Page 141 of The Bachelor

Declan stood, pointing at his chest. “Hey, I made it how many weeks without breaking your rule?”

“You can talk shop at the table, you know,” Hannah said to Declan. “Oaklyn won’t spank you if you do.”

Declan shook his head and clasped Camden’s shoulder. “I’ll spare her the details and leave the spanking for Camden.”

“There’s only one ass that gets spanked in this relationship,” Camden roared in my ear, quickly kissing my cheek.

As I watched the guys disappear, I giggled, eventually turning my attention back toward Hannah, who had the biggest smile on her face. “What’s making you so happy right now?”

“Everything. This. Us. The four of us.” She lifted her flute. “This is what I’ve always wanted—my brother and my best friend to be completely in love, not necessarily in love with each other, but I’m all for it, and I can barely contain myself.” She sipped and then sipped again.

After Camden and I had purged our truth on the flight back from Sedona, there hadn’t even been a pause in my friendship with Hannah. Hannah and I got together the following evening to talk again, that time without Camden, and I went into detail about the proposition and a little about the lessons—something I knew Camden wouldn’t tell his sister. I didn’t unload every bit of it, but just enough so Hannah knew how it all had gone down and the baby steps we had taken. I wanted her to know that it wasn’t her brother who had pursued me, that I was the one who had made the first move, so if she was going to be angry with anyone, it should be me.

But she wasn’t.

And despite being upset that she had been lied to and kept in the dark, Hannah had understood where Camden and I were coming from and why we had made those decisions.

I wasn’t sure it was even possible, but our friendship felt stronger because of what had happened.

Because of our new bond.

Because of the way our future was now intertwined more than the two of us had ever expected.

I laughed at my best friend, whose smile hadn’t faded even a little. “You know, this is our eighth date night, which means you’ve known about us for over two months. This isn’t exactly new anymore, girl, and you’re all giddy like you just found out.”

“Maybe not new, but it’s perfect, and it just keeps getting better.”

I lifted my glass and gently touched it against hers. “Cheers to that.”

She took a drink and adjusted herself on the chair, fixing her hair before she said, “Now, I just need Jenner and Jo to tie the knot. Sydney and Ford to have a little one. And Dominick and Kendall to set a date.”

“Isn’t most of that in the works?”

Her smile grew. I wasn’t even sure how, considering it was already so big. “Yes, thank God. As you know, Jenner and Jo’s wedding is in a month. Sydney and Ford are trying to get pregnant and haven’t set a wedding date—which I’m not supposed to know about, so vault—and Kendall and Dom are narrowing down dates; they just have to decide if they’re going to have the wedding in LA or if they’re going to wait another year and do it at the new Spade Hotel in Hawaii.”

“Hawaii—not that I have a vote, but Hawaii.”

“Saaame.”

I glanced toward the boys. I couldn’t hear what they were saying—they were too far away—but their faces didn’t have the serious expressions they normally wore when they discussed work.

“And you and Declan?” I asked, turning to my best friend again.

She put her hand on her heart. “What about us?”

“Something tells me you’re on the verge of taking the next step with him.”

Her eyes widened. “Why do you think that? Has Camden mentioned something?”

I shook my head. “No, nothing like that. It’s just a feeling I have. He’s obsessed with you.”

“I’m more than obsessed with him, but I’m not going to rush him. Declan has to move at his own speed. The fact that we’re even in a relationship is somewhat of a miracle—I mean, you know his reputation prior to me.” Her hand dropped, but her grin remained intact. “Things are so good. I’m more than fine with that.”

“Really? You’refinewith it?” My brows rose. “Fineis a woman’s least favorite word in the dictionary.”

She snorted. “Listen, if he got down on one knee, I would scream yes. But I’m not giving him any pressure. I’m not even sending him hints.”

“Like leaving wedding magazines on your coffee table? Or accidentally texting him engagement rings and telling him you meant to send them to me?”

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