Page 84 of Not So Happily Ever After (British Bad Boys)
My smile slips as shock punches through me. It’s an invitation from an art gallery located in Camden Market to exhibit my work…on Boxing Day.
I swallow, open my mouth, and nothing comes out.
“If you hate the idea, I’ll cancel.” A worried frown slashes his forehead. “And I mean obviously, you’re going for your art now. But at the time I just thought it was a way to show you how much I believe in your talent. How much I believe inyou.”
I’m going to start sniffling if he keeps this up. “I don’t hate it. I love it.” I sniff, anyway. “I don’t even know how you managed to pull this off.”
Galleries book up their spacemonthsin advance.
He lets out a relieved breath. “I went on a hunt. Most of the galleries were booked solid, but this one had a late cancellation. Good luck or what? I showed them your sketch of me. Obviously, they want to see your portfolio before they finally commit, but you’ve got this in the bag, Mac.”
I clear my throat. “Thank you. This is like—I can’t even.”
“Whoa.” His grin is the one I love, gorgeous, mocking, and pure Will. “Are you speechless?”
“Yes.”
“Are you my girl?”
I laugh, because seriously? “Yeah.”
“And you don’t care that I’ve just chucked away a fantastic future in the city, for a career that won’t make me a fortune any time soon, if ever?”
“What are you on?” I shake his hand, and an irrepressible warmth spreads through my entire body. “I don’t care about any of that.”
He kisses my knuckles, and all I want to do is cancel the clubbing and spend the night in his arms.
“You know what?” His voice is barely above a sexy whisper. “I love you, Mackenzie Carter.”
This is officially the Best. Night. Ever.
“Guess what?” I lean over the table until our lips are almost touching. “Love you, too.”
Epilogue
Mackenzie
December 23rd
The charity fundraiser for the foundation wasepic. There were no last-minute hitches—well, nothing we couldn’t handle—and Atomic Fire set the stage ablaze.
Almost literally. But it worked.
It’s almost midnight by the time we all crash at home. Talk about an extended family. Alice’s mum and partner, Brian, are here, and so are Violet’s parents and her little brother, Sam, who clearly thinks the sun shines out of Lucas’s backside.
“Told you that you’d enjoy it, didn’t I?” Duke grins and slaps Dad’s shoulder.
“It was very entertaining.” Dad almost sounds as though he means it.
We all go into the sitting room, and Dad and Margo disappear into the kitchen to make hot drinks. Everyone’s staying here tonight. Both Harry and Lucas have given up their rooms for their future in-laws and are camping downstairs. Duke’s got the spare bedroom.
And Will’s sleeping in my room. Which is all kinds of weird, as I moved in with him a couple of weeks ago, into the most adorable little cottage we’re renting in the village near Oakland. But my room still looks like it always did. Just like the way Dad’s never done anything with my brothers’ rooms.
The parents and Duke sit on the sofas, and before Will and I can grab his favorite chair beside the fire, Harry and Lucas step in front of us.
“Oh, forfuck’ssake.” I glare at them because I’m pretty sure I know what’s coming. This is the first time we’ve all been in the same room since Will and I made our relationship public, and Lucas has barely spoken to his best friend since.
Formerbest friend. I hate how that happened. We didn’t even go to the Halloween party Lucas arranged, since I didn’t want to put Will in an awkward position.
