about to ask another question when she says, “And guess what? We’re moving up to Bozeman soon.”
My eyes widen. “Seriously?”
She nods. “Yeah, in a couple of months. Joel’s expanding his clinic—he’s opening a second location up that way and wants to be more hands-on. And I figured since I can plan weddings and events from anywhere, it made sense.”
“That’s a big move.”
“It is. But it feels right. We’ve been wanting to build a house somewhere up there anyway, so why not now?”
She leans forward and squeezes my knee gently, like she means it. “It also means my new best friend is gonna be a whole lot closer.”
I blink. “We’re best friends now?”
She gives me a look. “Uh, duh. I like you too much not to be. You’re stuck with me now, Hart.”
I let out a quiet laugh, but it sneaks up on me. The truth is…it actually feels nice to be wanted like that, to have a friend. To be claimed by someone who doesn’t have to.
I don’t have a lot of friends outside of my family. Not the kind who text just to check in, or sit with you at a gala like they’ve known you for years.
I glance over at Joel and Sawyer, and now there are even more men surrounding them. They’re all talking over each other, laughing like they’ve known each other since birth. Sawyer’s standing in the middle of it, relaxed and easy, like he belongs there.
Nova follows my gaze, then leans in and says, “You married a good one.”
The words land softly, but my cheeks still flush. I drop my eyes to the napkin in my lap and smooth the edge with my thumb.
“Yeah,” I say. “I did.”
It comes out quieter than I meant it to.
He really is good. Not just with me, but with Joel. With Hank. With everyone, really. The kind of man who remembers your favorite coffee order and shows up on the side of the road when your trailer breaks down. Who fixes things quietly, without ever needing you to notice.
It feels good to hear people talk about him this way. People who’ve known him longer than I have. People who genuinely admire him. Everything they’re saying just confirms what I’ve already been learning on my own.
