Page 102 of Flirting with Mr. Serious

Bronte sat up. “I have an idea.”

“She’s got that twinkle in her eye,” Gem said.

Laney sipped on her wine. “Thatlet’s make a resolutiontwinkle.”

“I have a resolution not to make resolutions,” Sam said, and Bronte waved her hands.

“Hear me out. It’s not a resolution…” She raised her hands as if weighing the idea on a scale. “Well, maybe it is. We’re all together right now—” She cut herself off, realizing that they were an odd number. Technically, they weren’t all together since Bobby was missing, but Laney circled her hand for Bronte to continue. “What if we plan to always celebrate New Year’s together in person? Instead of each of us having to check calendars and plan vacation days, let’s make it a thing. From, I don’t know… Let’s say December 27th to January 1st, every year, we will all be together.” She arched her finger in a circle toward the screen, repeating, “All of us.”

Jason nodded as Gem said, “As long as I don’t have to plan anything.”

Chris waved the idea away. “You think I’d let anyone take the joy away from my wife of arranging a group vacation? Never.”

Mike lightly dragged his fingertips over Sam’s arm. “What do you think?”

“Yes,” she said. “Of course.”

Laney’s eyes focused somewhere off-screen. “Next year, yeah. I’ll be there.”

Sam burrowed her shoulder farther into Mike’s side, her muted worry for her friend palpable in her need for her own reassurance.

On-screen, Bronte clapped. “Done and done. And right on time.” She lifted her phone to show off the time. In Pennsylvania, it was about to be midnight. “Happy New Year!”

She and Chris lifted glasses of champagne, and the others followed suit, toasting to their screens. Although Sam and Mike were an hour behind, along with Gem and Jason in Illinois, they kissed anyway.

Chris rubbed his palms together. “Pals, it’s been nice, but I mean to begin the year with a good-luck kiss with my bunny.”

“Wejustkissed,” Bronte pointed out.

“He means NC-17,” Laney said with a wink at the screen, “my innocent one.”

Chris guffawed. “Innocent? She may look it, but last week, she—”

Bronte covered his mouth with her hand. “Okay, let’s leave that discussion right there. Thank you.”

Sam snorted a laugh into her champagne, and after Chris had signed off with an eager wave, everyone else did too. Gem said she wanted to check on Willow, and Laney had to eventually “make an appearance” at Bobby’s restaurant, and after shutting the laptop screen, Mike turned to Sam.

He pushed her hair behind her ear, his fingertip lingering there. “Did you want to go out?”

“I was thinking we could play a game.”

He curled his hand around her neck, urging her toward him. “What did you have in mind, peaches?”

She let out a low moan when he opened his mouth over her pulse in her throat, lightly sucking at her soft skin. “We have almost that whole bottle of champagne.”

“Yeah.” He worked his way up to her jaw.

“I know you don’t like to drink it.”

He nipped at her. “Mm-hmm.”

“But I do, and you haven’t let me tie you up yet.”

He shifted back enough to meet her eyes.

“I want to be the one in charge this time,” she said, then stood up, grabbing the bottle in one hand and his fingers in the other, towing him down the hall to their bedroom, a flirtatious smile curling her perfect, wide lips.

Little did she know, she was always in charge, and he would follow her anywhere. Forever.

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