Page 111 of The Best I Never Had

I jerk my chin to the dance floor. “You looked like you were having a great time out there.”

Her eyes trail to where Harrison is chatting with Cece, his arms flying as he tells some story. He catches Addy’s eye and winks, and a lovestruck smile takes over her face.

One of the twins—Johnny, from the woman on his arm—walks over to greet us. His wife, Misha, gives Addy a giant hug, then pinches her chin between her thumb and her pointer finger. “Look at this woman, Johnny. Isn’t she glowing?”

I nudge Addy with my elbow. “Being head over heels in love will do that to you.”

Addy laughs, carefree and open, and heat radiates through my chest.

Misha turns her attention to me. “You’re one to talk. You’re glowing, too.”

“Closet sex will do that to you,” Addy says, so quickly I know she didn’t think it through.

Our group goes quiet as Johnny and Misha’s eyes widen, and Addy freezes next to me. I can feel her anxious thoughts swirling in the middle of the group, like a hurricane pulling up water, becoming more powerful by the second.

But then laughter bursts out of both of them, Misha clutching her stomach while Johnny doubles over. He stands up and scans the crowd until he spots his brother.

“Tommy!” he calls, cupping his hands around his mouth. “Tommy! You have to hear what Addy just said.” His brother’s too wrapped up in his boyfriend on the dance floor to notice, and Johnny groans. “Guess we’re going to him.”

He grabs Addy’s hand, tugging her along with them. Addy glances at me over her shoulder, widening her eyes. I nod and wave her off, like a mom on the first day of kindergarten. It feels like fireworks have gone off inside me when I see them all chatting, laughing at Tommy’s response to Addy’s joke.

A sweet, earthy scent envelops me seconds before two strong arms wrap around my waist. Owen places the softest kiss to my shoulder, and I lean back into him.

“Have I mentioned that you look breathtaking tonight?” he whispers in my ear.

“If I say no, will you say it again?”

His chuckle reverberates through my back. “I’ll say it as many times as you let me.”

I twirl in his arms, giving him a light kiss he chases when I pull away. Instead, I drag him back out for one last slow dance. He takes my hand, spinning me in a circle. His eyes catalog every inch of me, and it sets me on fire on an atomic level. He pulls me close, sliding one hand over my hip.

I bite my bottom lip as a smile stretches across my face. “Do you remember dancing at Camila’s wedding?”

He groans. “You in that red dress? Absolutely.”

His reaction emboldens me. “Do you remember when I asked what you’d do if this was real?”

His pupils dilate until the green disappears. The light blue follows, until all I see is a sliver of navy around the black. “Yes. In fact, that conversation has starred in more than a few dreams.”

It still blows my mind that he dreamed of me all those years, of what he’d do to me or what I’d do to him if we had the chance.

“And those dreams ended differently than that night?”

His smirk grows. “Very different.”

I brush my lips against his. “Show me.”

My laugh echoes through the room as he tugs me off the dance floor and into our new life. A life with love and respect. A life with family.

Epilogue

THEA

FIVE YEARS LATER

Owen’s warm breath gusts over my neck. “Do you know how much I need you, sweetheart? How desperate I am for you?”

I settle back into his arms. “I love it when you beg.”