Page 119 of Play With Me

“Shit.”

“Sorry, I just…” I lower my voice. “Can you tell me now? Should we sneak away?”

Hailey rolls her eyes and then clears her throat. “No sneaking. It’s fine, Paulie,” she says and then pauses for a moment. We all hold our breath. “Paulie and I have an announcement.”

My mom gasps and holds her hand over her heart, making Hailey sigh.

“No, we aren’t secretly married, but we have been dating. It’s new, but yeah. We’re a thing. A serious thing,” she adds, and my mom squeals so loudly my ears ring for an entire minute afterward. But I don’t even care. Because my best friend and my sister are together. That means eventual marriage and my best friend as my brother-in-law.

I mean, really, my sister would be stupid not to tie that guy down. She made the right choice.

“About fucking time!” Maya quips, and Desiree giggles in excitement.

“When did this happen?” I ask because my mother can’t. She’s tearing up and can’t quite form the questions I know she wants to ask.

“Just a few months ago,” Paulie says, rubbing the back of his neck. Hailey reaches out and drags him a little closer. His hand lands on her shoulder and then toys with her ear.

“What made you finally notice him?” Desiree asks, looking moonstruck. She’s hanging on every word.

“Look, I always thought he was cute, but I was in my own little world. I mean, he’s my twin’s best friend. I thought he was off-limits. It wasn’t until I saw how he handled the whole Myles and Colton situation that I realized how hot he was and how much I liked him.”

“Emotional intelligence is the sexiest thing,” Maya agrees.

“It really is. So I asked him on a date,” Hailey says with a grin. She peers up at Paulie, and he meets her gaze. I can see the adoration flowing between the two of them, the chemistry.

“I didn’t wanna say anything at first. Thought it was too good to be true,” Paulie admits, and Hailey presses her forehead into his side. “And I felt guilty for not telling you, Myles. Sorry for acting weird. Just didn’t wanna let it slip.”

“That’s my fault. I wanted to keep it secret for a while without you interfering assholes getting involved.”

My mom takes major offense at that. “We are not interfering! We are supportive. Right, Maya?”

“The best kind of supportive, if I do say so,” she says with a strong nod.

“Look, you can be interfering in a good way,” I interject, and Mom glowers at me.

“Well, I am who I am. You can’t change me, and I refuse to. So there.”

She pouts for half a second before her lips turn up and she bounces slightly. “This calls for a celebratory drink. I’ve been saving this wine for a special occasion. I was thinking the engagement of Myles and Colton, but now I think we should share it together. This is just too good to be true.”

“Mom, we aren’t engaged,” I murmur, and Colton leans over and whispers, “Not yet” in my ear, making me warm all over and jittery.

Can’t fucking wait.

My mom ignores me, just rustles around in a cabinet, and pulls out a bottle of wine.

“I got this from a client a few years back and couldn’t bring myself to drink it alone. Today seems like the perfect opportunity to share it with you all.”

She uncorks it and pours us each a small amount. When the bottle is empty, she glances around at all of us gathered together.

“That is four-hundred-dollar wine, so you better enjoy it.”

“What the fuck?” I mutter, not that Colton seems bothered by the price. I’m sure he’s had wine more expensive than this.

My mom lifts her cup, and her eyes twinkle.

“To my children and the partners they have in their lives. May your days be full of happiness and your nights be full of sex.” She pauses. “Or days too. Really, a healthy sex life is nothing to balk at.”

“Oh my god,” Hailey groans, and Paulie lets out a laugh.

“You sure you wanna be part of this family?” I ask him, my voice low and teasing.

Paulie grins at me. “Been waiting my whole life for this.”

And so have I.

Could anything be better than this?

I really doubt it.