Page 89 of Puck Me Twice

Lying back in the recliner, Madison cracks open his eyes and studies him carefully. “Yeah, you can hang.”

Robby exhales a heavy breath. “Thanks. I’d like that.”

Ceci grins. “I thought you don’t like second chances?”

Robby winks at me.

“Turns out… sometimes, we all need a second chance. I messed things up with Sven, but he still gave me another shot.”

“Hell,” Bex says, “The two of you getting together in the first place is already your second chance.”

Nodding, I accept that. “So the least I can do is offer Robby a fresh start. As friends,” I’m quick to add, when Madison opens his mouth. “This is not a poly/menage/why choose situation.”

He raises an eyebrow. “I wasn’t going to presume.”

Sadie laughs. “Yeah, you were.”

Madison sighs. “Okay, so maybe I was already envisioning this epic scene where—you know what? I’ll just write it instead.”

She pats his arm. “Okay, babe. Sounds good.”

We go around the circle with introductions. Several people have brought their partner with them for our holiday party. It’s nice to meet these people we’ve heard so much about from our friends.

There’s a knock on the door.

“We’re closed,” half a dozen people call out.

The person is undeterred, knocking again.

“It’s Elijah,” Asher says with a broad grin, and Sadie rolls her eyes at her best friend’s fiancé and his joke about Passover.

“Wrong holiday.” She musses his curls as she moves toward the door. “Oh, hello there.”

“I’m here with Vanessa,” a crisp Swedish accent says.

My stomach flutters. It’s Sven.

What’s he doing here?

There’s a click as the door locks again, and then Sadie appears with my boyfriend behind her, holding two loaves of sourdough bread he made this morning.

“You’re not at the dinner?”

Tonight we were supposed to stay apart, each at our own place for the first time in a week. I haven’t spent nearly enough time with my roommates lately. I’ve missed them.

As I’m half-rising out of my seat, he cuts through the circle and kisses me softly, a simple peck, before he takes my hand and sits in the empty chair beside my own.

Without me noticing, everyone moved over so we could sit together.

“I wanted to see you. Meet your friends.”

A few of them sigh.

“Guys, this is Sven,” I introduce, waving at the group. “These are my friends.”

He nods at the crowd of people, their eyes focused on him. “Hello. I brought bread.”

“Excellent,” Johanna says. “We love a good carb.”