Page 145 of The Girlfriend Zone

“Let me put it on you, and I’ll tell you,” I say, my voice bursting with hope.

She shudders, then nods several times. “Yes, put it on me now.”

Someone is eager, and I love it. She reaches for the locket, handing it to me before standing. Spinning around, she holds up her hair, revealing her gorgeous neck. I hook it in place, letting the metal fall against her skin, then turn her to face me. It’s like the locket has come home.

“How did you do this? How is this possible?” she asks, her voice full of wonder.

“That day Birdie brought the replacement bracelet here for me?” I prompt, reminding her.

“Right. Since you’d retrieved mine already that morning,” she supplies, nodding for me to go on.

“After she went, she happened to mention that there was also a locket in the box. Which made me realize you must have put it back that same morning. As soon as I returned from the road trip I was on, I took my chances and came here, hoping no one else had found the cache. The locket was still there, and so was the bracelet from Birdie. So, I left the bracelet, took the locket and held onto it.”

Her hands cover her lips before she drops them and whispers, “For a year?”

“More than a year, sweetheart.”

Her voice trembles as she asks, “But why?”

The easiest and the hardest reason ever. “I think I always knew I was never going to be able to resist you. No matter how hard I tried. Because I always knew it was you.”

She clasps the locket tightly, covering it with her hand, then closes the remaining distance between us, looping her arms around my neck, our chests pressed together. I can feel that peace in the present again—because she feels the exact same way.

“I have something for you too.”

I can’t wait to see what she means.

We return home. She shows me a picture of the same locket. “I took it the day I returned it,” she says, her voice soft. “So I could always remember that day.” She pauses. “Do you want to frame it?”

“I do. For here.”

Sometimes you just know when you meet the love of your life.

The plan is simple. As we walk into High Kick together—on the way to the arena the next afternoon, since really, what’s the point in pretending we’re not living together now?—Leighton reviews it with me. “I already texted him and asked him to have breakfast at our favorite café on Saturday.”

“We’ll be back from the road trip,” I say, eager to show I remember every detail. We play Dallas at home tonight, then travel to Los Angeles late tonight for a game tomorrow.

“And Riley has the SAT on Saturday morning, so he’ll be free,” she continues, then adds, “it’s a busy week already, with the meeting Melissa booked us on Friday morning with the bridal website about our collab, so the timing works out perfectly.” Her voice picks up, like she’s relieved the pieces are falling into place. “And…at breakfast, I’ll tell him we’re dating.”

Best plan ever.

But as we approach the counter, I stop her, giving her a playfully stern look. “We’re not just dating, sweetheart,” I say, my voice low and steady, my gaze locked on hers.

She dips her face, as if she’s a little shy. “I know.”

We’re at the counter, though, so I drop the conversation and say hi to my grandmother. Birdie’s eyes are twinkling like she already knows. She doesn’t, but in some ways, I think she always has.

Leighton orders her Earl Grey latte, since Birdie has won her over with it, and I opt for a vile coffee today, and we hand Birdie our to-go mugs.

“Coming right up, Boo,” she says with a wink, sticking a decal with the name on the mugs before filling them.

When the drinks are ready, she sets them at the edge of the counter and beckons us over, whispering, “I’m earning my stripes, right? I’ve got a feeling, looking at you two.”

Leighton lets out a hopeful breath. “Soon. Really soon. And thank you. You deserve it, Birdie,” she says, but there’s a touch of nerves in her voice.

“You know what? I do. Underground GrandmaMatchmaking Society, you’d better look out! I’m running for president,” Birdie quips, flashing a grin.

We leave and slide into my car. But before I turn on the ignition, I try to lighten the moment and give Leighton a mock-serious look. “So if we’re not dating, what are we doing?”

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