Page 245 of The Last Good Man

Wetalk abouther custom–madewedding dress, and the honeymoon suite they’ve booked on a tropical island.

She sounds excited, and I’m with herfor a momentbefore feeling a dread in my chest.

I never thought about a wedding dress, and nowthat I do, I’drathergo for a simple one.Then I freeze, realizing I’m getting ahead of myself.

Speaking of getting ahead of myself.

I sort through my mail while listening to Alice when a brochure flies out of an unsealed envelope.

I pick it up and flip it over.

I can’t believe this.

They must’ve added me to someone’s mailing list without my knowledge, and now I’m getting brochures about artificial insemination and sperm donors.

Iperusethe information on the back of the leaflet andtossit back in the pile of mail as I don’t have time to deal with it right now.

“I’m done,” I say.

“With what?”

“Oh, nothing,” I say, chuckling and checking the messages on my phone.

Nothing from Jax.

He knows the location and has already warned me he might be late.

“I’m all dressed up and ready to go.”

“It’s early.”

“It may be, but I can’t spend another moment here.By the way,my landlord is not happy about me leaving, but neither am I with renting forever, so we’ll need to reach an agreement.I’m sick of paying rent.”

“It worked for you in the past.”

“Yes, it did,” I say pensively. “But it no longer does. Anyway. I’m heading out. See you at the bar.”

I swipe my phone screen and stare blankly around the room. My place has the feel of a relic of the past.

I know I’ll be moving out.

I know I’ll be starting a new life.

And I know the past will remain in the nooks and crannies of this place like a faded memory.

I can’t wait to start this new chapter of my life.

With that thought, I turn off the lights and walk out.

MELODY

I’m a little nervous since Jax is late and everybody else is here. It was easier when it was only us, the girls.

With five men around the table, the atmosphere isnot the same, the topics are different, and our priorities have changed.

This has never been intended to be a competition between us. It still isn’t, but inherently, we’re keeping scores.

Five men clad in suits chat around the table while we discuss anything and everything from money and vacations to retiring early.

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