Page 130 of The Book Club Boyfriend
When it’s time to say our vows, he goes first.
“I knew I loved you the second you threatened to throw a latte at me,” he says, and everyone laughs. “You were chaos wrapped in sarcasm, and I couldn’t look away.”
I roll my eyes through a tear.
“You’ve made me better,” he says, his voice thick. “Not perfect. Just…real.You challenge me. Steady me. And every time I look at you, I’m reminded that I don’t want to face this world without you next to me, preferably while yelling at a referee.”
Laughter erupts again, and now I’m crying. Awesome.
“My vow,” he finishes, “is that I’ll show up. For all of it. For you. For us. Always.”
Isniff once. Twice. Then clear my throat.
“My turn.”
Chase smiles and waits.
“I used to think love was a trick ending,” I say. “Something that looked pretty on paper but always fell apart in real life. But then you showed up. With confidence, with swagger, with a stupidly good jawline and a dog I’m pretty sure loves me more than you do.”
Rip barks softly, and the crowd loses it.
“You didn’t save me,” I say. “Yousawme. You made space for me. And then you stayed, even when I tried to push you away with every defense mechanism in the book.”
I reach for his hand. “So here’s mine… I’ll keep showing up too. I’ll write every chapter with you, even the hard ones.”
A pause.
“And I’ll try really hard not to kill you if you leave laundry on the floor.”
He laughs, his eyes bright. “Fair.”
We kiss. Someone cheers. Rip spins in a circle like he knows it’s official.
And just like that, we’re married.
I thought I’d feel scared—instead, I feel settled.
Happy.
Ugh, I’m probably one of those people now.
Whatever. Hashtag—worth it!
Chapter Forty-One
From Face-Offs to Forever
Chase
I’m standing in the kitchen wearing nothing but boxers, holding a spatula like a weapon and staring down a very burnt pancake.
Rip is judging me from the corner, lying dramatically across the floor as if he can’t believe he’s still living in these conditions.
“Don’t look at me like that,” I mutter. “She left me unsupervised.”
From the bedroom, Scarlett’s voice floats down the hall. “I cansmellthe failure.”
“Bold words for someone who tripped over her own shoe while trying to chase down a UPS truck yesterday.”
