Page 48 of Falling Hard
Before I could say a word, I felt a bunch of fingers clamp on my arm, and I was pulled away from him.
"Well, you were definitely surprised," Demetria said.
Alex nodded, and Mei wore the biggest smile I’d ever seen.
"When did you guys learn about the party?" I asked.
Alex spoke first. "Luke called, told us to drop everything. He wanted to throw an engagement party."
Mei smiled. "After you told us you two were together, it wasn't much of a surprise."
I noted how silent Demetria was, her wine untouched. I stared at her for a while, waiting.
Finally, she spoke. "Alright. I cornered him the afternoon you cleared the air. Seems I'd left O’Reilly’s bar just before you arrived."
My jaw dropped. "What?"
She nodded. "Luke confessed everything. That he and Solenne weren't real."
Alex stood straighter, eyes narrowing. "Why didn’t you say any-fucking-thing?"
Demetria didn’t blink. "I said a lot. I kept telling Olivia that Luke would drop Solenne if she just admitted how she felt. I also tried to call Liv when I left the bar. Bitch, you didn't answer the phone. Next thing I heard, they'd worked it out themselves."
When I left the car that afternoon, I didn't bring my phone. All I’d wanted was to find Luke, confess, and brace for his reaction.
Demetria sighed and leaned forward. "What matters is you and Luke figured things out."
Mei's lips curved. "Demetria, aren't you tired of always being right, just a little bit?"
Demetria’s smiled. "Right or wrong doesn't matter. All I care about is that Luke and Olivia are finally together."
"No. I should have listened to you from the very beginning," I admitted, my voice quieter. "I was a fool."
They all looked at me like I was the kind of stubborn person who didn't normally admit I was wrong.
Okay, maybe I was.
Demetria placed the back of her hand on my forehead. "Are you sick, or has Luke's cock done a massive transformation in such a short space of time?"
We all burst into laughter.
"Shut up," I said, though I was grinning. "But yes, Luke has the sort of dick that could alter a personality."
They all stared at me.
Alex lifted her glass. "To Olivia and Luke. Two people who sure took their damn time doing what we all knew was inevitable."
We clinked glasses. I'd have to resign from the No Men Allowed club. But the bond between us—that wasn’t going anywhere.
"Liv, congratulations!"
I turned to find Vicky and Ella Forrester. After hugging each woman, I stepped back. "Thanks. You were surprised, right?"
"No," they both said in unison.
Ella lowered a glass from her mouth. "This makes way more sense."
"Your mother and I have been planning to share grandbabies for decades," Vicky said, then leaned over to my ear. "I knew all along Luke had found the right partner."
