Page 12 of Endless Love: Novella

Evan gave me a light punch on my shoulder. “Wait. Seriously?”

Everybody stopped, even Spencer. “I don’t know what made me say that,” I admitted with a laugh when all eyes were on me. “But yeah. I bought the ring. I have it all planned.”

“Shit,” Spencer murmured. “It’s like a contagious disease around here. I’m glad I’m flying home Sunday afternoon, or I might end up engaged.”

“That’s great news.” Colton was the first to shake my hand, laughing off Spencer’s joke like we all did. “How are you going to do it?”

“Now I wish I hadn’t said anything.” I ran through my hair, chuckling nervously. “I’m thinking of taking her to the Eiffel Tower.”

“Aw, really?” As usual, Evan was the first to bust balls. “Come on, man. That’s been done a million times.”

“Not for Ivy,” I reminded him. “It’s one of the places she really wants to go, and she’s never been. Why not give her the whole fantasy come to life?”

“We can’t all propose while our girlfriend is in the middle of pushing out a baby,” Miles pointed out with a smirk, referring to Evan’s proposal. “That was peak romance.”

“I think it sounds great,” Noah told me, clapping me on the back. “And she’ll love it.”

“Yeah, congratulations.” There was still a shadow that passed over Miles’ face, which took a little of the sincerity out of his friendly smile. I was more interested than ever in whatever it was he had to tell me.

“This is between us,” I reminded the guys as we continued up to the terrace, where the girls waited with an enormous lunch set up and waiting.

“There you are! We thought somebody got hurt on the way up here.” Ivy practically skipped my way, wearing a light sundress that floated around her legs. “You smell like sunshine,” she declared, touching her nose to my chest and inhaling deeply.

I lowered my head, murmuring in her ear, “How did it go?” From what I could see, everybody looked like they were in a decent mood. There were no tears, and the energy seemed positive overall.

“Pretty well,” she said. “There were a few gowns they really liked. It’s just a matter of how much tailoring can be done by Saturday.”

I knew the twins. They were still disappointed, though they tried to play it off. “It’s not quite the same,” I heard Aria tell Miles, and he rubbed her shoulders. “But it’s gorgeous. I might even have chosen it if I had seen it before the dress I picked out. Maybe this is how it was supposed to be.”

Ivy softly clicked her tongue as we approached the big table filled with so much food that I was surprised it didn’t buckle under the weight. “They’re really trying,” she whispered, and I noticed the look she and Sienna exchanged. It was obvious they had worked together to keep things positive.

Rose had her own reasons to be upset. She exited the house with her phone in hand, and the way she frowned told me she hadn’t gotten good news. “The fire chief says it might take a little more time to figure out the cause,” she told Colton, raising her voice so the rest of us could hear.

“I hate to think it had something to do with the wiring,” Colton mused, wrapping his arms around her when she leaned against him. “Who knows? An animal could’ve gotten in there, like a mouse or a squirrel, and started chewing. It happens.”

“There’s never been any history of shoddy work in the family’s business,” Sienna pointed out. She was trying, and the grateful look Colton gave her said he noticed and appreciated it.

Rose gasped, shaking her head hard. “I would never blame you,” she insisted, looking up at Colton. “I know all of those guys did the best work possible. That’s never crossed my mind, I swear.”

“You’re going to be beautiful brides either way,” Spencer assured the girls. “Nobody will be able to take their eyes off you.”

“I don’t know about anybody else, but I’m starving.“ Sienna grabbed a plate and began loading it with salad and grilled chicken. “You all had better hurry up if you want any of this.”

“You’re starting to sound like me,” Valentina joked. Evan threw an arm around her, and she chuckled. It had to be a good sign, the fact that she could make a joke.

“How was the fishing?” Ivy asked, changing the subject as we got in line behind Sienna.

We managed to carry the conversation pretty well after that, and before long, the girls were laughing at the story of Colton’s big catch turning out to be a discarded boot.

And while most of my attention was with them, a small part of me kept looking at Miles, waiting for him to give me a hint of when he wanted to talk. “You okay?” Ivy whispered at one point, touching her leg to mine under the table.

“Keep touching me like that, and I’ll get pretty fucking uncomfortable,” I murmured and grinned at the way her fair cheeks went pink.

“You look upset, is all.”

“If I’m upset, it’s because I didn’t get a single bite on my line all morning.” She seemed to accept that, going back to her lunch and making plans to visit the salon the following afternoon. Aria was going to dye her amethyst locks back to their natural brown for the wedding, something the girls assured her would look great and make her mom happy.

The staff started clearing our plates, which was when Miles looked my way and ever so slightly tipped his head toward the inside of the house. “Someone will need to direct me to the powder room,” he announced as he stood. “I’m not very familiar with this palace.”

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