Page 98 of Here's to Now

“I love you.”

And I make sure to tell her in the biggest way I can: by slamming my hips home as she falls apart around me.

“I love you, Haley Addams.”

“Waffles or pancakes?”

“Waffles,” Haley says, handing her menu to the waitress.

“Did you really pick waffles over pancakes?”

“What? It’s fun to drip the syrup in the little holes.”

I brush my lips against her ear, saying, “I may need to rethink those vows.”

Blushing, she ducks away just as Hudson clears his throat.

“This is still so strange to see,” Maura says.

Haley’s head snaps up. “Huh?”

“You two. It’s odd. I would have never guessed.”

“I wish I could say the same for you and Tuck, but I called that shit ages ago.”

“You did?” Tucker turns to Maura. “He did?”

She nods. “He has good instincts.”

“Huh. Well then.” Tucker takes a swig of his coffee. “How’d you guys like the show?”

“It was fantastic!” Rae says. “Thank you again for letting us all come along.”

My roommate rolls his eyes. “Of course. It’s your wedding gift. A combo bachelor-bachelorette Vegas party, who wouldn’t want that?”

“I wouldn’t,” Perry practically moans from the other end of the table. He wobbles some, a clear indication he may still be drunk. Dallas glares over at him and I wonder what’s up his ass.

“Is that new?”

I turn toward the voice. Hudson’s staring at Haley’s hand wrapped around her glass of orange juice. More accurately, he’s staring at her wedding ring—the one I slipped on her finger less than twelve hours ago, the one that sets my heart ablaze when I see it.

Haley nods and quickly ducks her hand under the table, leaving Hudson’s scrutiny to fall upon me. He tilts his head in the slightest before his eyes fly to my hand, the one attached to the arm I have around Haley…the one that does not give him a view of my ring finger from his perch. Craning his neck, he tries to get a glimpse, but I move my hand down, making sure he doesn’t see anything as I raise a challenging brow at him. Understanding dawns and he shakes his head twice, hanging it for only a moment before Rae speaks up.

“Where’d you guys go last night?”

Realizing she’s talking to me, I clear my throat. “What do you mean?”

“You disappeared after that fifth round of shots. I spotted you on the dance floor practically making babies”—I cringe at the words she uses and press my hand harder into Haley back—“and then you were gone.”

Taking a quick peek at Haley, she nods her head oh so subtly, letting me know it’s okay to tell them.

I take one last glance at Hudson. Seeing a cocky smirk lining his face, I kick him under the table. The smirk never slips.

“Last night we—”

“Who had the waffles?” the red-haired waitress asks, sliding up to the table with a tray piled high with food.

“Damn, that was fast,” Dallas says.

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