Page 174 of Pucking Sweet

He tips his head to the side, letting his eyes savor the look of me in my glittery gold dress and his suit jacket. “Because I know you. I know you from your pretty blonde hair down to your polished pink toes.”

“My toes are purple right now.”

“I stand corrected. I’ll go walk into Hal Price’s pool now.” He moves as if to brush past me, and I reach out a hand.

“Don’t.”

He chuckles. “Come on, Poppy. Talk to me.” He brushes his fingertips over my cheek. “Is it just all the stress of this week? You haven’t been sleeping…I’ve hardly seen you. I mean, I know it’s been fucking awful, but it’s over now. They’re married. Hard to keep gossiping about how it’ll never last when they’ve all signed on the dotted line—”

I spin away, not wanting him to see the tears start to fall.

“Hey.” He takes me gently by the shoulder and turns me back around. “What is this? I thought you’d be happy for them. A win for them is a win for us too.”

“We are not the same,” I whisper. “Their story can’t be our story.”

He frowns. “Well, no. I mean, if anything, our story will be a bit easier to write. We have nothing like their fame, or their baggage.”

“Colton…”

“Babe, you can check any of my closets,” he goes on. “Give me a scrub-down, or whatever you call it in the biz. The most you’ll find is, like, three parking tickets and a handful of speeding tickets. Sure, Novy has a juvie record, but most of that gets expunged when you become an adult.”

Squaring my shoulders at him, I hold his gaze. “Colton, on the yacht you told me exactly what you wanted. You held up my hand, and stroked my ring finger, and saidthat’swhere you wanted this to go. You want us to get married, right?”

His eyes widen a little, looking for the trap. “Of course I want to marry you. Poppy, I’ve been clear on that from the beginning—”

“But Ican’tmarry you.”

He goes still, glaring down at me. “Why not?”

Oh god, this is coming out all wrong. “Colton—”

Before I can respond, Lukas comes waltzing down the path, holding a glass of champagne and a bottle of beer. “There you two are. I was looking everywhere. Hey, who wants to bet me a thousand bucks that Langers marries that redhead he’s dancing with?”

He comes to stand next to Colton, the golden lights of the patio casting shadows on the swollen, raised cut on his cheek. He looks down at the untouched glass of champagne I’m holding. “When you’re done with that one, I’m ready with number two.” He holds up the glass in his hand, taking a swig from his beer bottle. Sensing the mood, he glances between us. “What happened? What did I miss?”

“Poppy just said she won’t marry me,” Colton replies.

My heart squeezes tight. “That’s not what I was trying to say.”

Lukas steps in, glaring at Colton. “Wait, you just proposed? A heads up would’ve been fucking nice. Where the hell’s the ring, asshole?”

“I didn’t propose,” Colton replies. “She didn’t give me a chance. She’s already said no.”

“Ihaveto say no,” I reply, voice breaking. “Not because I don’t love you. Because Ido, Colton. You know I do. I love you so much, honey. But seeing them all get married tonight just made me realize I can never have that,” I say with a shrug. “Wecan never have that. The three of us.”

“Why can’t we have that?” says Colton.

“Honey, because it’s illegal. Look at what the Prices just had to do. His and Hers marriages? I can’t imagine marrying one of you and not the other.”

“So, then we just don’t get married,” he says with a shrug.

“But youwantto get married,” I cry. “You want the wedding and the house and the babies. And you want to call me your wife. You want all of those traditions. I know you, Colton. And youdeserveall those things. Maybe once, I could’ve been the woman to give them to you, but I’m not that woman anymore.”

“And I’m not that guy anymore,” he replies, his tone heating. “You changed me.Thischanged me.” He points between the three of us. “Poppy, this is what I want now. This right here is all I will ever need. I love you, and I love him, and I want the three of us to be together. I mean, we’re happy, right? Aren’t you happy?”

“I was so happy,” I whisper, blinking back more tears.

“Was,” he echoes, his expression closing off. “Meaning you’re not now. Can I ask what the fuck happened?”

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