Page 129 of The Book Club Boyfriend
He kisses me, gentle and lingering, like we have all the time in the world—and maybe we do now.
I let him walk me back toward the bed, the dress slipping over my shoulders and puddling to the floor like it knows its work here is done. He looks at me like I’m his whole world. It’s a little overwhelming.
“I still can’t believe you said yes,” he says, his voice thick with wonder.
“I still can’t believe you asked,” I whisper back.
“Are you happy?”
His forehead rests against mine. I nod, my eyes stinging.
“I didn’t think I could be. Not like this.”
He kisses me again, and it’s everything—soft, slow. Like he’s memorizing every part of me he already knows by heart.
We move together like we’ve done this a hundred times but still want to savor it like the first. His touch is reverent, his words quiet and constant—You’re beautiful… I’ve got you… You’re mine…
Afterward, we drift off to sleep, limbs still tangled, fingers still linked. I think—
This is it.
This is what all the books tried to explain.
And for the first time in my life, I don’t need to write the ending.
Because I’m already living it.
Chapter Forty
The Wedding
Scarlett
I always thought that if I got married, I’d elope.
Courthouse, black dress, maybe a bouquet of snacks.
But standing here—barefoot in the grass under a canopy of string lights, holding hands with the man who once called romance novels “training manuals,” while Rip trots down the aisle—I don’t want to be anywhere else.
It’s perfect.
Messy, loud,ourkind of perfect.
Harper’s crying into Lucy’s shoulder. Bennett is holding the rings and looks more nervous than we do. Chase’s teammates fill two rows, all massive and oddly emotional. My parents are here too—seated together, talking softly. That alone feels like a miracle.
And then there’s Chase.
Captain of the Dallas Stampede.
The guy who once bribed a bookstore to restock my novel.
The man who kissed me like a promise and thenkept it.
And somehow, impossibly, he’s mine.
The officiant is saying something—something about partnership and patience and always putting the toilet seat down—but I’m not really listening.
Because Chase is looking at me like I’m his whole world. And I’m looking at him like he’s mine.
