Page 33 of Marrying My Brother's Best Friend

Natalie excuses us once she lets him in and closes the door behind her, enveloping us in silence.

Staring at him for a brief second makes me feel a tremor in my heart, but I steel it.

“Gracie,” Trevor murmurs as he takes a step towards me, and lets out a deep breath. The feathery sigh on his lips makes me melt for him, and I back away, fighting the urge to throw myself in his arms.

“That was an amazing game last night,” I stutter cautiously, then clear my throat to get rid of the huskiness there. “That was also a brilliant move…Confessing your love on national TV is one sure way to shut down the rumors that doubt our ruse and…”

“I love you, Gracie,” he blurts, interrupting my ramble.

My breath hitches in my throat, and I draw a deep breath from the pit of my stomach, hoping to steady my shaky insides with it.

“I love everything about you…From your smile to how your mind works and the dreams you have. I love that you’ve been there for me every step of the way recently, and you’ve held on…You’re resilient, and that’s part of your charm…

“I love your heart…You’re just so pure and frankly too good for me.” His chuckle ends with a shaky breath, and the look in his eyes draws me in, making my head swoon with a familiar giddiness.

“Trevor…”

“I’m probably too late, Gracie…Time and time again, I tried to fight this, tried to ignore how I felt about you, and I just…I realize now that fighting it and condemning myself to a life without you, is worse than the fear of what the future holds.

He shakes his head before closing the distance between us and takes my hand. “I don’t want to live like that anymore, and if you still want me, then I want to take you on a date tonight…It’ll be just you and me, and no one else will matter.”

Every blink after that is a heartbeat. This is the moment that I’ve hoped for since the first time he kissed me. This is the moment that I’ve dreamed of since I first realized eight years ago that I was falling for him.

“Took you long enough,” I murmur.

His lips quirk up with a smile at the corners, and I chuckle. “I have loved you for eternity, Trevor,” I say to him before lifting a hand to his cheeks. “And yes…I’d love to go on a date with you tonight. It’ll be just you, me, and no one else.”

He leans towards me like we’re in a trance. The magnetic pull is just enough to make my nerves sizzle, and nothing else matters as our lips meet for an enchanting kiss.

It’s a perfect moment for me. I can only hope for the years to come, and the joy of sharing every moment with him as we write our own fairy tale.

Epilogue

Trevor

Six months later,

“To ‘A Night To Remember’,” the crowd celebrating with us choruses after the toast, and I angle my body towards Gracie, clink glasses with her, then allow my smile to widen.

It’s her book launch, and we’ve decided to celebrate it at Espresso Books, the café that holds both our hearts.

“I want to thank every one of you for being here tonight,” Gracie says to the crowd, and she gains their attention flawlessly.

She looks amazing tonight in her flowing red satin dress. The flair of the hips hugs her figure perfectly, and the color blends perfectly with her creamy skin while matching her hair.

Breathtaking,I think, without taking my eyes off her.

Today and every other day in our lives, she’s the only woman I have eyes for. I never thought it possible to love and want one person so intensely that it consumes me.

Knowing I can’t live without her no longer scares me. Gracie shows me every day how powerful love can be.

“A Night To Rememberis a book I’ve dedicated to the one man I’ll always love, and I think it’s perfect because it reminds me of how far he’s come,” she says, extending a hand towards me.

I place mine in hers without thinking, and she draws me closer before pressing a simple kiss to my cheeks. “And so all I can say is grab a free, signed copy from the pile out there and enjoy reading because I believe that we can all write our own fairy tales. Thank you.”’

The crowd cheers again, and Gracie grins at everyone before we start greeting our guests for the evening. She spends some time chatting with her publisher, Cody Trott, whom I introduced her to as promised, and I wander off to say hello to my teammates and Jace, who’s also present tonight.

I hug Jace after shaking his hand, and he smiles at me before asking the one question I know burns through his mind. “Ready for tonight?”

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