“Ditto,” she said breathily and kissed my bare chest.

I laughed softly and put my fingers under her chin, raising her head back so I could look into her dark blue eyes. “In a little over a month, you will be my wife. This time . . . nothing is stopping us. I’m going to marry you, I’m going to make you mine, and I’m going to keep you by my side for the rest of my life.”

She took a deep breath in through her nose, and a smile crossed her face when she released it. “I can’t wait, Logan. I’m so ready for my life with you. I just hope it’s really boring compared to this first year.”

I laughed hard and kissed her forehead. “Me too, Sour Patch. Me too.”

22

Rachel

IT’S FUNNY, the things that used to seem so big—so hard to deal with—suddenly seemed like nothing more than having a bad hair day. The situations that threatened to ruin my life now seemed like nothing more than stubbing my toe on the coffee table. The events that seemed impossible to get through without my parents, all seemed as easy as stepping over a microscopic hurdle.

I was ready for anything. I was prepared for whatever difficult or unexpected situations might arise for Kash and me, or our families. I trusted Kash to take care of us, and was finally opening up to the family that I did have. My parents were gone, that would always be hard . . . I would always wish they were here. But I had to give my future in-laws and Candice’s family the chance to be there for me in their place.

As soon as I saw Candice and Maddie walk into the café, I closed my journal and put it away in my bag. Kash had surprised me with Candice almost a week after Trent had gone into witness protection, and it couldn’t have been more perfectly timed. She’d been able to help plan the wedding, and when she wasn’t with Mason, we were spending almost all our time together.

I was glad Maddie and Candice were getting along now. There was a little over a week left until the wedding, and it had been tense between Candice and Maddie when they first met. Maddie wasn’t exactly thrilled that Candice was one of her brother’s fuck buddies. Who could blame her, though?

“Hey, Rach!” Candice bounced her way over to me and hugged me hard. “Guessing you’ve been here a while, since you were writing when we walked in?”

I nodded and hugged Maddie after Candice handed me off. “Just an hour or two . . . or four.”

“Mason said you’ve been writing a lot more since you came back.”

“Wait”—I shot Candice a confused look—“how would Mason know that I’ve been writ— Oh . . .”

“Kash,” we all said together and shrugged.

“It was worse at first, I’d gotten so used to having nothing really to do all day except write, so it was hard to get off that. But I’m getting back to a point where it’s normal. Well, uh, for me anyway. I just had a lot to say today.”

Maddie raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest as Candice’s green eyes widened. “Oh really? Do tell!”

I laughed and sat back down in my chair. “Nothing to tell, just all the wedding stuff with it being a week away. I figured with your parents, Eli, and his fiancée, Paisley, coming in a couple days, I wouldn’t have a lot of time to write then. So I’m getting it out now.”

Candice frowned. “Well, that was boring.”

Maddie laughed out loud before covering her mouth and looking around. “Uh . . . I’m gonna go get some coffee. Want anything?”

“I’m coming with,” Candice said as she picked up her purse, which she’d dropped on the chair earlier. “Rach?”

“No, I’m good.” When Candice eyed me curiously, I lifted an arm out to the side before letting it flop back onto my lap. “What? I already had something earlier. I’m good. I won’t sleep if I have anything else.”

“Whatevs.” She turned, and the ever-present bounce in her step was even more prominent than usual as she made her way to where Maddie was in line.

I wanted to tell her she didn’t need any more caffeine or she’d turn into a squirrel on speed, but that would probably just make her get an extra shot of espresso in her drink. So I kept my mouth shut.

“You okay, Rachel?” Maddie asked when they sat down at the table again. “You look like something’s bothering you.”

“No, I’m fine.”

Candice snorted and crossed her legs as she took a sip of her drink. “Fine. Good. Keep using those words, Rachie, see if I start believing you.”

“But I really am!” I said on a laugh. “I’m having a great morning, I’m excited to see everyone, I’m ready for this week to be over so I can get married. I really am fine.”

She studied me for a few moments before pointing at me with her coffee cup. “Are you and Kash okay? Are you having sex regularly?”

Maddie made a gagging noise and my lips twitched as I fought back a smile.

“Yeah, we’re fi—”

“Don’t say that word!” Candice nearly shrieked in the café.

The three of us looked around at the people giving us odd looks, and I nodded awkwardly at the old woman closest to us, who no doubt had heard Candice’s questions.

