Page 131 of The Guy Who Fake Dated Me

Ashley had competed on a popular reality show and had left the other contestants in the dust. “Thanks.” I could hear the embarrassment in her voice.

“Did they ask you to come back and be a judge?” Logan asked.

“I can’t say.”

I turned around to look at my friend. “They did!”

“I can’t say.” She tried to look sheepish but couldn’t pull it off.

Ryan squeezed her hand. “They’d be idiots not to.”

The two of them were adorable. Ashley had been through a whole lot of trauma before their relationship, and she was still working on it. She was one of my inspirations for doing everything I could to heal and move forward.

“Rachel seems really happy,” Ashley said.

“She is.”

“Shane is so whipped he hasn’t been able to think straight.” Logan laughed.

“Sounds familiar.” I bumped him with my elbow.

“Guilty as charged.” Logan took my hand for a moment until we turned off the main road and onto a gravel path.

We drove for another thirty minutes before Logan pulled off the road and into a meadow.

The two vehicles following us did the same.

Besides Rachel, the whole Curvy Girl Crew was here. Nanette and her movie star husband, David, along with Teresa and her husband, Marcus, climbed out of the first truck, which they’d borrowed from Rachel.

Jessica and Brooke had ridden up with Logan’s sister, Crystal, and Alex. I still wasn’t sure what the relationship was there, but I’d caught them holding hands at the wedding, so that was something.

We got out of our SUV, and when the cool air hit me, I shivered and pulled my coat tighter around myself. Sky started circling the area, sniffing and wagging his tail.

Tall trees surrounded the meadow, and the sky above us was a canvas of black with starry holes poked in it and a splash of translucent white paint marking the Milky Way.

Logan started barking orders. “I’ve got chairs, blankets, and a firepit in the back of the truck along a couple of coolers. Tripods and binoculars are in my car, along with lanterns and two tables. Let’s set those up right here. Firepit there.”

I watched as he directed the action, admiring his confidence along with the impressive amount of planning that had gone into this. When I saw David hauling a cooler that was as big as he was, I asked Logan, “Did you bring an entire meal?”

Logan blinked. “Would you expect anything less?”

I stepped toward him and raised an eyebrow. “From my man? No way.”

He grinned and covered the distance between us with a couple of quick steps. I still hadn’t grown tired of the way it felt when he slipped his hands around my back and pulled me to him. He didn’t waste time leaning down and giving me a quick, but thorough, kiss. When he pulled away, he put his forehead on mine. “Love you,” he said.

“Love you too.”

His face always lit up when I said that, and it made my insides warm.

Twenty minutes later, we were all sitting in a half circle, facing where the northern lights should appear. I had on several layers, including a coat, a hat, and a scarf, along with a blanket covering me.

Sky had come and said hi, then bolted again. He was like a kid in a candy store out here.

Logan had laid out a spread of food that looked delicious, but I wasn’t about to release the heat I’d accumulated within my cocoon, so I watched everyone else eating, talking, and laughing. I watched Logan as he made sure everyone had what they needed. Ashley got the fire pit going and then Logan broke out the marshmallows for s’mores.

“Move closer to the fire, Victoria.” Teresa waved me forward. The people from New York were wearing light jackets and scarves. I felt better when I saw that Brooke was almost as bundled up as I was.

“Need a hand?” Logan appeared in front of me and easily hauled me to my feet.

---