Page 134 of Fake Dating My Best Friend

The magic of it all is so overwhelming that it takes me a second to register the cheers erupting from the trees surrounding us.

“Did you invite the entire town?” I ask as Asher sweeps me into his arms, my feet leaving the ground as he spins me in a circle.

“Half of them invited themselves. Betty’s been staking out this spot since noon.”

Betty steps out, brushing leaves off her skirt. “Okay, can I just say it now? I’ve known this would happen ever since the day Asher convinced me to offer that once in a lifetime special rental deal to Isla, in exchange for a year of free gym membership.”

I whirl around to stare at Asher. “You bribed my landlord?”

“Technically, I negotiated.”

More laughter breaks out as the townspeople emerge from their not-so-secret hiding spots. It’s like watching clowns pile out of a tiny car—they just keep coming.

Connie and Fred appear with champagne bottles. Elaine and Roxanne rush forward to hug me, both crying and talking over each other so fast I can’t make out a single word. Mrs. Henderson is somehow already showing photos she’s taken to anyone who will look.

“Town Facebook group’s going crazy,” Conner announces, holding up his phone like a trophy. “Though I think it’s mostly because some people owe money in the betting pool.”

“You bet on us again?”

“Xander did too,” Conner says, not even pretending to be sorry.

“I strategically invested.” Xander appears behind him with a rare smile.

“Conner created a whole bracket system.” Elaine throws her hands up.

“Which I regret absolutely nothing about.” Conner smug. “My odds were amazing.”

Elaine huffs. “I lost twenty bucks because I said Asher would chicken out and propose next year.”

“You are both uninvited from the wedding.”

Elaine grins. “That’s fair. But can I still come for cake?”

Asher chuckles, his arms tightening around me as he presses his lips on mine again.

“I can’t believe this is real,” I murmur against his lips.

“It’s always been real, Peachie.” He brushes his nose gently against mine. “We just finally got brave enough to admit what our hearts have always known.”

Elaine

Isla says yes. The ring goes on. They kiss.

There are gasps and cheers and a few tears. I clap too. Beam. Sniffle into a tissue I swiped from Roxanne’s purse. The music starts up from a Bluetooth speaker, exactly as rehearsed. All that secret planning actually worked.

It is perfect.

And I am happy for them. Really, truly happy. We helped Asher pull this whole thing off. I knew it was coming.

I was prepared.

Mostly. Kind of. Not at all.

Because watching your best friends finally have their moment, the childhood best friends to lovers, a fairy tale by the lake kind of moment? That hits different when your own life looks like a Pinterest board of crumbling fondant, overdue invoices, and a bakery mixer that just made a noise like a dying llama.

Yeah. Crisis mode.

And maybe it is not just the fondant or the invoices. Maybe there is something else twisting in my chest, something I do not really want to name.

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