Page 127 of Playing Flirty

“Stop it.”

“You are.” He pinched my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “You’re brave and smart and funny, and somehow, you find the time to help everyone. You’re there for anyone who needs you. You’re incredible.”

If he wasn’t holding me up, I’d melt away.

His lips pressed against my forehead. “You’d be a perfect fit there.”

“I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I’ll start the job hunt next week too. Once I can survive without being glued to your hip.”

He laughed and then pulled me against his chest. My heart felt as though it doubled in size.

Lifting my hands to his lips, he kissed the backs of my knuckles. “Now come on, we have speeches to prepare for.”

William took the mic at the podium and cleared his throat. “Hello. For those of you who don’t know, I’m William.” He paused, his gaze going to his father, who was seated near the front.

The older man smiled at him.

“William Ashdern.” He cleared his throat. “I, uh… I wrote a really long and heartfelt speech, but I recently found out Shaun and Neema read it when I wasn’t looking. So I won’t be delivering it.”

He winked at Shaun, who moaned and covered his face guiltily.

William continued. “What I will say is this: Shaun and Neema were made for each other, and I have no doubt they’ll have a long and happy marriage.” His hand tightened around mine as he pulled me closer and gazed down at me. “And there’s nothing I can say that she can’t say better. So let me introduce you to my favorite person in the entire universe, our very own, beautiful, hobbit cheerleader, Rose.”

He handed the mic to me, and my heart shook. I’d prepared for this, but I hadn’t prepared for William to introduce me like that. I was enjoying the lightness in his eyes and his big smile.

“Thank you, William.” I turned to the guests. “Hi, yes… I’m Rose, the maid of honor, and I’m pleased to be celebrating this day with all of you. When your best friend gets married, it kind of feels like your own wedding. When your best friend is marrying your other best friend, it means you don’t sleep from the moment they get engaged until right about now. So, if youfind me asleep in the corner after this, don’t be alarmed. But please remember to use your inside voice.”

A few people in the audience chuckled.

“Jokes aside, look at them. Like, really look. How beautiful are they? Shaun and Neema are two of the most wonderful people I have ever met, and I wish them nothing but the best.”

Neema reached up and squeezed my hand.

The next few words weren’t planned, but they poured out of me anyway.

“Not too long ago, I resigned from a job that didn’t suit me. But it was also a job that brought Shaun into my life, and more importantly, it brought these two together. Knowing this, I’d go through that struggle over and over again if I knew it would end where we are today, with the two of them falling in love.” I looked down at my two best friends. “I love you both.”

“We love you,” they shouted in unison.

Shaun stood, kissed me on the cheek, and whispered in my ear, “Mind if I say a few words?”

I passed him the mic.

Shaun smiled out at his guests. “Thank you all for coming to celebrate with us. I’m the luckiest man in the world. I married the girl of my dreams, but I also have the best brother and friend to thank for pulling this all together.” He smiled at William and me. “So, how about a round of applause for these two, who spent hours upon hours on our balcony, coming up with ways to perfect our wedding day.”

Blood rushed to my cheeks as William doubled over with laughter. Neema couldn’t help herself, either, and burst into giggles.

He wasn’t wrong. It was perfect.

Epilogue

What are you still doing here?” Dudley asked, feigning anger as he walked into my office. “You put in leave for half a day. Go home.”

I looked up from my laptop. “I’ll be out in a minute. I want to finish this report and type up next week’s newsletter.”

It was a little bit ironic that I now compiled newsletters as part of my job after finally clearing out my inbox.

He shook his head. “No, it’s after five. Go home. You’ve been here for a month, and you’ve already accumulated more overtime than the rest of us. This isn’t M&G.”

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