Page 21 of Forbidden Match

She agrees and I hang up, just in time for Sam to take another swing at me.

I catch Sam’s flailing fist just before it hits and look at Molly apologetically. “He overheard the phone call.”

Molly hauls me away by the back of my shirt and puts herself between us, glaring at her brother. “So what?” she demands. “So what if we went out? So what if we go out again? I am sick to fucking death of you interfering in my love life, Sam.”

Sam looks abashed as he glances between us. “Lovelife?”

Molly turns to look at me, her cheeks blazing, before meeting her brother’s incredulous gaze. “Maybe,” she says quietly. “Whatever it is, you can’t keep acting like I’m a kid.”

Sam looks over her head at me. “What the hell, man? Why didn’t you tell me?”

I shrug and point at the grass clippings that have stuck to us after rolling on the ground, fighting. “Uh, because of this?”

“Do you really love her?” he bites out.

“Yes, I do.”

To my shock, Sam cracks up laughing. “Oh my god, I knew it. I knew I wasn’t crazy. For years I watched you give each other these looks when you thought no one else was looking.”

“Shut up!” Molly protests. “You never saw anything!”

I take her hand and say in a low voice, “Maybe let him have that one if it means he’s not going to keep attacking me for wanting to date you.”

“Iknewit,” Sam crows, reaching past Molly to clap me on the shoulder before offering me a hand to shake. “Okay, fine. That’s the last time I kick your ass, unless you break her heart. Got it?”

That’s an easy enough request and I shake his hand. Molly rolls her eyes and scowls at Sam as he strides toward my truck. “Hold up,” I call. “You’re going to have to drive yourself to the site. Molly and I have to go pick up our prize.”

With a sigh, my lifelong best friend swerves to get in his car instead and heads out, honking at us as he drives away. I turn to Molly. Suddenly, I don’t know what to say.

“What’s this about a prize?” she asks. “If you told them you don’t think I’m your soulmate and we get the ten grand, why would you tell Sam you want to date me?” She looks utterly confused. “Youdidsay that, right?”

I pull her into my arms. “Of course I want to date you. We’ve only been apart for twelve hours and I’m already going crazy.”

“Then why’d you tell Madame Amour I wasn’t your soulmate?”

I give her a little shake, then hold her tighter. “Youaremy soulmate, and that’s what I told her. We won the grand prize. Another vacation. And that’s all I know until we go collect it because your damn brother interrupted the call.”

“I can’t believe he’s being so chill about it.” She leans back and smiles at me. “Actually, yes I can. Because he knows you’d kick your own ass before you’d ever hurt me.”

“Damn straight,” I assure her. I can’t go another second without kissing her. When we finally pull apart, I tug on the collar of her uniform. “Think they’ll care if you’re late? I can’t wait to see what this prize is.”

Chapter 10

Molly

Two months later …

We wave to the gondola driver who lets us off at our hotel, and we both stare in awe at the beautiful place before turning to each other and bursting into happy laughter. We’re in Venice, Italy—a dream destination for both of us—and we’ve got twenty thousand dollars burning a hole in our big, shared suitcase.

We’ve been practically inseparable for the last two months, doing all sorts of fun couple things in our free time. I’ve learned way more than I ever needed to know about contracting and building, and I’ve talked Levi’s ears off about marketingandall the animals at the shelter. He’s even volunteered his time to put new roofs on the leaky dog kennels and I think he’s about to cave and adopt one of the cats he’s gotten attached to once we get back.

Every day that goes by, I feel like I have to pinch myself. Levi’sreallymy boyfriend. I roll up my sleeve and pinch my arm.

“What are you doing?” he asks with a furrow in his brow, rubbing the red mark away.

“I thought I might be dreaming,” I admit, turning red.

“It’s not a dream,” he says, leaning down to kiss me, just a few feet away from the world-famous canals and bridges of Venice.

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