Page 61 of We Are All Sinners

“Hold that thought brother, girls incoming.” Liam whispers as he stands, allowing Emily to slide into the booth.

I stand abruptly, feeling my heart pick up as Evie reaches up to her tiptoes to kiss my cheek. She waits for Lily to scoot around to the center of the table with Emily.

Noah comes back to the table just before Evie gets into the booth, sliding in next to Lily.

Once we are all seated, the server comes over to take our drink orders.

I watch Evie as she scans the menu, orders a hurricane, and turns back to her friends, completely unaware of the weight she’s carrying. The thought of her not being here with me is unfathomable.

Suddenly, it hits me—she’s accepted it.

I can’t shake the overwhelming thoughts that flooded my mind on the way here. Mark Boudreaux’s words echo in my head: “You will be the reason she dies.”

Am I the reason she ultimately dies? I refuse to believe that she has no future if I’m in it. All this witchy bullshit has my head spinning. We had a car accident. Neither of us remembered anyone when we woke up.

I realize I’m gawking at her when she places her hand on my thigh under the table, giving it a squeeze, pulling me out of my own darkness.

The server arrives with our drinks and takes our orders. Noah, ever the enthusiast, decides to order nearly every appetizer on the menu since the girls said they all sounded amazing!

As we enjoy several drinks and appetizers, I can feel the nerves creeping in, knowing step one is complete. But as lunch progresses, I start to sweat a little, especially thinking about how much Evie adores dessert.

Right on cue, Noah offers dessert, naming each one of the amazing options, making everyone groan about being full, including Evie.

I smirk, knowing everything is working out perfectly.

“Did you say seven-layer chocolate cake?” Lily chimes in when no one bites.

“I can have them box it up so we can all take dessert to go and enjoy it once we’re settled in,” Noah suggests, his casual delivery making him sound like a pro.

I can’t help but smile, feeling a weight lift from my chest as Evie eagerly asks for her favorite southern pecan pie to go. I almost want to fist pump in celebration but manage to hold it in.

There’s one dessert Evie can never resist, and that’s southern pecan pie. Noah has perfected his recipe, using a homemade pecan shortbread for the crust, and it’s absolutely decadent.

Emily gives me a wink and smirk. I am struggling to contain my excitement, but manage, knowing this is all playing out perfectly.

Evie said she wanted a proposal she didn’t see coming. Well, I’m giving her just that!

I hit the remote on my visor, opening the black cast iron gate splitting the large decorative B in the center. I pull onto the long circle drive lined with palm trees, stopping under the large covered grand entrance.

“This is one of my favorite things about this house, covered front door parking.” I smile over at my girl.

Evie’s eyes bulge at her surroundings as she gets out of the car.

“Damn babes, this whole house is yours? By yourself!” she asks, looking a little taken aback.

“Yeah, when it went on the market about five years ago, I jumped on it. I loved walking along the beach from my pops house and this place always made me want to go inside. It’s my sanctuary where I can just be me and relax. When you see the view, you will understand.” I smile knowing that she will love having this as a place to escape to.

“I remember your parents’ home in New Orleans was extravagant, but this is something out of a magazine Brix.”

I love watching her take it all in.

I can’t help but let out a laugh, “Baby, you haven’t even seen the inside yet.”

“If you had anything to do with it, then it’s perfect.” She says sweetly.

I shake my head, “You give me too much credit. Come on, you can see for yourself.” I tell her as I grab the bag of desserts from the back seat and shut the door.

I take her hand as I lead her to the house. I punch in the code to the door and take a deep breath as I open it. I finally exhale when I see how perfect everything looks, before moving aside so she can go in before me.

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