Page 117 of Friend Me

“I’ll hang out here,” I said, pointing at a bench. I’d give Marlee and her dad some time alone on his good day.

She flashed me a dazzling smile. “We won’t be long. I know we need to go.”

“Take as long as you need. I’ll get us to the airport on time.” I gave her a wicked smile. What was the point of having a muscle car if you couldn’t flex those muscles every once in a while?

Giving me a last lingering look, she turned away with her dad. They ambled arm in arm, with the assistant following a discreet distance behind.

I sank onto the bench and tilted my face up toward the sun. There was less fog over here in Oakland, and I always enjoyed visiting on clear days. Maybe next year, when we’d banked enough cash, we could buy a place on this side of the bay, or maybe in one of the suburbs away from the city lights where we could see the constellations at night. I loved it when Marlee told me the stories of the stars.

My phone pinged with a text.

Raleigh: Still coming tonight?

Worrying was unusual for Raleigh, my overconfident asshole of a brother. He was the reason Marlee and I were heading to Dallas later that day. I’d held her to her promise to be my date to his wedding. I’d missed his bachelor party—Marlee’s new programming project had kept us in San Francisco all week—but I’d heard from my next-older brother, Lincoln, that it was a rager. We’d be there for the rehearsal dinner tomorrow night.

Me: Wait, that’s this weekend?

After all the shit Raleigh and my other brothers had given me, he deserved a little ribbing.

The dots appeared while he typed, then they disappeared and reappeared a few more times. I’d really yanked his chain.

Raleigh: Not funny

Me: Seriously, everything OK?

From the group texts with my brothers and sister, I’d gotten the feeling Raleigh was getting cold feet. Of course, he’d projected it onto Bella to make it seem as ifshewas the nervous one. But I knew that couldn’t be true. Like all my brothers, Raleigh had been the big man on campus in both high school and college. Girls couldn’t resist him. I couldn’t imagine Bella backing out on him.

Raleigh: Just get here, and everything will be.

I smiled. I’d have to play some prank on him. Something small, though, like showing up in red socks or claiming my tux had gone missing, just to harass him some more. He made it too easy.

Me: We’ll be there late tonight. Can’t wait for everyone to meet Marlee.

I knew they’d love her almost as much as I did. I pocketed my phone, turned my face up to the sun again, and closed my eyes.

We’d been up late last night packing. I’d bought Marlee a carry-on full of romance paperbacks to replace some of the ones she’d discarded. Like I’d told her at the holiday party, we were both romantics. And I’d do everything I could to keep the romance in her life.

We’d stayed awake even later to make love. Exhausted or not, we couldn’t keep our hands off each other. I’d never had a friendship that’d turned into love. But adding intimacy to friendship with Marlee? Every time we touched was pure magic.

I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew, Marlee was squeezing my shoulder. “Let’s go, big guy. A speeding ticket will only make us later for our flight.”

I opened my eyes to find her face blocking the sun. Its rays radiated out from her dark-honey hair, making it sparkle. No wonder her dad called her “Sunshine.” I glanced behind her. Will and the assistant were gone. I stretched out my hand, as if to let her pull me up, but I pulled her down onto my lap instead. I cradled her cheek and kissed her pink lips. She stroked the back of my hair, short now thanks to my pre-wedding haircut, and I twisted my fingers in her long silken strands. I could’ve kissed her there on the bench in the sunshine for hours.

Reluctantly, I disengaged and rested my forehead against hers to catch my breath. The last time I’d gone home to Dallas, we’d almost broken apart. But this time, she’d be at my side through what was sure to be pandemonium like everything involving my family, which was one of the reasons I lived two thousand miles away. But with Marlee by my side, we’d get through it together.

I plucked a long gray hair off her shirt. “Subha’s been in your drawer again.”

She brushed her lips against mine. “What can I say? She shares my passion for discount designer clothes.”

I thought Subha shared mypassion for Marlee, but I wasn’t going to argue. The only thing my cat—our cat—loved more than nesting in her drawers was sitting on Marlee herself. The morning she’d cozied up to her coat had been the beginning of Subha’s obsession with her.

I pushed Marlee to her feet and then rose and linked my hand in hers. We walked toward the parking lot. “Good visit?”

She sighed. “Yes. Moving him here was the best decision.”

“Not thebestdecision.” I squeezed her hand. “That was agreeing to be my date to Jay and Alicia’s wedding.”

She grinned up at me and slid her arm around my waist. “You’re right. Let’s go, wedding date.”

We ambled down the path, on our way to another wedding together. And someday soon, I’d ask her to be my wife, andthatwould be the best decision of our lives.

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