Page 133 of Marry Lies
“I’m sad that I lost the bet to Kai, but it is what it is.”
I nearly choke. “Kai?”
“Actually,” Liam interjects, sauntering over to us. “Technically,I win.”
“Like hell you do,” Malakai adds, following Liam.
“I thought you weren’t allowed to swear?” I tease, nudging his shoulder. “Also, what the hell are you all talking about?”
Juliet looks between my brothers. “We—um—sort of placed bets on when you and Stella would fall in love at your wedding.” Then she pulls her phone out. “I kept a list so we could all remember what we said. I also have them listed in order of probability, with mine being first, of course,” she adds.
Chase walks up to us then, wrapping an arm around Juliet’s waist.
“If she has a list, she means business,” he tells us.
“Right, so I said six weeks. Chase said five weeks.” She kisses her husband on the cheek. “So close. But also the wrong answer.” He bursts out laughing as Juliet continues down the list. “Malakai said four and a half weeks. Orion said seven weeks. And Liam said twelve weeks,” she finishes.
“Right,” Liam says gruffly. “So, I was the closest.”
I sip my water with an amused smile as my eyes flick between my brothers and Juliet. “How do you figure?” I ask my oldest brother.
Liam shrugs as he sips his beer. “You fell in love with her the first time you met her over a year ago. Technically, that means I’m the closest winner,” he finishes matter-of-factly.
His words knock me over, and I grip the glass a bit harder. Is he wrong? I don’t know. I was intrigued by Estelle that night—mesmerized and captivated by her bright smile. But did I fall in love with her?
It’s possible.
I never stopped thinking about her.
I wish I’d gotten her number. Or her name.
But love?
My eyes wander back over the crowd, finding my wife watching me already as she speaks to her father. I can tell she’s speaking French because of the way she’s speaking quickly and quietly. She shoots me a large smile.
Something inside of me thaws out completely.
I don’t know if I loved her that night a little over a year ago, but something about that night, abouther, changed me.
She was the bright sun in my darkness.
The golden girl to my villainous, immoral soul.
“Fine,” I concede, and Liam makes a victorious gesture. I flip him off. “What do you want? A cookie? Estelle has an entire tin full of cookies,” I tell him.
He laughs. “Actually, yes. Thank you.”
I grumble as I walk over to the tin and pull the top off, offering cookies to everyone.
“It’s like you caught the bouquet at the wedding,” Juliet says excitedly.
“What do you mean?” Liam asks.
“You’re next,” she says cryptically.
He huffs a laugh. “Yeah. Right. Because I have so many women beating down my door.”
Juliet narrows her eyes. “It’ll happen when you least expect it.”