“Okay, Candice, we’re incredible. Is that better?”

She didn’t reply to my question before asking her next one. “And the sex?”

“Oh God,” Maddie said, and made another gagging sound.

“Uh, Candice, that’s so not your business . . . but I know you love sharing yours. So how are you and Mason doing in bed?”

“Shit.” Maddie didn’t need to fake the gag that time. She looked like she was about to throw up what little she’d already drank. “Can we stop talking about them? Just . . . gross.”

“She’s being weird,” Candice hissed to Maddie.

“Yeah, caught that. Don’t need to talk about my brother and Kash right in front of me, though. Jesus, let’s just get to what we were going to talk to her about.”

I raised an eyebrow and waited.

“Oh, yeah!” Candice set down her cup and did her little happy clap. “Totally forgot. Rachel, which one of us do you love more?”

“Uh . . .”

“That’s not fair, you’ve known her longer.”

Candice looked at Maddie with an expectant expression. “Exactly.”

“What is this about?” I asked.

“We’ve been fighting over who gets to babysit Trip while you and Kash are on your honeymoon,” Maddie responded. “I think I should get to, since I’m the one who led you to him. Technically I led Kash, and then you. But, you know.”

“And I think I should get to, since I don’t actually live here and won’t be able to see him whenever I want, once I go back to California. Well, and because I’ve known you forever.” Candice sat back in her chair and crossed her arms like she knew she’d won.

“Hmm, both valid arguments,” I mused.

“What? Hers didn’t even make sense!” Candice said at the same time Maddie laughed. “She’s using her time of knowing you as her argument. So not fair.”

“I was being sarcastic. Both those arguments sucked,” I said and drummed my fingers on the table. “You both sounded ridiculous, but why don’t you both babysit him? One day at Mason’s, the next at Maddie’s.”

“Well—” Candice began, but I cut her off.

“We’re not even really going anywhere. We’ll still be in town, and it’s only two days. So this way you each have a day, and we’ll pick him up from Maddie’s on our way home.”

“I guess that works.” Maddie sniffed as though she wasn’t happy with it.

“I don’t see how neither of you came up with that before. You really thought you had to have me choose who got him for that time?”

Despite Maddie’s hate for Candice the first few weeks, they were just alike. Well, if you didn’t count Maddie being Candice’s opposite in looks. Their personalities were the same, and as I sat there watching them defend their arguments to each other, I realized that must have been why Maddie and I had gotten along so well when I first moved here.

My phone vibrated and I looked down at it.

KASH:

I’m home, where’s my Sour Patch?

Café with Maddie and Candice. I’m coming home now.

“I’m tired, guys. I think I’m going to go home and take a nap.”

Candice gasped and Maddie snapped before pointing at me. “I knew there was something wrong.”

I paused from putting my phone in my purse and eyed them curiously. “Meaning . . . ?”

“You’re tired,” Candice answered for her.

“Yeah, and . . . ?”

“So there was something wrong. You weren’t normal Rachie.”

I laughed and stood up. “You’re both just crazy today. Maybe I’m being perfectly normal, and there’s something wrong with you.” Before they could say anything, I blew a loud, ridiculous kiss toward them and hurried to the door. “Love you two, see you later.”

I sped the entire way home and practically ran into the house. Launching myself at Kash, I kissed him hard and wrapped my legs around his waist as he laughed against my mouth.

“Well, hello. I missed you too.”

I smiled and kissed him again. “Take me to bed, babe.”

He pulled back to study my face. “Bed? It’s four in the afternoon. Do you still feel sick from this morning?”

Curling my hands around the back of his neck, I pressed against him harder and watched his gray eyes become hooded. Grinning to myself when he began walking us toward the bedroom, I thought about Candice and Maddie as I said, “Nope. I’m just fine.”

Kash

I HANDED BOTH ELI AND MASON A BEER, and my eyes scanned the crowded house, looking for my fiancée. We were getting married tomorrow, and instead of having a normal rehearsal dinner, Rachel had wanted my entire family here so they could spend time getting to know the Jenkins family. I knew it was a good idea, but I’d found out right after the rehearsal that the girls were stealing Rachel from me tonight and having a girls’ night at Maddie’s apartment so I couldn’t see her at all before the ceremony tomorrow. And now I was wishing this wasn’t as big as it was, because other than a few chaste kisses, she and I hadn’t gotten to talk since before the rehearsal.