Page 127 of If We Never Met

"We did," she said. "It just took me longer to get back to that dream."

"Because you took care of your mom," Gianna said. "And look at your mother now. She has a boyfriend. She's healthy. You got her back to that point."

"She got herself back, too." She blinked back more tears. "I'm going to miss you all so much. I would love to have you visit any time. Dante showed me photos of his apartment, and it's spectacular. He also has a boat. I had no idea he had so much money."

Lizzie laughed. "He's a professional baseball player. What did you think?"

"I guess I just didn't think about it."

"Probably why he likes you so much," Chelsea said dryly. "You saw the real him. Trust me, as a celebrity, that isn't always easy to find."

"I know. I'm lucky. But I don't care about his money or celebrity. Dante gets me. He pushes me in the ways I need to be pushed, and he believes in me. And we laugh a lot. Now I'm going to stop talking." She opened her arms. "Group hug."

She opened her arms up and they ran into each other's arms. She loved these women with all her heart, but she loved Dante even more.

When they broke apart, she said, "I'm going to find my plus one."

Hannah laughed. "I'm taking credit for getting you two together. That first date was only because of me."

"All right, I'll give you the credit," she said with a grin. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"I'm going to check on Leo," Chloe said. "It will just take a second."

"Don't worry. I'm not going down the aisle without both of you," Hannah said.

"I'm really happy for you," Chloe said, as they walked down the back hall of the church.

She gave Chloe a sharp look, hearing sadness in her voice. Then she stopped walking. "We'll still see each other. I'll be back."

"I know. Don't mind me. Weddings are just hard…" Chloe cleared her throat. "I always think about Kevin, how I thought we'd be together forever, but now we're divorced, and I'm raising a kid by myself. I never saw that in my future. Not that I don't love being a mom, because I do."

"You just didn't want to be a single parent."

"I did not."

"I'm sorry." She hesitated. "Are you going to be sitting with Adam at the reception?"

Chloe shook her head and gave her a pointed look. "No. And you all need to stop trying to put us together. We're just friends."

"It seems like it has been more than that."

"No. It hasn't. Adam is a great guy. He has been very supportive, but we're not in love. There will be someone else for him."

"And someone else for you."

"Maybe. We'll see. I'm not in a hurry. I have my hands full with one very demanding male, so I'm going to focus on Leo. I better find him now. He's sitting with Gianna's mom, but I want to make sure he's not too much for her." Chloe paused. "I'm glad you found Dante, Keira. I have a good feeling about you two."

"So do I. I never thought I'd find the right guy by sitting down at the wrong table, but I did."

Chloe laughed. "I might have to try that sometime. Come on. We don't have much time."

Dante got to the church parking lot about fifteen minutes before Hannah was due to walk down the aisle. As he got out of the car, he grabbed his suit coat from the backseat and shrugged it on. There was a crowd of people still streaming into the church, but it was one beautiful brunette slowly hobbling her way down the steps who caught his eye. She'd gone without her walking boot so as not to ruin Hannah's photos, another unselfish gesture that was pure Keira.

He hurried across the lot. When he reached her, he threw his arms around her, because even though he'd seen her two hours earlier, it felt much longer than that.

She gave him a bright smile as she lingered in his embrace. "You look very handsome."

"And you look spectacular. I like your dress." His gaze moved down the clingy dress, appreciating the way it clung to her body. "I can't wait to take it off you."

---