Maddox’s smile is brighter than it’s been in a long while. “Really? I mean … you’re serious? We’re going to Australia?”
“On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“We don’t go hiking while we’re there. Poisonous plants everywhere. I won’t even mention the animals.”
Maddox runs and jumps on the bed, losing the towel and climbing on top of me again. “Deal.”
Chapter Thirteen
MADDOX
Damon refuses to marry me but is still wearing my ring.
This shouldn’t make me so damn happy, but it does.
He gets me. He understands me.
He knows I was proposing for him.
Then, on top of not marrying me, he’s extending our trip. For me.
I know he wants to travel more and do more things with me, but his career is important, and it’s hard for him to avoid his responsibilities. He’s not as carefree as I am.
We spend the rest of the morning researching stuff we can do while we’re in Australia, but that’s interrupted when we get an incoming video chat from Stacy.
“Can I please, please, please fuck with her?” I ask.
Damon laughs. “And say what? That I turned down your proposal? Oh wait …”
“Ooh yeah. She’s so going to think we’re lying.” I can’t wait.
“Are you two ever going to grow up?”
“Nope.” I shove him out of view and hit the Answer button while trying to keep my face disappointed-looking.
Her bright eyes fill the screen. “Hey, soon-to-be … wait.” Stacy frowns. “You chickened out, didn’t you?”
“You’re not going to believe what happened. So, we were hiking, right—”
“Where is Damon? He can’t hear this?”
“No, he’s with Matt and Noah.”
Damon glares at me. Probably for lying so well. But eh.
“Anyway, I had it all planned out and was giving myself a pep talk when I fell over and totally pierced my hand on a poisonous plant. I was crying, ‘God no! Why? Lord, why would you take me from the love of my life when I was about to propose?’” I’m totally nailing this dramatic reenactment. “So then your brother was all, ‘Wait, proposal?’ and I said, ‘Dude, I’m dying here,’ and he said ‘I don’t care. Where’s my ring, bitch?’ and so I decided not to do it and we broke up.”
“Great story. Now tell me the truth.”
“Hey!” I protest. “Most of that was true, but it was Damon who thought I was dying and me trying to give him the ring, but he said no.”
She makes a buzzer noise like from a game show. “Try again. He would not say no to you.”
“He did!”
“Uh-huh. When’s the wedding?”
I grunt and turn to Damon. “Babe, help.”
“Hey, you wanted to fuck with her. You have to convince her you’re not lying now.”
“That right there is why we’re not getting married.” I turn to my best friend. “This isn’t like the time you spent a week on a cruise with my friend from high school and then you ran off to Pennsylvania to marry him and have his babies like the big practical joke that it is.”
She rolls her eyes. “Yes, I’m playing the long game with this con. Giving up New York, moving to the sticks, and birthing twins is my master plan for the ultimate joke. When the girls turn eighteen, I’m going to turn around and say, ‘Ha! Gotcha!’”
“I knew it!” I exclaim. “No one would voluntarily have ginger-headed kids.”
Jared’s voice comes through the speakers. “Heard that, asshole. You know they’re practically your nieces.”
“Miss you, you soul-sucking redhead. Miss your spawn even more though.”
Truthfully, I couldn’t be happier for Stacy. She’s become an entirely different person since leaving the city and falling in love with a really great guy. I might be biased considering he’s my childhood friend, but whatever.
Damon moves closer and wraps his arm around me while staring into Stacy’s confused gaze. “I really did say no to him.”
“What?” she shrieks. “Why?”
“Because we’re practically already married and no piece of paper will change that?”
“But—”
“Stace.” Damon puts on his big-brother voice. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my entire life. That’s all that matters.”
“Okay.” Her lips purse. “Happy non-engagement? I guess.”
“Thanks.” I grin. “We’ve been celebrating not getting married all morning.”
She winces. “Still don’t need to know those details.”
“Momma, milk,” an adorable little voice says behind her.
Stacy rolls her eyes. “No milk. Bed.”
It’s way past the twins’ bedtime.
“Milk.”
“Bed.”
“Milk!”
She glances back at us. “I have to go. Non-congrats again.”
The screen goes black.
“Thank fuck you don’t want kids,” Damon says. “The twins are adorable but—”
“No, thanks.”
“Exactly.” Damon kisses the side of my head. “I knew you were the perfect man for me the moment I laid eyes on you.”
“Liar. I know your exact thoughts of me when we first met.”
“Oh?”
“Yup. It was ‘This straight guy with his gorgeous blue eyes and blinding smile is an asshole.”
Damon laughs. “That’s actually disturbingly accurate.”
“It’s because I totally am the perfect guy for you, but it took you longer than me to see it.”