Page 56 of It's Holy Matrimony, Baby

“You did?” She sounds surprised. “Everything?”

“Almost everything,” I amend.

“Did you tell him about you? About the car accident?”

I nod, my knee bouncing. “Just not everything.”

“Oh.” She draws the sound out through her glossy red lips. Her eyes widen, and she draws a circle with her finger on the tabletop. “You really do like him, don’t you? Otherwise you would tell him the whole story. All of it. But you’re worried that will be enough to push him over the edge.”

“I just hate to tell people about it, okay.” I drop my gaze to my arms crossed against my chest. Never mind the fact I haven’t actually talked about it with anyone outside of Liv, and my own family. Telling Nox would be worse. He’ll realize that it’s not just my insecurities and fears. He’ll know that there’s no point in fighting. Everything he said about being masters of our own destiny won’t mean anything. Sometimes fate or destiny or pure reality has other plans for us. “Remember your reaction when I told you? And you’d already known.”

She leans closer so no one else can hear her and gives my arm a squeeze. “We could have lost you. We almost did. It was scary as hell.” One side of her mouth flicks up and then droops as she sighs. “Of course I was going to react. When the doctors told us. When you told me later. I could have lost my best friend. I love you like a sister.”

“I love you too.” I cover her hand with my own.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Nox says, placing a tray of chops and steaks and sausages onto the table.

How much did he hear? My heart smashes against my ribcage. He’s standing beside me, staring like I’ve just casually admitted that I’m the queen of England. And also like the queen is hot and his. Somewhere along the line he got past my defenses, and I don’t know how I’ll go back to life without him in it. “What?”

“Did you just say the L word?”

“Liv is family.” I shrug.

“I think I’ll go talk to Jack.” Liv excuses herself, getting up and joining the others.

Pulling the seat out beside me, he sits down facing me. Covers my knee with his hand. The tension he was carrying earlier is gone. “About before.”

A chair crashes to the concrete at the other end of the table as Penny jumps to her feet and turns wide eyes on Finn. “You...”

Nox stops to twist around. Everyone does while Finn begs for a moment to explain.

Seventy percent. It’s the first thing that pops into my head as she races out. Seventy percent of relationships don’t work out. Finn takes off after her. Doors slam. Most relationships are doomed from the start.

I turn to Nox. I expect to feel doubt, or sadness, or even simply reconciled to the fact, but instead there’s this rush of steadiness.

“Don’t,” he says, cupping my chin with his other hand. “Don’t box us into a number, or a statistic. Don’t work out our chances according to other people. Don’t give up on me.”

I don’t want to. Covering his hand with both of mine, I nod.

“I’m going to head out,” Liv announces from the other end of the table as the front door slams again.

“Think I will too,” Lou agrees. “Dean, do you need a ride?”

Cussing comes from inside the house, but Finn doesn’t reappear.

“I was going to head over to Mayhem after dinner.” Dean snatches a piece of steak from the tray on the table and shrugs. “Might as well go now.”

“That’s where I’m headed.” Lou picks up her bag and hustles toward the back gate with Liv. Dean follows.

“Let me check on Finn.” Nox withdraws his hand from mine. “Then we’ll go too.”

I watch him get up and head inside. The door closes behind him. Jack shuts the laptop, catching my attention.

“Sorry,” he says, climbing to his feet and picking up the meat Nox grilled. “Didn’t know that was going to happen. Probably not the best introduction to our family, is it? And no one got to eat.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Getting up, I pick up the salads Lou brought out to the table, so I can take them inside. Might as well clean up while Nox checks on Finn. “Every family has its moments.”

“That’s true,” he says. “Come on. Let’s fix plates for you guys. You can eat and run. I’ll take some down to Lou and Dean in a little while.” He holds the door open for me to slip through first. “God knows Finn isn’t going to be great company.”

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